Richard III (1995)
91%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: NA
This re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Crookback King relocates the story in 1930 and features an indelible star turn for Ian McKellen as the monstrous and magnetic King Richard.
If you’re looking for a Shakespeare adaptation that’s both thrilling and hilarious, look no further than Richard III. This 1930s fascist version of the play is outrageous in all the best ways, with Ian McKellen delivering a wickedly funny performance as Richard of Gloucester. The film’s use of London’s landmarks is also top-notch, making for a visually stunning experience. And let’s not forget the crackling screenplay, co-written by McKellen himself. All in all, Richard III is a blast to watch and a reminder that Shakespeare can still be relevant and entertaining today.
Production Company(ies)
Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and sexuality
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital Dolby Stereo Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2000
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $2,748,518
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,404,575
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,150
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 589,376
US/Canada gross: $2,684,904
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,279,487
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,789
US/Canada opening weekend: $91,915
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $180,738
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,705
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): £6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Annette Bening – Queen Elizabeth
Jim Broadbent – Duke of Buckingham
Robert Downey Jr. – Lord Rivers
Nigel Hawthorne – George
Kristin Scott Thomas – Lady Anne
Director(s)
Richard Loncraine
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Lisa Katselas Paré, Stephen Bayly
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)
Rarely has a film used London’s landmarks so cannily.
April 26, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
Tom Huddleston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
An outrageous, wickedly funny, 1930s fascist version of the Shakespeare play starring Ian McKellen as Richard of Gloucester.
April 21, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The “fascist” staging could have been hackneyed, but Loncraine carries it off superbly as the showcase for action-thriller noir.
April 21, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Whatever its flaws, the revelation of this Richard III is that updating Shakespeare may be even more ideally suited to the movies than to the stage.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A sure-fire crowd-pleaser among recent Shakespeare movies.
July 9, 2008
Godfrey Cheshire
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Rigorous adaptation of the notoriously ‘difficult’ play.
February 27, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It is a brutal reminder that while we may be able to inoculate ourselves against diseases of the body, diseases of the mind will always flourish as long as fascist impulses remain undiagnosed.
December 19, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matthew Rozsa
matthewrozsa.com
Olivier’s classic Shakespeare adaptation has some violence.
March 12, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Rich Phippen
Common Sense Media
But when thoughts turn to the Bard, and his unique way of pinpointing the flaws in human nature that bite us again and again, they inevitably settle on Richard III.
August 30, 2017
Rob Vaux
Cinema-stache
With a screenplay (co-written by McKellen) that crackles and spits like a roasting pig, it was clearly as much of a blast to make as it is to watch.
January 2, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Ali Catterall
Total Film
On its simplest and most satisfying level, Loncraine’s Richard III can be enjoyed as an ingeniously sustained and spectacularly ballsy stunt.
July 26, 2014
Joe Leydon
The Moving Picture Show
“Richard III” is the kind of movie that earns the right to interpret the bard’s ideas through alternate perspectives because it does so without sacrificing its core values or integrity.
October 9, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org…
Plot
William Shakespeare’s classic play is brought into the present with the setting as Great Britian in the 1930s. Civil war has erupted with the House of Lancaster on one side, claiming the right to the British throne and hoping to bring freedom to the country. Opposing is the House of York, commanded by the infamous Richard III (Sir Ian McKellen), who rules over a fascist government and hopes to install himself as a dictator monarch.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ian McKellen delivers an “indelible star turn” as the monstrous and magnetic King Richard III.
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