Richard III

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Richard III

Released Mar 11, 1956

2h 35m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

79%

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1,000+ Ratings

Having helped his brother King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of York (Laurence Olivier), plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), and his brother George, Duke of Clarence (John Gielgud), Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.

Critics Consensus

Sir Lawrence Olivier's Richard III adaptation embraces its theatrical roots to spotlight the timeless Shakespearean villain.

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James Jackson

Times (UK)

[Laurence Olivier's] Richard remains one of the most full-blooded movie villains — a performance done with, surely, a nod and a wink.

Oct 19, 2023

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Guardian

The final word, however, must be that this is a superb and bold achievement, most honourable to Shakespeare and to the actor-producer-director, something of a cinematographic miracle.

Mar 21, 2018

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Don Druker

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.

Jul 9, 2008

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Jay Leyda

Film Culture

Richard III is a play not worth the loving carpentry Olivier has lavished on it.

Jun 7, 2022

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Olivier's title-role performance is a triumph of subtlety and venom, and his surrounding cast is virtually an Honors List of the British legitimate theatre.

Jan 8, 2020

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Adrian Turner

Radio Times

The play's the thing, then, with Olivier's hunchback scowling and lurching around the sets like Charles Laughton's Quasimodo.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 27, 2019

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Alec B

Olivier's performance is occasionally hammy (To be expected I suppose) but that's more a product of his era that any major failings as an actor. I'm not sure if this is the definitive film version of this play, but it's hard to deny the moments of brilliance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

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Christopher B

Richard III is known for being one of the best of the play's adaptations and particularly for Laurence Olivier's stunning performance as he stars, directs and is a co-screenwriter for Richard III. The film is mainly dialogue, save for the last 20 minutes or so and much of the play is portrayed here in a very theatrical style. The film is essentially a viewing of a theatrical play with ornate sets and lots of dialogue and actions played out with a lot of gusto and theatrics involved. While the film isn't necessarily paced bad, if you aren't familiar with the story, can be very very slow and even boring and confusing. With that said, if you enjoy and appreciate theatre, this is a great film showcasing Richard III and features a great performance by Olivier and just as many theatrical elements in it that you at times feel you are watching a play on stage.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/22

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steve d

Ok version with nothing really to recommend it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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s r

A fair take on the play. Olivier was a bit much though. He must've had quite the ego.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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James K

An excellent adaptation of Richard III by Laurence Olivier. Intriguing and daring cinematic adaptations and compression of the play create an excellent film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/19

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Audience Member

truly exceptional film. oliviers adaptation of Shakespeare play of the wicked kings rise to power.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Laurence Olivier

Director

Laurence Olivier

Richard III

Claire Bloom

The Lady Anne

Cedric Hardwicke

King Edward IV of England

Ralph Richardson

Duke of Buckingham

John Gielgud

George

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Synopsis

Having helped his brother King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of York (Laurence Olivier), plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), and his brother George, Duke of Clarence (John Gielgud), Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.

Director: Laurence Olivier
Producer: Laurence Olivier
Distributor: Lopert Pictures Corp.
Production Co: London Film Productions
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 11, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 2h 35m