Directed by:
Richard LoncraineCinematography:
Peter BiziouComposer:
Trevor JonesCast:
Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, John Wood, Maggie Smith, Edward Hardwicke (more)Plots(1)
Shakespeare's immortal tale of ambition, lust and murderous treachery is brilliantly updated and brought to life in this riveting, 20th-Century masterpiece. In 1930's Britain, a savage civil war between two royal families has just concluded. But even as the newly installed King Edward (John Wood) takes the reins of power, his ruthless, younger brother Richard (Ian McKellen) sets in motion a monstrous scheme to claim the crown for himself. Enlisting the aid of equally duplicitous allies in the court, Richard embarks on a merciless, single-minded campaign of betrayal, seduction and cold-blooded murder to achieve the goal that has obsessed him all of his tortured life: to be king... at any price. (Sandpiper Pictures)
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For someone who prefers to avoid all sorts of Shakespeare updates, this Richard III charmed me on the first listen. This is really just a loose adaptation set in a fictional fascist England of the 1930s, and only the number of great period songs can compete with the number of murders. Moreover, the cast is generous indeed - Bening and Scott Thomas are wonderful in addition to the demonic McKellen, but we also get Maggie Smith and Robert Downey Jr.
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