Richard III

A decade after Henry V and seven years after Hamlet, Laurence Olivier chose Richard III (1955) as the third (and, as it turned out, final) film in his personal cycle of Shakespearean cinema, and it's only fitting that it's a showcase for Olivier in the juicy title role. As the scheming, limping, hunchbacked Duke of Gloucester, Olivier is outrageously entertaining, infusing each melodious line with vindictive villainy and malice aforethought. He's the epitome of evil, stealing his brother Edward's crown to become King Richard III, seducing the grieving Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), and plotting murder and betrayal as if they were his favorite hobbies. Sporting a pointed beak of nose-putty and the physical handicaps that make Richard III a favorite meaty role for actors around the globe, Olivier goes at it with a vengeance, so slyly and stealthily that you're almost tempted to root for him. The rest of the cast is fine (including Olivier's closest thespian rivals, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson), but they recede into the background whenever Olivier's in the scene. Likewise, the film's lavish production design has dated a bit, and Olivier--a better actor than a director--handles the visuals with static, stagy precision (which prompted critic Pauline Kael to observe that "the camera setups decompose into common calendar art"). No matter: Olivier and Shakespeare were a match made in heaven, and this Richard III carries permanent cultural value. Presented in an exquisite double-disc set, this characteristically luminous Criterion release features a 1966 BBC interview with Olivier by noted critic Kenneth Tynan (with many revelations about Olivier's approach to acting and his thoughts about Richard III), and an abundance of behind-the-scenes production materials. Recommended. (J. Shannon)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Apr. 23, 2013—Criterion, 158 min., not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and first on Blu-ray, 1955's Richard III boasts an excellent transfer and Dolby Digital mono audio on DVD and uncompressed mono on Blu-ray. Extras include audio commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and former Royal Shakespeare Company governor John Wilders, a 1966 episode of the BBC series Great Acting with director and star Laurence Olivier and theater critic Kenneth Tynan (48 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (13 min.), a restoration demo hosted by filmmaker Martin Scorsese (8 min.), a production gallery with stills, posters, and excerpts from Olivier's biography On Acting, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin. Bottom line: Olivier's fine adaptation of Shakespeare's classic history play looks sharp on Blu-ray.]