Richard III (1995 film)
Richard III | |
---|---|
Directed by | Richard Loncraine |
Written by |
|
Story by | Richard Eyre |
Based on | Richard III by William Shakespeare |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Biziou |
Edited by | Paul Green |
Music by | Trevor Jones |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Guild Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Language | English |
Budget | £6 million |
Box office | $2.7 million |
Richard III is a 1995
The film premiered in Brazil on 20 August 1995, and was released in the United States on 29 December 1995, and in the United Kingdom on 26 April of the following year. While
Plot
In a fictitious timeline of
Queen Elizabeth intercedes on Clarence's behalf and persuades Edward to spare his life. Richard destroys the royal pardon and commissions James Tyrrell to execute Clarence, ostensibly in compliance with Clarence's death sentence. Richard informs Edward of Clarence's death at a meeting with Prime Minister William Hastings, and the King dies from a stroke. As Edward's sons are underage, Richard becomes Regent, taking the title of Lord Protector with the support of the ambitious and corrupt Henry Buckingham.
To undermine his rivals for the throne, Richard has Rivers, the Queen's brother, assassinated and uses the sordid circumstances of his death to damage the Queen's reputation and cast doubt on her sons' legitimacy. Hastings' reluctance to support Richard's claim to the crown so enrages Richard that he manufactures false charges of treason against Hastings, who is sentenced to death by hanging. Having made an example of his only vocal opponent, Richard persuades the Lord Mayor of London and members of the House of Lords to acknowledge his claim to the throne and crown him King. Acting on the advice of Archbishop Thomas and Lord Stanley, the Lancastrian heir, Henry Richmond, flees to France.
Following his coronation Richard, now King Richard III, seeks to make his throne secure. He employs Tyrrell to murder the princes after failing to convince Buckingham to do so. Aware that Richmond intends to marry Elizabeth, he instructs Sir William Catesby to spread rumours that Lady Anne is ill and likely to die, intending to marry Elizabeth himself. Lady Anne is found dead sometime later from an apparent drug overdose. Impatient for the promised reward for his loyalty, Buckingham demands the Earldom of Hereford. Richard dismisses this in a high-handed manner, with the line "I am not in the giving vein". Buckingham, also disturbed by the murders of the princes and Hastings, flees to meet Richmond but is later captured and killed by Tyrrell under Richard's orders.
Richmond gathers supporters, among them Archbishop Thomas and Richard's mother, the Duchess of York. They are joined by Air Marshal Thomas Stanley. Richmond marries Elizabeth and unites both Houses and political factions against Richard. With the army's loyalty slipping and the legitimacy of his claims to the crown weakened, Richard prepares for the final battle against the Lancastrians, who plan an invasion and an advance on London. Richard's remaining loyal troops, assembling in a marshalling yard, are attacked from the air, revealing Stanley's defection to the Lancastrian cause.[2]
The two armies meet soon after at a ruined Battersea Power Station. Richard and Richmond seek each other out but when his vehicle stalls Richard flees into the structure. Pursued by Richmond, Richard is forced to exit onto exposed metal beams high above the burning battlefield. Cornered by Richmond and refusing to surrender, Richard falls into the inferno with a maniacal grin, reflected by Richmond.
Cast
- Ian McKellen as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III
- Annette Bening as Queen Elizabeth
- Jim Broadbent as the Duke of Buckingham
- Robert Downey Jr. as Rivers
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Anne Neville
- Maggie Smith as the Duchess of York
- King Edward IV
- George, Duke of Clarence
- James Tyrrel
- Edward Hardwicke as Lord Stanley
- Tim McInnerny as Sir William Catesby
- Jim Carter as Lord Hastings
- Dominic West as Henry, Earl of Richmond (the future King Henry VII)
- Tres Hanleyas Lord Rivers' mistress
- Roger Hammond as Archbishop Thomas
- Donald Sumpter as Robert Brackenbury
- Bill Paterson as Richard Ratcliffe
- Kate Steavenson-Payne as Princess Elizabeth
- Christopher Bowen as Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales
- Matthew Groom as Prince Richard of York
- Marco Williamson as Edward of York, Prince of Wales
- Edward Jewesbury as King Henry VI
- Denis Lill as Lord Mayor of London
- Ryan Gilmore as George Stanley
- Stacey Kent as Singer at the celebratory ball
Michael Elphick has an uncredited cameo appearance as the second murderer of George the Duke of Clarence.
Concept
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
The film's concept was based on a stage production Richard Eyre directed for the Royal National Theatre, which also starred McKellen. The production was adapted for the screen by McKellen and directed by Richard Loncraine.
The film is notable for its unconventional use of famous British landmarks, often using special effects to move them to new locations. The transformed landmarks include:
- King Edward's seat of government.
- Battersea Power Station, relocated to the coast of Kent and portrayed as a heavily damaged military base.
- Clarence is imprisoned. At the time of filming, the station was partially derelict, before its current use as the Tate Modern.
- Brighton Pavilion, King Edward's country retreat on a coastal clifftop.
- art deco facade and clock of Shell Mex Houseare also featured in exterior shots.
The visually rich production features various symbols, uniforms, weapons, and vehicles that draw openly from fascist aesthetics, similar to those of the
At the same time, obvious care is put into diluting and mixing the totalitarian references with recognizable British and American uniforms, props, and visual motifs. The resulting military uniforms, for instance, range from completely standard 1930s British Army and Air Force uniforms for good characters to heavily squadristi and SS-inspired insignia on British uniforms for Richard's entourage, with SS collar tabs replacing the gorget patches and a white boar replacing the royal crown on Richard's uniform.
For road transport, great care was taken to ensure that all cars in filming were of pre-war vintage.
For air transport, pre-war types were used again to ensure authenticity. As Lord Rivers arrives, he does so in a
Another example of this balanced approach to production design is the choice of tanks for battle scenes between Richmond's and Richard's armies: both use
One of the play's most famous lines—"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"—is re-contextualized by the 20th-century setting; during the climactic battle, Richard's jeep becomes stuck in a pile of debris, and his lament is a plea for a mode of transport with legs rather than wheels.
The film enlarges the role of the Duchess of York considerably by combining her character with that of Queen Margaret, as compared with Laurence Olivier's 1955 film version of the play, in which the Duchess hardly appeared at all and Queen Margaret was completely eliminated. The roles of Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, and Dorset are combined into Rivers. The death scenes are shown rather than implied as in the play, and changed to suit the time (Hastings is hanged rather than beheaded) and historical accuracy (Clarence dies by having his throat cut in a bathtub, rather than being drowned in a wine barrel). Rivers—who usually dies offstage (or, in the case of Olivier's film, offscreen)—is impaled by a sharp spike spurting up from the bottom of his mattress while he lies in bed during sex with a woman in a hotel room. Each character's pre-death monologue is also removed, except those of Clarence and Buckingham.
McKellen wrote, "When you put this amazing old story in a believable modern setting, it will hopefully raise the hair on the back of your neck, and you won't be able to dismiss it as 'just a movie' or, indeed, as 'just old-fashioned
Awards
- Academy Awards[5]
- Best Art Direction – Tony Burrough (nominated)
- Best Costume Design – Shuna Harwood (nominated)
- BAFTA Film Awards[6]
- Best British Film (nominated)
- Best Actor – Ian McKellen (nominated)
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine (nominated)
- Best Costume Design – Shuna Harwood (won)
- Best Production Design – Tony Burrough (won)
- Berlin Film Festival
- Silver Bear for Best Director – Richard Loncraine (won)[7]
- Golden Bear (nominated)
- Golden Globe Awards[8]
- Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama – Ian McKellen (nominated)
Reception
Richard III was well reviewed by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 49 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10.[1] On Metacritic the film has an average score of 86 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]
Empire magazine gave the film four out of five, calling it "fascinating" and "cerebral".[10] Jeffrey Lyons said the film was "mesmerizing",[11] while Richard Corliss in Time called it "cinematic".[12] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "the picture never stops coming at you".[11] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four and included it on his Great Movies list.[13]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Richard III was released on 27 February 1996.
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Invasion" | Trevor Jones | 1:37 |
2. | "Come Live With Me" | Stacey Kent | 5:40 |
3. | "Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent" | Trevor Jones | 1:01 |
4. | "Mortuarty" | Trevor Jones | 1:26 |
5. | "Bid Me Farewell/I'll Have Her" | Trevor Jones | 1:21 |
6. | "Clarence's Dream" | Trevor Jones | 3:04 |
7. | "Crimson" | Trevor Jones | 3:13 |
8. | "Clarence's Murder" | Trevor Jones | 2:05 |
9. | "The Tower" | Trevor Jones | 2:06 |
10. | "The Blessing" | Trevor Jones | 0:27 |
11. | "Conspiracy" | Trevor Jones | 0:35 |
12. | "Toe Tappers" | Trevor Jones | 2:14 |
13. | "Let Sorrow Haunt Your Bed" | Trevor Jones | 1:29 |
14. | "The Reach of Hell/Long Live the King" | Trevor Jones | 1:15 |
15. | "Good Angels Guard You" | Trevor Jones | 0:28 |
16. | "Coronation Haze" | Trevor Jones | 1:11 |
17. | "Prelude from Te Deum" | Trevor Jones | 1:41 |
18. | "The Golden Dew of Sleep" | Trevor Jones | 0:30 |
19. | "My Regret" | Trevor Jones | 2:46 |
20. | "Pity Dwells Not This Eye" | Trevor Jones | 0:25 |
21. | "Westminster" | Trevor Jones | 3:14 |
22. | "My Most Grievous Curse" | Trevor Jones | 0:49 |
23. | "The Duchess Departs" | Trevor Jones | 0:52 |
24. | "The Devil's Temptation" | Trevor Jones | 0:54 |
25. | "Richmond" | Trevor Jones | 0:52 |
26. | "Defend Me Still" | Trevor Jones | 2:47 |
27. | "I Did But Dream" | Trevor Jones | 0:45 |
28. | "Elizabeth and Richmond" | Trevor Jones | 1:37 |
29. | "My Kingdom for a Horse" | Trevor Jones | 0:39 |
30. | "Battle" | Trevor Jones | 4:42 |
31. | "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" | Al Jolson | 1:49 |
32. | "Come Live With Me" | Stacey Kent | 5:40 |
Total length: | 59:14[14] |
"Come Live With Me" is a 1930s-style swing song, performed by
Legacy
References
- ^ a b "Richard III". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "Richard III Screenplay by Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine". mckellen.com. Retrieved 22 April 2006.
- ^ "Richard III: Photographs". mckellen.com. 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ Stern, Keith (1995). "Richard III: Notes". Mckellen.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Film in 1997 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1996 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Richard III (1955)". Golden Globes. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Richard III". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ Errigo, Angie. "Empire's Richard III Movie Review". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ a b Stern, Keith (1995). "Richard III: Reviews". Mckellen.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (24 June 2001). "Pulp Elizabethan Fiction". Time.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (7 October 2009). "Richard III Movie Review & Film Summary (1996)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "Richard III Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-0521543118.
External links
- McKellen's website about the film including an annotated copy of the screenplay.
- Richard III at IMDb
- Richard III at Box Office Mojo
- Richard III at AllMovie