Richard III (play)

The Tragedy of Richard III is a play by William Shakespeare, in which the monarch Richard III of England is unflatteringly depicted.

Film versions

The most famous player of the part in recent times was Sir Laurence Olivier in his 1955 film version. His inimitable rendition has been satirised by many comedians including Peter Cook and Peter Sellers (who had aspirations to do the role straight). Sellers' version of A Hard Day's Night was delivered in the style of Olivier as Richard III. The first series of the BBC television comedy in part parodies the Olivier film, visually (as in the crown motif), Peter Cook's performance as a Richard who is a jolly, loving monarch but nevertheless oddly reminiscent of Olivier's rendition, and by mangling Shakespearean text ("Now is the summer of our sweet content made o'ercast winter by these Tudor clouds...")

Related Topics:
Laurence Olivier - 1955 film version - Peter Cook - Peter Sellers - A Hard Day's Night - BBC - Motif

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More recently, Richard III has been brought to the screen by Sir Ian McKellen (1995) in an abbreviated version set in a 1930s fascist England, and by Al Pacino in the 1996 documentary, Looking for Richard. In the 1976 film The Goodbye Girl, Richard Dreyfuss' character, an actor, gives a memorable performance as a homosexual Richard in a gay stage production of the play.

Related Topics:
Ian McKellen - 1995 - Abbreviated version - 1930s - Fascist - Al Pacino - 1996 - Documentary - Looking for Richard - 1976 - The Goodbye Girl - Richard Dreyfuss - Homosexual

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