Richard III is a 1995 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Directed by Richard Loncraine, the film adapts the play's story and characters to a setting based on 1930s Great Britain, with Richard depicted as a fascist plotting to usurp the throne. Ian McKellen portrays the title character, as well as co-writing the screenplay with Loncraine.
In a fictitious timeline of England in the late 1930s, a civil war (which occurs 450 years later than the historical event) ends with the Lancastrian King Henry and his son Prince Edward assassinated by Field MarshalRichard Gloucester of the rival faction supported by the House of York. Richard's elder brother Edward York becomes King. Richard is determined to take the crown, and pits King Edward against his brother, George Clarence, who is imprisoned under a sentence of death. Richard deceives and marries Prince Edward's widow Lady Anne Neville.
Queen Elizabeth intercedes on Clarence's behalf and persuades Edward to spare his life. Richard destroys the royal pardon and commissions a soldier James Tyrrell to murder Clarence, ostensibly in compliance with the original death sentence. Richard informs Edward of Clarence's death at a meeting with Prime Minister William Hastings, and the shocked King dies from a stroke. As Edward's sons are underage, Richard becomes Regent, taking the title of Lord Protector with the support of the ambitious and corrupt Henry Buckingham.
To undermine his rivals for the throne, Richard has Rivers, the Queen's brother, assassinated and uses the sordid circumstances of his death to damage the Queen's reputation and cast doubt on her sons' legitimacy. Hastings' reluctance to support Richard's claim to the crown so enrages Richard that he manufactures false charges of treason against the Prime Minister, who is sentenced to hang. Having made an example of his only vocal opponent, Richard persuades the Lord Mayor of London and members of the House of Lords to acknowledge his claim to the throne and crown him King. Acting on the advice of Archbishop Thomas and Lord Stanley, the Lancastrian heir, Henry Richmond, flees to France.
Following his coronation Richard, now King Richard III, seeks to make his throne secure. He employs Tyrrell to murder the princes after failing to convince Buckingham to do so. Aware that Richmond intends to marry Elizabeth, he instructs Sir William Catesby to spread rumours that Lady Anne is ill and likely to die, intending to marry Elizabeth. Lady Anne is found dead sometime later from an apparent drug overdose. Impatient for the promised reward for his loyalty, Buckingham demands the Earldom of Hereford. Richard dismisses this in a high-handed manner, with the line "I am not in the giving vein". Buckingham, also disturbed by the murders of the princes and Hastings, flees to meet Richmond but is later captured and killed by Tyrrell on Richard's orders.
Richmond gathers supporters, among them Archbishop Thomas and Richard's mother, the Duchess of York. They are joined by Air Marshal Thomas Stanley. Richmond marries Elizabeth and unites both Houses and political factions against Richard. With the army's loyalty slipping and the legitimacy of his claims to the crown weakened, Richard prepares for the final battle against the Lancastrians, who plan an invasion and an advance on London. Richard's remaining loyal troops, assembling in a marshalling yard, are attacked from the air, revealing Stanley's defection to the Lancastrian cause.[2]
The two armies meet soon after at a ruined Battersea Power Station. Richard and Richmond seek each other out but when his vehicle stalls Richard flees into the structure. Pursued by Richmond, Richard is forced to climb onto exposed metal beams high above the burning battlefield. Cornered by Richmond and refusing to surrender, Richard falls into the inferno with a maniacal grin, reflected by Richmond.
The evoking of 20th-century Fascist and authoritarian imagery in a Shakespeare production had existed since at least the 1930s, notably Orson Welles' 1937 staging of Julius Caesar. In setting the film during that period, McKellen chose to portray the Woodvilles as Americans, alluding to Edward VIII's marriage to Wallis Simpson.[3] Richard's deformities (themselves largely ahistorical) is portrayed as a withered arm, evoking German Kaiser Wilhelm II's Erb's palsy.
In adapting the original text, McKellen and Loncraine cut the character of Queen Margaret, giving some of her dialogue to the Duchess of York, and several minor parts including Clarence's children. Conversely, the roles of Richmond and James Tyrrell (combined with the 1st Murderer) are expanded. Rivers is also killed earlier in the film than he is in the play.
Production
Development
McKellen originally wanted Eyre to direct the film version as well, but declined due to his theatrical commitments.[3] He stated in a 2024 interview,
"Although it is a history play, if you look at the dates, there were people at the original production whose grandparents would have lived in Richard III’s time. Richard [Eyre] suggested looking back to the 1930s and fascism, which seemed like a modern equivalent. Just before the play opened in the US, I said: 'Shouldn’t we film this?' He said: 'Yes, you’d better write a screenplay.'"[3]
Richard Loncraine admitted he was not well-versed in Shakespeare, but McKellen trusted him due to his instinct for strong visuals. "He knew nothing about Shakespeare but the partnership was perfect. He gave way on any point I made about the text and I conceded on visual things because he knew how to tell the story cinematically," McKellen said.[3]
Casting
McKellen cast Robert Downey Jr., having enjoyed working with him in Restoration earlier that same year. Loncraine recalled of Downey "Robert Downey Jr was in a pretty bad way in those days: well-mannered, just not always quite with us, though his performance didn’t suffer."[3]
Brighton's Royal Pavilion, in a shot quite similar to the one in the film
Richard III was well reviewed by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10.[1] On Metacritic the film has an average score of 86 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]
"Come Live with Me" is a 1930s-style swing song, performed by Stacey Kent at the ball celebrating Edward IV's triumph. It is an original composition by Trevor Jones with anachronistic lyrics adapted from Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love", a poem actually written a century after the events depicted in the play.[18]
Legacy
One of the T-34 tanks used in the film, originally in service with the Czech army, can still be seen in London, permanently located on a plot of land in Bermondsey on the corner of Mandela Way and Page's Walk. It is regularly repainted by graffiti artists.
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