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Richard III (1955)

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From Time Out Film Guide

Olivier's third film as actor/director, and his third 'personal' Shakespeare adaptation. Whether you take his central performance on its own terms (as a 'definitive' reading of the part) or as high camp, it's undoubtedly interesting as a phenomenon. Less debatable, unfortunately, is his ability as a director: his approach is for the most part tediously staid and conservative, and it becomes almost laughable when it tries to transcend its own timidity in the dramatic climaxes.

Author: TR

Time Out Film Guide

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Carole Heath said...

Posted on Oct 04 2011 19:57 I liked Olivier's film version of Richard 111, this film was my first introduction to Shakespeare and i went on to see his Henry V and Hamlet at the cinema at the time in the early 60's as a cinema in the west end of London was showing all three of Olivier's Shakespeare films. I am a great admirer of Olivier not just as an actor also as a director and producer which he undertook to do for his three films. I don't really agree with movie review regarding Richard 111 i personally think it was a brilliant performance by Olivier as Richard full of pathos and he really captured the evilness of the character as Shakespeare wrote it. Of course i now think that much of the play did blacken Richard as a person and he is now seen as one of the wickest Kings in English history which i think maybe is quite wrong personally. Olivier did really bring Shakespeare to a mass audience through these films i think he was most likely one of the first actors to do so. In my opinion Olivier's Shakespeare films have never been done any better he really made the characters his own and the actors he casted alongside himself was very good people like John Gielgud, Ralpn Richardson Claire Bloom, Robert Newton, John Lawie, Esmond Knight amongst others. Olivier's ability to film Shakespeare i think was a gift for him as an actor and he inspired me to love Shakespeare and i am grateful to him for this to this day.

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