5/5 incomparable
  by M. E. McGarry (Chicago)
Great remastering!even tho the female roles have been diminished in Olivier's version,his Richard is stll truthful to the theatricality one wants in this villain. Ralph Richardson is right on the mark with his portrayl as the moment to moment co-conspirator in this brillant relationship. Fast paced,entertaining and for students of Shakespeare there are good examples of different approaches to scanning the verse.

5/5 Better than the real thing. A blend of Shakespeare plays.
  by bernie (Arlington, Texas)
I have to admit that I only seen a couple of Richard III plays but his presentation stands out as it is the unique blending that explains the history and purpose of Richard III (Laurence Olivier) for those of us that only have a cursory knowledge of English history through film. We also get a look at the major players in the War of the Roses.

The presentation at times comes from our world and at others seems surreal. Therefore, I suggest you watch the presentation as designed, and then watch with the commentary and again without. You will find yourself periodically re-watching this Criterion version and each time finding nuances' that were missed on the original viewing.

This film also give a lot of know actors a chance to express their talent and show that they do not out shine their character. Even though Claire Bloom (The Lady Anne) has been inserted in the play she adds significantly to the understanding of the events.

The Illustrated Man ~ Claire Bloom

5/5 The Human Spider
  by John Murphy
Many excellent actors have tackled that "foul lump of deformity," the hunchbacked Duke of Gloucester, a.k.a. Richard III. Among them such acting greats as Ian Mckellen and Al Pacino. Say "Richard the Third," though, and I immediately think of a human spider with hooded eyes, a pageboy haircut, sharp nose, and halting chicken legs in black tights. In other words, I think of Laurence Olivier's Richard III.

This ranks as one of Lord Laurence's greatest performances, if not the greatest. It's certainly his most darkly sardonic and deliciously self-confident. Olivier was really at the top of his game when he made this movie in the mid-fifties, and his performance has the joie de vivre of an actor at the height of his powers. I was in a somewhat morose mood the other day when I popped this into the DVD player, and Olivier's infectiously energetic performance transported me to another world. Richard's a spiritual cousin to such scene-stealing villains as Iago of 'Othello' and Edmund of 'King Lear', and, like them, he's impossible to resist. This Richard embraces his own superficiality, takes malevolent delight in his clear-cut villainy.

Olivier surrounds himself with an all-star cast. Sir John Gielgud, he of the honey-dipped vocal chords, cuts a noble figure as Richard's doomed brother, Clarence, but is dispatched (memorably, in a barrel of wine) relatively early in the film. Claire Bloom, beautiful, brings poignancy to the underwritten Lady Anne. Sir Ralph Richardson is excellent as the politicking Buckingham.

Yet supporting characters fade into the periphery and all that's left is the highly quotable, irresistibly charismatic hunchback. Richard III is kind of like Hamlet's inverse: he doesn't know how not to act. He's like a shark that'd die if he stopped moving, and he consumes everyone in his path to the crown. Even on the battlefield, in the face of overwhelming odds, Richard goes out with a bang: "My kingdom for a horse!" In moments like those I'm like Lady Anne: falling for Richard against my better judgment.

5/5 Mesemerizing, frightening and memorable
  by Gary Selikow (Great Kush)


One of the greatest movies of the 1950s and in fact of all time, Laurence Olivier took Shakespeare's historic classic and turned it into a stunning masterpiece.
As for those who criticize the movie for it's slight departures from the written play, they obviously do not understand the versatility inherent in Shakespeare which allows for rich adaptation.
The movie begins with the last scene of Henry VI, with a fawning Richard, Earl of Gloucester (Laurence Olivier) ingratiating himself with the new King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke).
It is in the next scene where we view Richard's famous soliloquy: "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York, And all the clouds that glower'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried".
Olivier is both frightening in his superb theatrical portrayal of the total evil of Richard, and blends Richard's wickedness with such wit that his plotting becomes a delight to watch.

His speeches to the audience about his own wickedness born of the resentments from his deformity, and the focus of the camera on his clawed hand are memorable.
What stands out are the scene where he tries to woo the grieving Queen Anne (Claire Bloom) by the coffin of her husband, and she unleashes her contempt. Later after being forced to be Richard's bride we can see Anne's sadness that she knows she will die at Richard's hands. Richard's rage at a childish remark by one of the child-princes, his nephews, referring to Richard's shoulder (his frightening reaction accompanied by the child look of pure terror) where we know that the fate of the young princes has now been sealed. And who can forget the beautiful performances by Paul Huson and Andy Shine as the handsome little princes, so clearly born to one day be leaders (dying tragically at the hand of a tyrant reminding one of the later cruel murder by the Jacobins of the ten year old Louis XVII of France and by the Bolsheviks of the children of Tsar Nicholas II).
Richard III's quips about his own villainy:
"Shine out, fair sun, till I have bought a glass; that I may see my shadow as I pass".
The banner of Gloucester's Boar give background to the comments by The Lord Hastings that "The cat, the rat, and Lovell the dog / Rule all England under the hog".
And then there are the chilling visits on the night before the Battle of Bosworth of a few Richard's victims: The young princes, the Duke Of Clarence, King Edward and Queen Anne.
The last battle sequence pits the forces of the Duke of Richmond's dragon against Richard's boar, and the final scene of Richard's killing by Richmond's forces, where Richard writhes like a rattlesnake before dying.

A splendid and sterling masterpiece, full of majesty and colour.


5/5 Hand in Hand --- to Hell
  by blockhed (UK)
Indelible is the word for Olivier's personification of Richard III. The door swings gently open, and the monster takes you into his confidence. You become the co-conspirator and malevolent confederate. The character enters your mind and etches itself permanently into the memory. It's impossible to erase, and any later interpretations will always fight a losing battle. There are the usual customary petty complaints about the sets and the settings --- like Bosworth Field doesn't look like England. Who cares? Shakespeare's plays are about words and their delivery. Olivier delivers. Call it hammy, call it over-the-top, it's the way Will wrote it. It was good enough for Garrick, and Olivier was Garrick's heir. Makes your hair stand on end. Richard's deformities (sorry, disabilities) are absolutely central to the psychology of the part: you've got to feel a little sympathy for the man. He has a sense of humour, and finds his incredible success as a wooer both funny peculiar and funny ha-ha. He's also got guts: in for a penny, in for a pound. Devils just happen to be more fascinating than angels. That's the way of things. I'm looking forward to getting this edition, as my present one has poor colours and no extras. P.S. The manner in which the production is filmed may be theatrical (and why not?), but it is also highly cinematic. The lighting, the shadows, the camera movements and the closeups all work perfectly.