Synopsis
Richard III (1955) is Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare adaptation you can watch online on iFILM — he both directed it and took the title role. The hunchbacked Duke of Gloucester wants the English crown, and he'll lie, charm and murder his way to it.
Having helped his brother Edward IV hold the throne, Richard turns on everyone around him. He woos Lady Anne over her husband's coffin, disposes of his brother Clarence, and clears every rival in his path. Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Claire Bloom fill out the court, while Olivier keeps swiveling to the camera, pulling the audience into his scheming like a co-conspirator.
Running two and a half hours in rich Technicolor, it keeps Shakespeare's verse largely intact. Olivier's villain is a gleeful manipulator whose line "conscience is a word that cowards use" doubles as a personal creed. A perfect way into filmed Shakespeare for anyone who loves stage acting and a great bad guy. Stream Richard III online on iFILM.
Starring
Recommendations
Comments 0