I just finished watching this adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III from the 80's. It was really good. I haven't read Richard III. It's on my list of plays to read. The staging and acting was great. And having it set during the Fascist period of European History was really unique. I really liked the costmes, settings, and Art Deco buildings. I was totally absorbed by Ian McKellan's performance. He really portrayed Richard III in all his dictatorial nastiness. The other characters were good too. Annette Benning and Kristen Scott Thomas were exemplary as the love interests of Kings. Robert Downey, Jr. played a small role. And Jim Broadbent played Richard's counselor.
The film was filled with intrigue and murder. Little of which was not predictable for a Shakespeare play. I knew who was going to be murdered before it happened. Perhaps this is from watching too many Shakespeare films and studying playwriting. I guess the effects were lost on me. It didn't feel as visceral as other films. Perhaps they could have shown the murder of the young princes. That would have been gruesome indeed.
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