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Richard I | Year: 1995 Classification: Drama Directed: - Richard Loncraine Actors/Actresses: - Ian McKellen - Annette Bening - Kristin Scott Thomas - Sir Ian McKellen modernized version The movie of Richard III is an interpretation of the play written by William Shakespeare. The movie is a modernized version with the basic principles of the play. This movie starts with Richard's manipulations and soliloquies, as he arranges his brother's Clarences death. It ends with Richmond's victory. The movie has performers that form the structural basis for the dramatic action found in the story. Scenes found in the movie describe the same plot as in the play. For instance, there is an early scene in the movie and play where Richard, in a soliloquy, presents himself as a villain. Both in the movie and play Richard woos Lady Anne over the corpse of King Henry VI, whom Richard murdered. a different way Richard III stars Ian Mckellen in the role as the evil Richard of Gloucester. This Shakespearean novel is portrayed in a different way, in the 1930's. Keeping the same dialogue from the play, Richard III keeps it's theme and plot, with Gloucester killing even his own family to get the throne. Replacing horses with jeeps and guns for swords keeps the audience interested, even those who don't know what the movie is about. Ian Mckellen gives a great job as portraying Richard of Gloucester with an ironic smile and an evil laugh of triumph. The ending of the movie shows a version of what happened to Richard, since it is not told of what happened to him in the play. No Better Shakespearean Adaptation Ian' McKellen's amazing adaptation of Shakespeare's "Richard III" shows just how good Shakespeare can be, even for a modern audience that is not trained in the Shakespearean vocabulary. Directed by Richard Loncraine, and adapted from his triumphant stage production, this "Richard III" is set in a pseudo-Nazi-era England, and the Wars of the Roses are seemingly set as the preliminary days of WWII. In a great opening scene, Richard leads the forces of his brother, King Edward IV (John Wood), to victory over the rebel forces -- following a tank smashing through a fireplace and planting a bullet in his rival's head, all the while breathing through a gas mask like a 20th-century Darth Vader. The royal family is seemingly happy, "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer . . ." But Richard is a villain -- in a wonderful soliloquy that starts as a homage to his kingly brother but evolves into a private rant in a bathroom, Richard confesses that he is a villain. "Plots have I laid!" Capitalizing on the trust given him by his brothers, Richard sets off on a mad quest for power that sees him arrange for the murder of his brother, seduce the widow of his dead rival ("Was ever woman in this humor wooed? Was ever woman in this humor won?"), and ultimately seize the throne. But for Richard the quest for power is the game -- he seems happiest when winning but almost morose having won his prize. He wins a bride but ignores her. He wins the throne but does not enjoy it, and seems to go out of his way to find others to seduce, including Elizabeth (Annette Benning, in dubious casting, but she gives it a good shot), and men to kill, such as Anthony (Robert Downey, Jr., proving once again that he can do just about anything). In addition to the American cast members (McKellen succeeded in not casting too many Americans in an effort to create box office, unlike Kenneth Branagh in his full-length "Hamlet"), "Richard III" has the usual cast of recognizable British actors -- Nigel Hawthorne (Clarence), Kirsten Scott Thomas (Lady Anne), Maggie Smith (Duchess of York), and Jim Broadbent (Buckingham). Spinning this tale of murder and corruption in a Nazi-esque England was pure genius -- Richard's murderous successes gain a momentum that is reminiscent of Hitler's and Stalin's respective power grabs, and we get a true sense of danger from Richard's ascension. (Plus it allows for some great costumes!) It is chilling to watch the dominoes fall, one after the other, just as Richard has planned. Of course, we know that all ends well and that Richard is defeated, but his fall has never been so perfectly staged. Refusing to be captured by Henry, Earl of Richmond (Dominic West), Richard climbs out onto some rickety ironwork. In a nice, but surprising editorial choice, Richard throws out a line that is not in Shakespeare's play -- "Let's to it pell-mell; if not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell." He leaps into a raging inferno below Buy Richard I at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Richard I Search with the Priority Search Engine on Richard I This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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