Review for Richard III

Richard III is generally considered one of the Shakespeare's greatest History plays. Much like Henry V, Hamlet and Macbeth its power lies in the fact that it has such a fascinating central character. It tells the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester and his obsession with becoming King of England. This leads to murder and betrayal both on the battlefield and in the palaces of everyone who may get in his way. Richard becomes as twisted as his deformed body and will stop at nothing to see himself on the throne.

What can I say? It's Laurence Olivier doing what he does better than anyone. Many people see this as a lesser film in comparison to his previous Shakespeare adaptations 1948s Hamlet which won him the Oscar for Best Actor and Picture and 1944s Henry V which saw him win an Honorary Oscar and nominated for many other awards. This film is not as unloved as its title character with Olivier nominated for a deserved Best Actor Oscar and winning the BAFTA for it. However, I will admit that this is certainly a film that needs your attention and at nearly three hours it is a film that you may find difficult to sit through.

The best advice in regards to this, is that before you press play, pretend that you are watching a play. At the two hour mark press pause and give yourself an intermission and then come back to it. Though sometimes with the hypnotic performance of Olivier it is difficult to do this.

Olivier's Direction of this film is simply gorgeous with the bright colours, made even more wonderful in this Blu-ray restoration. This feels like a film that really did take advantage of the use of colour and because of this the costumes and sets just explode out of the screen with vibrant colour. The final battle is simply amazing. In an age of CGI you have to look at this scene and say 'EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN IS REAL' there are no superimposed men, no cheats, no tricks. This was all created and it looks amazing for it.

One of the most fascinating aspects is the breaking of the fourth wall that is employed. All of Richard's speeches are spoken directly to the camera. This is not the voice overs or inward reflection that was seen in Hamlet, but Richard telling us the audience what he is planning and the way it is filmed with the camera following him gives it almost a documentary style as if we are seeing everything that he allows us to see.

It would be wrong for me not to mention the rest of the cast which includes John Gielgud, Claire Bloom and Ralph Richardson. Everyone on the screen is amazing and this could be one of the greatest Shakespearian cast I think I have ever seen. If you are an actor and you want a masterclass then it would do you well to watch any of the performers in this film. Of course, if you are looking for an audition monologue then who better than the great Olivier to show you exactly how it should be done.

The set includes a variety of extra features including the original Intermission card which just seems bizarre to imagine. Though at nearly three hours understandable. There is the original theatrical and TV trailer with the TV trailer more a short 'Making of' which is nice. Picture galleries are split into Behind the Scenes, Production, Promotion and Portraits. All are short slideshows of multiple stills. These are all nice, but I do wish they would go back to an interactive photo gallery style. The various posters used to promote the film in the Promotion section are great, but again it would be nice to view them individually.

The Trial of Richard III is a truly bizarre look at whether if Richard had stood trial for the murder of his two nephews he would have been convicted. This is fascinating, but at three and a half hours long far too long to sustain an audience. If this had been cut down to maybe an hour it would have been much better. As it goes on, it becomes more and more dogged down in legal jargon, but if you are a fan of court room dramas like The Practice or Law and Order this might perk your curiosity.

Richard III is a masterpiece on every level. In this new restoration you can see every aspect of the magical filmmaking brought to life. This is what filmmaking should be. There is no better example of acting, directing, music, costume. Everything is perfect and everyone should experience it.