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Richard III Overview:

Richard III (1955) was a Historical - Drama Film directed by Laurence Olivier and produced by Laurence Olivier and Alexander Korda.

Academy Awards 1956 --- Ceremony Number 29 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorSir Laurence OlivierNominated
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Richard III BlogHub Articles:

Richard III and Disinformation in TOWER OF LONDON (1939)

By Jennifer Garlen on May 8, 2019 From Virtual Virago

One probably doesn't go looking for timely political commentary in a film like Tower of London (1939), which offers a mashup of history and horror in its retelling of the bloody rise and fall of England's most reviled monarch. Much of the plot is familiar to viewers thanks to broad cultural awarenes... Read full article

“Is There a Murderer Here?”: The Great Villainy of Richard III

By Margaret Perry on Apr 17, 2015 From Margaret Perry

It is no secret how much I love the Shakespeare – the Immortal Bard has been the subject of many a post on this blog. Shakespeare’s plays are timeless in that they are often rejuvenated in film form. Movie lovers who wrestled with the gruelling texts during their high school years have r... Read full article

Richard III (Laurence Olivier, 1955)

By Judy on Apr 25, 2014 From Movie Classics

This is my contribution to the Great Villain Blogathon, hosted by the Silver Screenings, Shadows & Satin and Speakeasy blogs. Please do visit and read the great range of postings for this event. For millions who were never lucky enough to see Laurence Olivier play Shakespeare on stage, the n... Read full article

SIFF 2013: Olivier Plots in Bold Color, Richard III (1955)

By KC on Jun 2, 2013 From Classic Movies

</embed> (d: Laurence Olivier c: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, Cedric Hardwicke, United Kingdom 1955, 161 min) That English battlefield looked a lot like Southern California to me! The above was said loudly in the line for the ladies' loo after a screening of the... Read full article

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Richard III Quotes:

Richard III: A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!
George, Duke of Clarence: [speaking about Edward IV, who has sent Clarence to the Tower] He hearkens after dreams and prophecies / And from the crossrow plucks the letter 'G', / And says a wizard told him that by 'G' / His issue disinherited would be. / And for my name of George begins with G / It follows in his thoughts that I am he. /These and such like toys /Have moved his Highness to commit me now.
The Lord Hastings: The cat, the rat, and Lovell the dog / Rule all England under the hog.
Richard III: And therefore since I cannot prove a lover,To entertain these fair well-spoken days,I am determined to prove a villain,and hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Richard III: I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall,I'll slay more glazers than the basilisk,I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,Deceive more slyly than Ulysses could,And, like a Sinon, take another Troy,I can add colours to the chameleon,Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,And set the murderous Machiavel to school.Can I do this,and cannot get a crown?Tut were it farther off,I'll pluck it down.
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Richard III Facts
Hastings's line "The cat, the rat/And Lovell the dog/Rule all England under the hog" is from eighteenth-century actor David Garrick's alteration of the play.
The first film to have its U.S. premiere in theaters and on TV simultaneously. This occurred on the afternoon of 11 March 1956, when NBC-TV broadcast the film on the same day it had its U.S. premiere in New York. (It had already had its world premiere and first run in London in 1955.) The telecast was the longest single presentation of a film or play (three hours counting the commercials) ever shown on TV up to that time. Classic British films presented by J. Arthur Rank, such as Caesar and Cleopatra, had already made their network TV debuts on an ABC-TV program titled "Famous Film Festival", but many of these were either drastically cut to fit a ninety-minute time slot or shown in two parts. Walt Disney had already begun, on his Disneyland TV program, to telecast some of his theatrical films, but these were shown in two or more one-hour segments, one segment per week, or edited down to one hour, as in the case ofAlice in Wonderland . It was not until CBS showed The Wizard of Oz in 1956, that an uncut, full-length theatrical film was shown on network TV during prime time in one evening.
The only Shakespeare film made in VistaVision (so far).
The line "Richard's himself again" spoken to camera on the morning of the battle of Bosworth is not by Shakespeare. It comes from an acting edition of Shakespeare's text by Colley Cibber (1671-1757). Richard's line "Off with his head! So much for Buckingham" also comes from Colley Cibber's alteration of the play.
Michael Gough got his part (Dighton, the first murderer) by making a fuss to his fellow actor friends about only established stars getting cameo parts and leaving nothing for struggling actors like himself. One night he got a phone call, and a voice said "You've been stirring it, haven't you? Right little shit." Gough demanded to know, "Who is this?" only to be stunned by the response, "It's Larry", which of course was Olivier himself. Olivier in fact was just having some fun at Gough's expense, had taken on board his criticisms and was ringing to offer him the part of one of the murderers in Richard III. When asked which one he wanted to play, Gough quickly said "Whichever one has the most lines", and he got his wish. Olivier actually arranged matters so that Gough's scenes were split over several days, instead of all being done on the one day, so that he, Gough, would maximise his per diem fee.
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