"Richard III" (1955) is another Shakespeare production in which Laurence Olivier combines the lead actor and directing roles, just like in "Hamlet" (1948).
I am no Shakespeare expert, but to me the similarities in his royal drama's far outweigh the differences. A pretender for the crown fulfills his ambitions, often with the aid of some murders. Once he is king the spirits of his victims visit him at night (see also "Macbeth") and his enemies still living make an alliance to combat him. The crown, for which such huge sacrifices were brought, suddenly no longer seems worth it (see in "Richard III" the quote "A horse. A horse. My Kingdom for a horse" at the end of the film.).
In broad terms, the storyline of Richard III follows the above formula, so no surprises here. For this part Olivier is obviously not responsible. Another thing is that the design of the film is very traditional and theatrical (apart from the battle scenes at the end of the movie). For example Laurence Olivier as Richard III often addresses the viewer directly, to explain his hidden purposes, which he of course can't explain in the dialogue with other characters. The only stylistic difference with "Hamlet" seems to be the fact that the film is in color. These colors are however so bright that it nearly requires sunglasses to watch the movie.
At the American box office the film did not perform well. Olivier never got the chance to direct another Shakespeare adaptation.
I am no Shakespeare expert, but to me the similarities in his royal drama's far outweigh the differences. A pretender for the crown fulfills his ambitions, often with the aid of some murders. Once he is king the spirits of his victims visit him at night (see also "Macbeth") and his enemies still living make an alliance to combat him. The crown, for which such huge sacrifices were brought, suddenly no longer seems worth it (see in "Richard III" the quote "A horse. A horse. My Kingdom for a horse" at the end of the film.).
In broad terms, the storyline of Richard III follows the above formula, so no surprises here. For this part Olivier is obviously not responsible. Another thing is that the design of the film is very traditional and theatrical (apart from the battle scenes at the end of the movie). For example Laurence Olivier as Richard III often addresses the viewer directly, to explain his hidden purposes, which he of course can't explain in the dialogue with other characters. The only stylistic difference with "Hamlet" seems to be the fact that the film is in color. These colors are however so bright that it nearly requires sunglasses to watch the movie.
At the American box office the film did not perform well. Olivier never got the chance to direct another Shakespeare adaptation.