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Richard III

Play trailer Poster for Richard III 1956 2h 35m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 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.
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Richard III

Richard III

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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James Jackson The Times (UK) 10/19/2023
[Laurence Olivier's] Richard remains one of the most full-blooded movie villains — a performance done with, surely, a nod and a wink. Go to Full Review
Guardian 03/21/2018
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. Go to Full Review
Don Druker Chicago Reader 07/09/2008
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. Go to Full Review
Jay Leyda Film Culture 06/07/2022
Richard III is a play not worth the loving carpentry Olivier has lavished on it. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 01/08/2020
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. Go to Full Review
Adrian Turner Radio Times 11/27/2019
4/5
The play's the thing, then, with Olivier's hunchback scowling and lurching around the sets like Charles Laughton's Quasimodo. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Andy F Sep 9 Olivier is superb as Richard III along with a star cast. The language is slightly simplified but it helps if you are familiar with the story and characters beforehand. The final battle sequence is breathtaking. See more Alec B 12/14/2023 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. See more Christopher B 09/17/2022 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. See more steve d 07/21/2020 Ok version with nothing really to recommend it. See more s r @ScottR 11/05/2019 A fair take on the play. Olivier was a bit much though. He must've had quite the ego. See more James K 10/14/2019 An excellent adaptation of Richard III by Laurence Olivier. Intriguing and daring cinematic adaptations and compression of the play create an excellent film. See more Read all reviews
Richard III

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Movie Info

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
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