Richard III (1955 film)

Richard III
Theatrical re-release poster
Directed by	Laurence Olivier
Written by	Laurence Olivier (uncredited)
Based on	Richard III by William Shakespeare and stage adaptations by Colley Cibber and David Garrick
Produced by	Laurence Olivier Alexander Korda (uncredited)
Starring	Laurence Olivier Ralph Richardson Claire Bloom Cedric Hardwicke John Gielgud Laurence Naismith Norman Wooland
Cinematography	Otto Heller
Edited by	Helga Cranston
Music by	William Walton
Distributed by	London Films
Release date	13 December 1955 (1955-12-13)
Running time	161 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£6 million or $2 million[1] or £452,057[2]
Box office	US$2.6 million (US) £400,000 (GB)

Richard III is a 1955 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play of the same name, also incorporating elements from his Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced by Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. Featuring many noted Shakespearean actors, including a quartet of knights, the film depicts Richard plotting and conspiring to grasp the throne from his brother King Edward IV, played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke. In the process, many are killed and betrayed, with Richard's evil leading to his own downfall. The prologue of the film states that history without its legends would be "a dry matter indeed", implicitly admitting to the artistic licence that Shakespeare applied to the events of the time.

Of the three Shakespearean films directed by Olivier, Richard III received the least critical praise at the time, although it was still acclaimed. It was the only one not to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, though Olivier's performance was nominated. The film gained popularity in the US through a 1966 re-release, which broke box office records in many US cities.^[3] Many critics now consider Olivier's Richard III his best Shakespearean screen adaptation. The British Film Institute has pointed out that, given the enormous TV audience it received when shown in the United States on NBC, Sunday afternoon, 11 March 1956,^[4] the film "may have done more to popularise Shakespeare than any other single work".^[5]