Richard III (1955 film)

Richard III
Theatrical re-release poster
Directed byLaurence Olivier
Written byLaurence Olivier (uncredited)
Based onRichard III
by William Shakespeare
and stage adaptations by Colley Cibber and David Garrick
Produced byLaurence Olivier
Alexander Korda (uncredited)
StarringLaurence Olivier
Ralph Richardson
Claire Bloom
Cedric Hardwicke
John Gielgud
Laurence Naismith
Norman Wooland
CinematographyOtto Heller
Edited byHelga Cranston
Music byWilliam Walton
Distributed byLondon Films
Release date
  • 13 December 1955 (1955-12-13) (United Kingdom)
Running time
161 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£6 million or $2 million[1] or £452,057[2]
Box officeUS$2.6 million (US)
£400,000 (GB)

Richard III is a 1955 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play of the same name, also incorporating elements from his Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced by Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. Featuring many noted Shakespearean actors, including a quartet of knights, the film depicts Richard plotting and conspiring to grasp the throne from his brother King Edward IV, played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke. In the process, many are killed and betrayed, with Richard's evil leading to his own downfall. The prologue of the film states that history without its legends would be "a dry matter indeed", implicitly admitting to the artistic licence that Shakespeare applied to the events of the time.

Of the three Shakespearean films directed by Olivier, Richard III received the least critical praise at the time, although it was still acclaimed. It was the only one not to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, though Olivier's performance was nominated. The British Film Institute has pointed out that, given the enormous TV audience it received when shown in the United States on NBC in 1956, the film "may have done more to popularise Shakespeare than any other single work".[3] The film gained further popularity in the US through a 1966 re-release, which broke box office records in many US cities.[4] Many critics now consider Olivier's Richard III his best Shakespearean screen adaptation.

  1. ^ "Lopert Hints Theatre Roadshowing of 'Richard III' to Follow TV Airing". Variety. 24 August 1955. p. 18. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ^ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 359
  3. ^ Michael Brooke. "Richard III (1955)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 12 July 2006.
  4. ^ Bruce Eder. "Richard III". Criterion. Retrieved 8 July 2006.

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