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Richard III

Play trailer Poster for Richard III 1956,  2h 35m,  History/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Stream Now Watchlist 81% 21 Reviews Tomatometer 78% 1,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Having helped his brother King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of York (Laurence Olivier), plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), and his brother George, Duke of Clarence (John Gielgud), Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.
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Richard III

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Critics Consensus

Sir Lawrence Olivier's Richard III adaptation embraces its theatrical roots to spotlight the timeless Shakespearean villain.

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Critics Reviews

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James Jackson The Times (UK) Oct 19, 2023
[Laurence Olivier's] Richard remains one of the most full-blooded movie villains — a performance done with, surely, a nod and a wink. Go to Full Review
Guardian Mar 21, 2018
The final word, however, must be that this is a superb and bold achievement, most honourable to Shakespeare and to the actor-producer-director, something of a cinematographic miracle. Go to Full Review
Don Druker Chicago Reader Jul 9, 2008
Laurence Olivier's classic rendition (1956) of Shakespeare's total villain contains one of his most engaging performances and reveals some of his best spatial manipulation of action. Go to Full Review
Jay Leyda Film Culture Jun 7, 2022
Richard III is a play not worth the loving carpentry Olivier has lavished on it. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Jan 8, 2020
Olivier's title-role performance is a triumph of subtlety and venom, and his surrounding cast is virtually an Honors List of the British legitimate theatre. Go to Full Review
Adrian Turner Radio Times Nov 27, 2019
4/5
The play's the thing, then, with Olivier's hunchback scowling and lurching around the sets like Charles Laughton's Quasimodo. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Kylo R Apr 3, 2017 truly exceptional film. oliviers adaptation of Shakespeare play of the wicked kings rise to power.
Leia R Mar 27, 2017 Lengthy but masterful rendition of Shakespeare's history play of one of the most infamous of English kings. Laurence Olivier is superb in the title role. See more
Rey W Jan 25, 2017 Visually, this is one of the best Oliver/Shakespeare films. However, the story of Richard III is not Shakespeare's best. Oliver and the supporting cast do a great job of bringing this tale to life. See more
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Richard III

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Cast & Crew

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Laurence Olivier

Director

Laurence Olivier

Richard III

Claire Bloom

The Lady Anne

Cedric Hardwicke

King Edward IV of England

Ralph Richardson

Duke of Buckingham

John Gielgud

George

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Richard III

Richard III (1955) Richard III (1955) Richard III (1955) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Having helped his brother King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of York (Laurence Olivier), plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), and his brother George, Duke of Clarence (John Gielgud), Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.
Director
Laurence Olivier
Producer
Laurence Olivier
Distributor
Lopert Pictures Corp.
Production Co
London Film Productions
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 11, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Runtime
2h 35m
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