Richard III (1995 film)

Richard III is a 1995 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Richard III, starring Sir Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dame Maggie Smith, and John Wood.

The film relocates the play's events to a fictional version of England in what appears to be a fascist-inspired 1930s. Albeit including many historical anachronisms, the film's timing is easily recognizable to viewers; if skilful modernisation intensifies the brutality and horror of the eventful story, it enhances Shakespeare's irony manifold.

The film's concept was based on a stage production directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre, which also starred McKellen. The production was adapted for the screen by McKellen and directed by Richard Loncraine.

The film is notable for its unconventional use of famous English landmarks, often using special effects to move them to new locations. The transformed landmarks used include the following:

• St Pancras railway station is relocated to Westminster and becomes King Edward's seat of government.
• Battersea Power Station is relocated to the coast of Kent and becomes a bombed-out military base.
• Bankside Power Station becomes the prison where Clarence is held.
• Brighton Pavilion is relocated to a coastal clifftop and becomes King Edward's country retreat.
• Senate House of the University of London is Richard's seat of government and is used for interior and exterior scenes.^[1] The famous art deco facade and clock of Shell Mex House is also featured in exterior shots.

Perhaps the play's most famous line—"A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"—was recontextualised by the new setting; during the climactic battle, Richard's scout car becomes stuck, and his lament is cast as a plea for a mode of transport with legs rather than wheels.

Fitting the unconventional interpretation is also the 1930s-style music by Trevor Jones; the lyrics of the opening song, performed by Stacey Kent, are a poem by Christopher Marlowe. In a surprising ending, where Richard refuses to be captured and leaps down to his death with the "wrong" closing line "Let us to't pell-mell; if not to heaven, then hand-in-hand to hell", his falling into the inferno is followed by the eerily upbeat tune I'm Sitting On The Top Of The World (Ray Henderson, Joe Young and Sam Lewis).

The cast also includes Jim Carter, Adrian Dunbar, Edward Hardwicke, Tim McInnerny, Bill Paterson and Dominic West.

See also

• Richard III for a list of other film adaptations of the play

Trivia

• The film The Actors, starring Michael Caine and Dylan Moran featured Caine as an actor, portraying Richard III in McKellen's setting of a 1930s fascist England.
• The film features, among its 1930s-era vehicles, the only use in cinema of the last remaining airworthy Bristol Blenheim, currently based at Duxford. The Blenheim makes a flypast at the beginning of the battle scene.

References

Wikipedia information about Richard III (1995 film) This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Richard III (1995 film)". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.