Synopsis
Having helped his brother King Edward IV take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne, and his brother George, Duke of Clarence, Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Laurence OlivierRichard III
- Cedric HardwickeKing Edward IV of England
- Nicholas HannenArchbishop
- Ralph RichardsonDuke of Buckingham
- John GielgudGeorge, Duke of Clarence
- Mary KerridgeQueen Elizabeth
- Pamela BrownJane Shore
- Paul HusonEdward, Prince of Wales
- Claire BloomThe Lady Anne
- Wallace BoscoMonk
Recommendations
- 100
Boston Globe
Laurence Olivier gives the textbook course on Shakespearean villainy as crown-stealing schemer Richard. Considered by many to be Olivier's best take on the Bard. [22 Feb 2004] - 90
The Guardian
Olivier has made a superbly dramatic film, in which by variations of tempo, by superb acting on the part of the awe-inspiring cast, and by a wonderful knack of indicating the side-shows while maintaining the main theme of Richard's own drama, he has cheated the clock. His long film never, or hardly ever, seems long. - 90
Variety
At all times Shakespeare’s poetry, impeccably spoken by this outstanding cast, heightens the dramatic atmosphere. The production, and notably Roger Furse’s decor, is consistently spectacular. The climactic battle sequences rival the pageantry of Henry V. - 90
The New York Times
Of all Olivier's Shakespearean films, Richard III is, to my way of thinking, the most satisfying, the most surprising and - it has to be said - the funniest. [24 Apr 1981, p.C6] - 90
The New Yorker
As director and star, Olivier succeeds with the soliloquies as neither he nor anyone else ever did on film before; they're intimate, yet brazen. - 88
Slant Magazine
Donning a doozy of a puttied schnoz, a slightly exaggerated limp, and a boyish, midnight-black wig, Sir Laurence Olivier feels more at home in the eponymous role of his own adaptation of Richard III than he does in any of his other storied roles, holding and releasing the succulent prose with unerring confidence and clarity. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Olivier’s spidery Richard — shuttling around with a black pageboy haircut and sleeves dangling to his knees — revels in his eloquence yet remains deliciously wicked. - 80
Chicago Reader
Laurence Olivier's classic rendition (1956) of Shakespeare's total villain contains one of his most engaging performances and reveals some of his best spatial manipulation of action.
