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Widescreen Editions Richard III 1955 WS Criterion #190 Rare LaserDisc Drama

Richard III 1955 WS Criterion #190 Rare LaserDisc Drama

I Wonder who killed Richard's Predecessor...

Richard III 1955 WS Criterion #190 Rare LaserDisc Drama

I Wonder who killed Richard's Predecessor...

Rare Widescreen, CAV Special LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket

$14.97

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Richard III 1955 WS Criterion #190 Rare LaserDisc Drama

I Wonder who killed Richard's Predecessor...

Rare Widescreen, CAV Special LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket

$14.97

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$14.97

Rare Widescreen, CAV Special LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket

Laurence Olivier in...

Richard III

Criterion Collection

( Catalog Number CC1342L )
(1.85:1) (4 Sides) (CLV+CAV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
Audio Commentary by Russell Lees and Shakespearean Scholar John Wilder
Production Information Provided Jacket Essay by Bruce Eder
Color Bars
See the History of Criterion LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

Richard III
1955 - 158 min. - Color
Genre: Drama
Not Rated
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Amid the Wars of the Roses in England, ruling monarch Edward IV's lame, misshapen brother Richard schemes to ascend the throne. Richard turns the king against their other brother, the Duke of Clarence, who is imprisoned for treason, then arranges for Clarence's murder. He then woos the Lady Anne, determined to wed her to increase his influence. When Edward finally dies, Richard plots the murders of the young heir apparent and his brother--his own nephews. His machinations accelerate and murder piles atop murder as Richard succeeds in taking the throne--and desperately tries to hold it. Laurence Olivier's classic protrayal of the ambitious, calculating man reveals both his wickedness and his unshakable strength. The lush photography and widescreen format do the elaborate battle scenes justice.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
Laurence Olivier was the director, co-screenwriter (with Alan Dent), and star of this robust adaptation of Shakespeare's drama, which, as Bruce Eder has written, "was the final, crowning glory of the British studio system and the end of the great cycle of British films aimed at international audiences." Olivier begins his Richard III by recapitulating the final scene of Henry IV, Part III with Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard (Laurence Olivier) jealously views the proceedings. Soon afterwards, Edward IV is murdered, drowned in a vat of wine. Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. --- Paul Brenner

This 1955 film offers a rare boon, the opportunity to see three of the 20th century's greatest British actors --- Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson --- acting together in the same production. Olivier, the director and star of Richard III, overarches the film in a portrayal of Richard that ranges from impishly wicked to fiendishly diabolical. Early on, he is perversely endearing. His hooked nose, his hunched back, and his halting gait make him a quaint sideshow. Later on, he is unabashedly horrifying. His serial murders of men, women, and children make him a grotesque main attraction that, curiously, still attracts as well as repels. We like Richard, for he is more audaciously sinister and wicked than the sum of all villains since Cain. He dares to do what we all would like to do to a haughty boss or a nincompoop neighbor, if we had no conscience. Often during his performance, Olivier turns away from his interlocutors and looks directly at the audience, confiding his inmost thoughts and feelings. This visual technique works well to establish a relationship with the audience. Gielgud and Richardson support Olivier with wonderful performances. Other distinguished British actors --- including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Claire Bloom, and Stanley Baker --- also perform with savoir-faire. But the film is not perfect. Olivier sometimes takes unnecessary liberties with Shakespeare's text. Also, because the production was filmed in Technicolor, the reds and blues and yellows scream for attention in their vividness, often overpowering the importance of a dagger or a menacing smile. Nevertheless, Richard III is an extraordinary film that will likely survive the test of time. --- Mike Cummings

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Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for Richard III

Cedric Hardwicke - Edward Plantagenet (King Edward IV)
Laurence Olivier - Richard III
Nicholas Hannen - Archbishop of Canterbury
John Gielgud - George, Duke of Clarence
Claire Bloom - Lady Anne Neville
Ralph Richardson - Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Alec Clunes - Thomas, Lord Hastings
Mary Kerridge - Elizabeth Woodville (Queen Elizabeth)
Stanley Baker - Henry Tudor
Pamela Brown - Jane Shore
Paul Huston - Edward, Prince of Wales
Russell Thorndike - First Priest
Norman Fisher - Monk
Andrew Cruickshank - Brankenbury
Clive Morton - Antony Woodville, Earl Rivers
Dan Cunningham - Grey
Douglas Wilmer - Marquess of Dorset
Michael Gough - Dighton
Michael Ripper - 2nd murderer
Roy Russell - Abbot
George Woodbridge - Lord Mayor of London
Esmond Knight - Sir Richard Ratcliffe
John Laurie - Lord Lovell
Peter Williams - Messenger to Hastings
Timothy Bateson - Ostler
Willoughby Gray - Priest
Ann Wilton - Scrub woman
Bill Shine - Beadle
Deering Wells - Clergyman
Richard Bennett - George Stanley
Patrick Troughton - James Tyrell
Brian Nissen - 1st Messenger
Alexander Davion - 2nd Messenger
Lane Meddick - 3rd Messenger
Robert Bishop - Messenger
John Phillips - John Howard, Duke of Norfolk
Derek Prentice - Clergyman
Bernard Hepton
Laurence Naismith - Thomas, Lord Stanley
John Greenwood - Knight
Helen Haye - Queen Mother
Norman Wooland - Sir William Catesby

Crew for Richard III

Laurence Olivier - Director / Producer / Screenwriter
Colley Cibber - Screenwriter
Alan Dent - Screenwriter
David Garrick - Screenwriter
William Shakespeare - Play Author
Otto Heller - Cinematographer
Muir Mathieson - Musical Direction/Supervision
William Walton - Composer (Music Score)
Helga Cranston - Editor
Roger Furse - Production Designer
Carmen Dillon - Art Director
L&H Nathan Ltd. - Costume Designer
H. Nathan - Costume Designer
Tony Sforzini - Makeup
Wally Veevers - Special Effects

Awards for Richard III

Best British Actor (win) Laurence Olivier 1955 British Academy Awards
Best Film - Any Source (win) Olvier, Laurence 1955 British Academy Awards
Best Actor (nom) Laurence Olivier 1956 Academy
Best Foreign Film (win) 1956 Golden Globe
Best Foreign Film (nom) 1956 National Board of Review
Best Actor (nom) Laurence Olivier 1956 New York Film Critics Circle

Feature Details

Title: Richard III
Feature Release Date: 1955
Genre: Drama
Rating: Not Rated
Color: Color
Runtime: 158 Minutes
Chapters: 42
Picture: Letterboxed
Ratio: 1.85:1
Playback Format: CLV+CAV

IMDB Info...

Technical Details

LD Release Date: 1 Jun 1994
Catalog Number: CC1342L
UPC: 715515003933
ISBN: 1559403462
Manufacturer: Pioneer USA
Collection: Criterion Collection
Publisher: Criterion

Diameter: 12"
Sides: 4
Cover: Gatefold Jacket
Spoken Language: English
Country: USA
Video Format: NTSC

Model: CC1342L
Shipping Weight: 2 lbs
0 in Stock

Rare Widescreen, CAV Special LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket

Laurence Olivier in...

Richard III

Criterion Collection

( Catalog Number CC1342L )
(1.85:1) (4 Sides) (CLV+CAV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
Audio Commentary by Russell Lees and Shakespearean Scholar John Wilder
Production Information Provided Jacket Essay by Bruce Eder
Color Bars
See the History of Criterion LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

Richard III
1955 - 158 min. - Color
Genre: Drama
Not Rated
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Amid the Wars of the Roses in England, ruling monarch Edward IV's lame, misshapen brother Richard schemes to ascend the throne. Richard turns the king against their other brother, the Duke of Clarence, who is imprisoned for treason, then arranges for Clarence's murder. He then woos the Lady Anne, determined to wed her to increase his influence. When Edward finally dies, Richard plots the murders of the young heir apparent and his brother--his own nephews. His machinations accelerate and murder piles atop murder as Richard succeeds in taking the throne--and desperately tries to hold it. Laurence Olivier's classic protrayal of the ambitious, calculating man reveals both his wickedness and his unshakable strength. The lush photography and widescreen format do the elaborate battle scenes justice.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
Laurence Olivier was the director, co-screenwriter (with Alan Dent), and star of this robust adaptation of Shakespeare's drama, which, as Bruce Eder has written, "was the final, crowning glory of the British studio system and the end of the great cycle of British films aimed at international audiences." Olivier begins his Richard III by recapitulating the final scene of Henry IV, Part III with Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard (Laurence Olivier) jealously views the proceedings. Soon afterwards, Edward IV is murdered, drowned in a vat of wine. Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. --- Paul Brenner

This 1955 film offers a rare boon, the opportunity to see three of the 20th century's greatest British actors --- Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson --- acting together in the same production. Olivier, the director and star of Richard III, overarches the film in a portrayal of Richard that ranges from impishly wicked to fiendishly diabolical. Early on, he is perversely endearing. His hooked nose, his hunched back, and his halting gait make him a quaint sideshow. Later on, he is unabashedly horrifying. His serial murders of men, women, and children make him a grotesque main attraction that, curiously, still attracts as well as repels. We like Richard, for he is more audaciously sinister and wicked than the sum of all villains since Cain. He dares to do what we all would like to do to a haughty boss or a nincompoop neighbor, if we had no conscience. Often during his performance, Olivier turns away from his interlocutors and looks directly at the audience, confiding his inmost thoughts and feelings. This visual technique works well to establish a relationship with the audience. Gielgud and Richardson support Olivier with wonderful performances. Other distinguished British actors --- including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Claire Bloom, and Stanley Baker --- also perform with savoir-faire. But the film is not perfect. Olivier sometimes takes unnecessary liberties with Shakespeare's text. Also, because the production was filmed in Technicolor, the reds and blues and yellows scream for attention in their vividness, often overpowering the importance of a dagger or a menacing smile. Nevertheless, Richard III is an extraordinary film that will likely survive the test of time. --- Mike Cummings

Thanks for Visiting DaDon's !

Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for Richard III

Cedric Hardwicke - Edward Plantagenet (King Edward IV)
Laurence Olivier - Richard III
Nicholas Hannen - Archbishop of Canterbury
John Gielgud - George, Duke of Clarence
Claire Bloom - Lady Anne Neville
Ralph Richardson - Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Alec Clunes - Thomas, Lord Hastings
Mary Kerridge - Elizabeth Woodville (Queen Elizabeth)
Stanley Baker - Henry Tudor
Pamela Brown - Jane Shore
Paul Huston - Edward, Prince of Wales
Russell Thorndike - First Priest
Norman Fisher - Monk
Andrew Cruickshank - Brankenbury
Clive Morton - Antony Woodville, Earl Rivers
Dan Cunningham - Grey
Douglas Wilmer - Marquess of Dorset
Michael Gough - Dighton
Michael Ripper - 2nd murderer
Roy Russell - Abbot
George Woodbridge - Lord Mayor of London
Esmond Knight - Sir Richard Ratcliffe
John Laurie - Lord Lovell
Peter Williams - Messenger to Hastings
Timothy Bateson - Ostler
Willoughby Gray - Priest
Ann Wilton - Scrub woman
Bill Shine - Beadle
Deering Wells - Clergyman
Richard Bennett - George Stanley
Patrick Troughton - James Tyrell
Brian Nissen - 1st Messenger
Alexander Davion - 2nd Messenger
Lane Meddick - 3rd Messenger
Robert Bishop - Messenger
John Phillips - John Howard, Duke of Norfolk
Derek Prentice - Clergyman
Bernard Hepton
Laurence Naismith - Thomas, Lord Stanley
John Greenwood - Knight
Helen Haye - Queen Mother
Norman Wooland - Sir William Catesby

Crew for Richard III

Laurence Olivier - Director / Producer / Screenwriter
Colley Cibber - Screenwriter
Alan Dent - Screenwriter
David Garrick - Screenwriter
William Shakespeare - Play Author
Otto Heller - Cinematographer
Muir Mathieson - Musical Direction/Supervision
William Walton - Composer (Music Score)
Helga Cranston - Editor
Roger Furse - Production Designer
Carmen Dillon - Art Director
L&H Nathan Ltd. - Costume Designer
H. Nathan - Costume Designer
Tony Sforzini - Makeup
Wally Veevers - Special Effects

Awards for Richard III

Best British Actor (win) Laurence Olivier 1955 British Academy Awards
Best Film - Any Source (win) Olvier, Laurence 1955 British Academy Awards
Best Actor (nom) Laurence Olivier 1956 Academy
Best Foreign Film (win) 1956 Golden Globe
Best Foreign Film (nom) 1956 National Board of Review
Best Actor (nom) Laurence Olivier 1956 New York Film Critics Circle

Feature Details

Technical Details

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Richard III 1955 WS Criterion #190 Rare LaserDisc Drama

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Rare Widescreen, CAV Special LaserDisc Movie

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