Richard III Movie Review 1995

The Brits once again bring the Bard's most notorious monarch to the screen, this time in a new setting. McKellen stars in the title role of the deformed and ruthless English king, now in an imagined 1930s London of swanky Art Deco, Black Shirt thugs and modern media. Purists may resent major dialogue cuts, but famous speeches (such as the "winter of our discontent" opener) are amusingly staged in this modern take. Gorgeously polished visuals are perfect foil for the slimy, evil goings-on. Based on both Shakespeare's play and Richard Eyre's stage adaptation (in which McKellen also starred).

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment, 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404-6061, Phone: (310)449-3000, Fax: (310)449-3100, URL: http://www.mgmhomevideo.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS
Running time 105 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Plays to Film: William Shakespeare, Period Piece: 1930s, Royalty, British, Great Britain, War, General, Politics, Modern Shakespeare, Nazis & Other Paramilitary Slugs

Screenplay

Ian McKellen, Richard Loncraine

Cast

Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey, Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood

Cinematography

Peter Biziou

Director

Richard Loncraine

Music

Trevor Jones

Producer

Lisa Katselas Pare, Stephen Bayly, Ellen Dinerman Little, Ian McKellen, Joe Simon, Maria Apodiacos, MGM Home Entertainment