Richard III

1955

2h 35m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

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3 Videos

29 Images

Drama

History

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

Directors

Laurence Olivier

Writers

William Shakespeare(theatre play by)

Colley Cibber(writer by)

David Garrick(writer by)

Stars

Laurence Olivier

Cedric Hardwicke

Nicholas Hannen

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Videos3

Photos29

Top cast

Laurence Olivier

Richard III

Cedric Hardwicke

King Edward IV of England

Nicholas Hannen

Archbishop

Ralph Richardson

Duke of Buckingham

John Gielgud

George, Duke of Clarence

Mary Kerridge

Queen Elizabeth

Pamela Brown

Jane Shore

Paul Huson

Edward, Prince of Wales

The Lady Anne

Monk

Brackenbury

The Lord Rivers

Tyrell

Dighton

Forrest

Henry, Earl of Richmond

John Laurie

Lovel

Stewart Allen

Page to Richard

Directors

Laurence Olivier

Writers

William Shakespeare(theatre play by)

Colley Cibber(writer by)

David Garrick(writer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

7/10

Whilst Laurence Olivier has been acclaimed by many as the greatest exponent of Shakespeare ever, it is pretty clear in this strongly cast adaptation of probably my favourite of his histories, that Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud were every bit as good as he ever was. Add to this excellent cast Sir Cedric Hardwicke (and his instantly recognisable voice) as Edward IV; Mary Kerridge's excellent performance as Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) and a host of accomplished British stage actors and the scene is set for a rousing and luscious depiction of betrayal, lust and power. It is a bit over-theatrical at times, and the stage-bound nature of the vast majority of the production can be a little limiting, but Olivier directs himself and the others pretty much as I imagine the bard himself might have done. The dialogue is delivered in a focused and effective fashion and the "method" acting is largely left at the stage door as this epic tale of treachery and duplicity gathers pace and the internecine nature of the characterisations and their intrigues are readily brought to the fore. It does require a bit of concentration, but I found it positively flew by on a big screen that had me glued from the start. I reckon this is as good an interpretation of William Shakespeare as you will ever see, and is well worth a watch.

Geronimo196724 Sep, 2022