Lies, manipulation, powerlust, cruelty, fear, murder--eternal characteristics of dictatorship. From Caligula to Stalin to Saddam Hussein, tyrants are variants of a type, with so much in common that they could have graduated from the same community college, majoring in control.
In Richard III, Shakespeare captures that type with intoxicating language and irony. That the play is adaptable to periods other than the Renaissance, as this handsome 1995 version demonstrates, only underscores the timelessness of the author's theme.
And what a gorgeous production it is. Dazzling English language is set against dazzling English architecture which the Bard never saw. What a masterstroke to set King Edward's death at Brighton Pavilion, that surreal, watery dream of a palace used as foil to the beginning of Gloucester's fiery nightmare. From Brighton's fanciful towers, the movie progresses to sterner landmarks, ending at the wasteland of an old power station--a metaphor of Richard III's mind and government.
By placing the play in the 1930-40's, as this movie does, Richard III is melded with another dictator--Adolf Hitler. The comparison is legitimate, underlining the fraternal similarities between despots.
Their grab for power crushes any in the way. The end always justifies the means. They are strangers to love, empathy and conscience. At essence, they are paranoid little men, doing to others preemptively what they fear being done to them. That fear spreads like a cancer.
"Terror is rule by people who are terrorized," said Friedrich Engels. Shakespeare shows Richard III ravaged by bad dreams. Interestingly, this is another parallel with Hitler, who dreaded going to sleep because he often awoke screaming in horror, counting aloud as he once had, the blows of his bully father.
Sir Ian McKellen breathes smoldering life into the role of the hunch-backed usurper. Somehow, when he smiles, he manages to look like a skull. Nigel Hawthorne, as his brother, proves he deserved a knighthood. And Annette Bening shows that Americans can, in fact, handle Shakespearean verse.
The only disappointment in this lavish production is the bland young hero, meant to appear valiant but looking ridiculous as he holds on for dear life aboard a jeep. Consequently, one might argue that this movie is saved by the villain--Sir Ian McKellen.
In Richard III, Shakespeare captures that type with intoxicating language and irony. That the play is adaptable to periods other than the Renaissance, as this handsome 1995 version demonstrates, only underscores the timelessness of the author's theme.
And what a gorgeous production it is. Dazzling English language is set against dazzling English architecture which the Bard never saw. What a masterstroke to set King Edward's death at Brighton Pavilion, that surreal, watery dream of a palace used as foil to the beginning of Gloucester's fiery nightmare. From Brighton's fanciful towers, the movie progresses to sterner landmarks, ending at the wasteland of an old power station--a metaphor of Richard III's mind and government.
By placing the play in the 1930-40's, as this movie does, Richard III is melded with another dictator--Adolf Hitler. The comparison is legitimate, underlining the fraternal similarities between despots.
Their grab for power crushes any in the way. The end always justifies the means. They are strangers to love, empathy and conscience. At essence, they are paranoid little men, doing to others preemptively what they fear being done to them. That fear spreads like a cancer.
"Terror is rule by people who are terrorized," said Friedrich Engels. Shakespeare shows Richard III ravaged by bad dreams. Interestingly, this is another parallel with Hitler, who dreaded going to sleep because he often awoke screaming in horror, counting aloud as he once had, the blows of his bully father.
Sir Ian McKellen breathes smoldering life into the role of the hunch-backed usurper. Somehow, when he smiles, he manages to look like a skull. Nigel Hawthorne, as his brother, proves he deserved a knighthood. And Annette Bening shows that Americans can, in fact, handle Shakespearean verse.
The only disappointment in this lavish production is the bland young hero, meant to appear valiant but looking ridiculous as he holds on for dear life aboard a jeep. Consequently, one might argue that this movie is saved by the villain--Sir Ian McKellen.
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