Film Still

Richard III

Laurence Olivier

United Kingdom

1955

159 minutes

Color

1.85:1

English

213

Synopsis

With Richard III, Laurence Olivier—as director, producer, and star—transfigures Shakespeare’s great historical drama into a mesmerizing vision of Machiavellian villainy. Olivier’s performance, viewed as the greatest of his career, charges Richard with magnetic malevolence as he steals his brother Edward’s crown through a murderous set of machinations. His inspired direction brings to the screen superlative performances by veteran theater actors Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud and the young Claire Bloom. Filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor, Criterion is proud to present the restored full-length version for which Olivier received the 1956 British Academy Film Awards for Best Actor and Best Film.

Cast

Richard, Duke of GloucesterLaurence Olivier
Duke of BuckinghamRalph Richardson
George, Duke of ClarenceJohn Gielgud
The Lady AnneClaire Bloom
King Edward IV of EnglandCedric Hardwicke
The Lord HastingsAlec Clunes
The Lord StanleyLaurence Naismith
Queen ElizabethMary Kerridge
CatesbyNorman Wooland
RatcliffeEsmond Knight
LovelJohn Laurie
Edward, Prince of WalesPaul Huson
Richard, Duke of YorkAndy Shine
Jane ShorePamela Brown
The Lord RiversClive Morton
The Lord GreyDan Cunningham
The Lord DorsetDouglas Wilmer
First executionerMichael Gough
Second executionerMichael Ripper
BrackenburyAndrew Cruickshank
Henry, Earl of RichmondStanley Baker

Credits

DirectorLaurence Olivier
ProducerLaurence Olivier
Screenplay adapted byLaurence Olivier and Alan Dent
Associate directorAnthony Bushell
Art directorCarmen Dillon
EditingHelga Cranston
Director of photographyOtto Heller
Production supervisorJohn Gossage
Camera operatorDenys Coop
Special effectsWally Veevers
Sound recordistsGeorge Stephenson and Red Law
Sound editorBert Rule
Music composed bySir William Walton
Music performed byThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
ContinuityPamela Davis
MakeupTony Sforzini
HairdresserGladys Atkinson
Set dressing and titlesRoger Ramsdell
CostumesL&H Nathan Ltd.
Scenic artistRobert White
Masters of horseJeremy Taylor and Jack Curran
Technicolor consultantJoan Bridge

Disc Features

  • New high-definition digital transfer including newly discovered footage from the original theatrical release, with restored image and sound, enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees, joined by John Wilders, former Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
  • Great Acting: Laurence Olivier, a 1966 BBC interview with Olivier hosted by renowned theater critic Kenneth Tynan
  • Gallery of on-set and production stills and posters, featuring excerpts from Olivier’s autobiography On Acting
  • 12-minute television trailer with Olivier, producer Alexander Korda, production designer Roger Furse, and other crew members at work in Shepperton Studios
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Essay by film historian Bruce Eder
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

From the Current

Richard III

by Bruce Eder Feb 23, 2004

Laurence Olivier’s Richard III was the last and best of the trilogy of Shakespeare films directed by and starring the late actor and filmmaker. Shot in sixteen weeks during late 1954 and early 1955, Richard III was the final, crowning glory of the British studio system...

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