Richard III

Richard Loncraine takes Shakespeare's classic tale of treachery, Richard III, and transplants it to the 1930s. Ian McKellen is Richard who, as the film opens, begins plotting against his brother Edward, who has just ascended to the throne after a bloody civil war. Richard begins by seducing and ...more

Visually striking and highly imaginative, Richard Loncraine's screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III ranks as one of the best -- or at least the most cinematic -- versions of the bard's work to ever appear on screen. Here, the story is moved into the 1930's as a neo-fascist government has taken power in England, and Richard (Ian McKellen) ruthlessly climbs through its ranks, using murder, marriage, seduction, and deception to get to the top. While the staging takes certain minor ...more