Learning on ScreenRichard III [2-Dvd Special Edition]
- Synopsis
- Feature film version of the play. ‘Building on Olivier’s extraordinary stage creation, the film asks less what the cinema can do for the theatre (as with HENRY V and HAMLET) than what the theatre can give to the cinema. It is boldly and often exhilaratingly theatrical’.
(McKernan, Luke & Olwen Terris, Walking Shadows: Shakespeare in the National Film & Television Archive (London: BFI, 1994), p. 138. - Series
- Criterion Collection
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Film
- Technical information
- Colour / Sound
- Year of release
- 2013
- Duration
- 157 mins; 5,649 feet
Credits
- Cinematographer
- Otto Heller
- Music
- William Walton
- Costume
- Carmen Dillon
- Art Direction
- Roger Furse
- Contributor
- Alan Dent
- Cast
Additional Details
- Production type
- Fiction Films
- Historical period
- Medieval
- Plays
- Richard III
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
- Related items
- Music of Lennon and McCartney, The [16/12/1965]
Notes
- Notes
- New high-definition digital transfer and new digital master of The Film Foundation’s 2012 4K restoration. DVD and Blu-ray, Special features: Disc 1: Commentary (featuring playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilders, former governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company). Disc 2: Great Acting : Laurence Olivier (interview with actor Laurence Olivier from a 1966 episode of Great Acting, by theatre critic Kenneth Tynan); Restoration demonstration (hosted by Martin Scorsese); Production gallery (behind-the-scenes and production stills and posters); TV trailer (twelve-minute television trailer featuring footage of Olivier and other cast); Theatrical trailer. Booklet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin.
- General
- A signed shooting script (dated 19 July 1954) is available to researchers at the Folger Shakespeare Library. The script includes instructions for film editors, diagram of the sets depicting changes made during production, a 2-page ALS (autograph letter signed) from Laurence Olivier to (presumably) the editors. Text has many underlinings and manuscript notes (some by William Walton) regarding music for the production.
The film’s chief sponsor on its American television premiere was General Motors. There were apparently three commercial breaks including one which said that a certain car had more power than all the horses in Richard III. - History
- On 11 March 1956, the same day as its theatrical release in the US, the film was transmitted on television in 45 states. The television screening had a predictably adverse affect on box office receipts.
- Awards
- Academy Award 1957 Nomination - Best Actor in Leading Role (Olivier)
BAFTA Film Award 1956 - Best British Actor (Olivier), Best British Film - Reviews
- Constance Brown ‘Olivier’s Richard III: a Re-evaluation’, Film Quarterly 20, no. 4 pp23-32 (reprinted in Eckert, Focus on Shakespearean Films, pp131-45].
Sections
- Title
- Trial of Richard III, The
- Synopsis
- The trial of Richard III, who was accused of murdering the princes in the Tower. The trial takes place in a reconstructed Old Bailey courtroom with the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Elwyn Jones, as Judge. Two eminent QCs, appearing under assumed names, present the case for and against the murder charges. Leading historians and scientists give evidence. Recreates a modern-day murder trial and is a study of English law.
- Duration
- 225 mins
Production Company
Distributor (Sale)
- Name
Retail outlets
Record Stats
This record has been viewed 1201 times.
