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Year of release: 1995
Director: Richard Loncraine
Writers: William Shakespeare (stage play); Ian McKellen, Richard Loncraine (screenplay)
Starring: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood, Dominic West, etc.

For more information on “Richard III”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
When you take classic Shakespeare and transpose it into a steampunk-ish World War II setting, you can only intrigue the audience. In an effort to bring “Richard III” closer to the public, to make it more comprehensible and even more enjoyable, the makers of this film chose the imagery and symbols of times more recent than Shakespeare’s Middle Ages, and it was an inspired idea. The result is extremely rich, and lacks the usual hint of dust and boredom that usually surrounds Shakespeare’s overplayed works. It is a quirky, but flawless film, with an excellent cast. Usually, risky movies, such as this one, fall into a niche, just because they tend to be somewhat extreme. But it is not the case here 🙂

Highlights:
Everything about it works synergistically.

Downside:
Pros and cons are debatable and subjective, but the excellent quality of this production is a fact.

Would I see it again? – Yes

My Rating (1 to 10): 10

Recommended: Yes, highly

Suggestion:
Watch Al Pacino’s “Looking for Richard”, for another alternative take on Shakespeare’s “Richard III”.