I think updating Shakespeare's plays to more modern eras can be a good idea, but attempts quite often fail due to "modernizing" of the original text into the current vernacular, adding modern slang terms and modern pop-political slants and such things. Happily, Richard Loncraine's version of 'Richard III' works very well, being set in a surreal WW2 era setting, more reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil' than London as it actually was at that time; an alternative world is suggested which adds a touch of nightmare-fantasy to the film.
I think this sort of intelligent interpretation of the text, placed into the mouths of people we can relate to more readily than we do to Elizabethan personages, is valuable and helps people otherwise unfamiliar with, or daunted by, Shakespeare's strange language is a good thing. All of life is covered in Shakespeare's plays, and after reading them it becomes apparent that nothing new has appeared in the world since, as far as fundamental life issues are concerned, making them invaluable tools in the history of literature as lynch-pins for people trying to navigate the shoals of human quirkiness without succumbing to depression and despair at the human condition. For instance, when O.J. Simpson's trial was going on I kept thinking of Othello and Desdemona, a tragedy of passion and murder being re-enacted for millions on the television.
Richard III is all about power and how it corrupts. Richard is presented as a Hitler-like character. It's an ugly story, yet the light of goodness shines through in the roles of the Duchess of York, Maggie Smith, and Queen Elizabeth, Annette Beining.
The cast is superb. I was put-off at first by Robert Downey Jr's Anthony, Earl of Rivers, because of his very-American accent. But Rivers has just returned from overseas, and given the setting, he could very well have returned from a long stint in New York. Once used to this he settled in nicely with the balance of the cast. Beining's accent is less noticeable. She is a fine, well-trained classical actress and knows what Shakespeare is all about. In the end she is a powerful foil to Ian McKellan's riveting Richard III.
The use of '40s swing tunes works wonderfully, I especially enjoyed the tune that accompanies Richard to his death, it's very funny, and horrifying all at once.
Even if you don't like Shakespeare I recommend this film. It's a great story and the technical aspects of it are top-drawer.
I think this sort of intelligent interpretation of the text, placed into the mouths of people we can relate to more readily than we do to Elizabethan personages, is valuable and helps people otherwise unfamiliar with, or daunted by, Shakespeare's strange language is a good thing. All of life is covered in Shakespeare's plays, and after reading them it becomes apparent that nothing new has appeared in the world since, as far as fundamental life issues are concerned, making them invaluable tools in the history of literature as lynch-pins for people trying to navigate the shoals of human quirkiness without succumbing to depression and despair at the human condition. For instance, when O.J. Simpson's trial was going on I kept thinking of Othello and Desdemona, a tragedy of passion and murder being re-enacted for millions on the television.
Richard III is all about power and how it corrupts. Richard is presented as a Hitler-like character. It's an ugly story, yet the light of goodness shines through in the roles of the Duchess of York, Maggie Smith, and Queen Elizabeth, Annette Beining.
The cast is superb. I was put-off at first by Robert Downey Jr's Anthony, Earl of Rivers, because of his very-American accent. But Rivers has just returned from overseas, and given the setting, he could very well have returned from a long stint in New York. Once used to this he settled in nicely with the balance of the cast. Beining's accent is less noticeable. She is a fine, well-trained classical actress and knows what Shakespeare is all about. In the end she is a powerful foil to Ian McKellan's riveting Richard III.
The use of '40s swing tunes works wonderfully, I especially enjoyed the tune that accompanies Richard to his death, it's very funny, and horrifying all at once.
Even if you don't like Shakespeare I recommend this film. It's a great story and the technical aspects of it are top-drawer.