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This 1955 film offers a rare boon, the opportunity to see three of the 20th century's greatest British actors -- Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson -- acting together in the same production. Olivier, the director and star of Richard III, overarches the film in a portrayal of Richard that ranges from impishly wicked to fiendishly diabolical. Early on, he is perversely endearing. His hooked nose, his hunched back, and his halting gait make him a quaint sideshow. Later on, he is unabashedly horrifying. His serial murders of men, women, and children make him a grotesque main attraction that, curiously, still attracts as well as repels. We like Richard, for he is more audaciously sinister and wicked than the sum of all villains since Cain. He dares to do what we all would like to do to a haughty boss or a nincompoop neighbor, if we had no conscience. Often during his performance, Olivier turns away from his interlocutors and looks directly at the audience, confiding his inmost thoughts and feelings. This visual technique works well to establish a relationship with the audience. Gielgud and Richardson support Olivier with wonderful performances. Other distinguished British actors -- including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Claire Bloom, and Stanley Baker -- also perform with savoir-faire. But the film is not perfect. Olivier sometimes takes unnecessary liberties with Shakespeare's text. Also, because the production was filmed in Technicolor, the reds and blues and yellows scream for attention in their vividness, often overpowering the importance of a dagger or a menacing smile. Nevertheless, Richard III is an extraordinary film that will likely survive the test of time.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Product Details
Actors: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom
Directors: Laurence Olivier
Format: Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: April 23, 2013
Run Time: 158 minutes
Special Features
New high-definition digital master of the Film Foundation's 2012 restoration
Audio commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilders
Interview with actor Laurence Olivier from a 1966 episode of Great Acting
Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production stills and posters
Twelve-minute television trailer featuring footage of Olivier and other cast
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin
Cast & Crew
Cedric Hardwicke Edward Plantagenet (King Edward IV)
Laurence Olivier Richard III
John Gielgud George, Duke of Clarence
Nicholas Hannen Archbishop of Canterbury
Claire Bloom Lady Anne Neville
Ralph Richardson Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Alec Clunes Thomas, Lord Hastings
Stanley Baker Henry Tudor
Mary Kerridge Elizabeth Woodville (Queen Elizabeth)
Pamela Brown Jane Shore
Paul Huston Edward, Prince of Wales
Russell Thorndike First Priest
Norman Fisher Monk
Andrew Cruickshank Brankenbury
Clive Morton Antony Woodville, Earl Rivers
Dan Cunningham Grey
Douglas Wilmer Marquess of Dorset
Michael Gough Dighton
Michael Ripper 2nd murderer
Roy Russell Abbot
George Woodbridge Lord Mayor of London
Esmond Knight Sir Richard Ratcliffe
John Laurie Lord Lovell
Peter Williams Messenger to Hastings
Timothy Bateson Ostler
Willoughby Gray Priest
Ann Wilton Scrub woman
Bill Shine Beadle
Deering Wells Clergyman
Richard Bennett George Stanley
Patrick Troughton James Tyrell
Brian Nissen 1st Messenger
Alexander Davion 2nd Messenger
Lane Meddick 3rd Messenger
Robert Bishop Messenger
John Greenwood Knight
Helen Haye Queen Mother
Bernard Hepton
Laurence Naismith Thomas, Lord Stanley
John Phillips John Howard, Duke of Norfolk
Derek Prentice Clergyman
Norman Wooland Sir William Catesby
Technical Credits
Laurence Olivier Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Colley Cibber Screenwriter
Helga Cranston Editor
Alan Dent Screenwriter
Carmen Dillon Art Director
Roger Furse Production Designer
Otto Heller Cinematographer
Alexander Korda Co-producer
L&H Nathan Ltd. Costumes/Costume Designer
Muir Mathieson Musical Direction/Supervision
H. Nathan Costumes/Costume Designer
Tony Sforzini Makeup
Wally Veevers Special Effects
William Walton Score Composer
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