Richard III

"Conscience is a word that cowards use."

1955 2h 35m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 97🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●88Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 5,566

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Having helped his brother King Edward IV take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne, and his brother George, Duke of Clarence, Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.

“Conscience is a word that cowards use.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Laurence Olivier
Richard III
Cedric Hardwicke
King Edward IV of England
Nicholas Hannen
Archbishop
Ralph Richardson
Duke of Buckingham
John Gielgud
George, Duke of Clarence
Mary Kerridge
Queen Elizabeth
Pamela Brown
Jane Shore
Paul Huson
Edward, Prince of Wales

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Laurence Olivier
Writers: Laurence Olivier, Alan Dent
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 155 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Laurence Olivier, shot by Otto Heller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Walton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Helga Cranston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Laurence Olivier and Cedric Hardwicke and Nicholas Hannen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Conscience is a word that cowards use.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Laurence Olivier directs. Otto Heller behind the camera. William Walton scores. Helga Cranston cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 155 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
4Directed by Laurence Olivier, shot by Otto Heller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by William Walton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Helga Cranston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Laurence Olivier and Cedric Hardwicke and Nicholas Hannen carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Conscience is a word that cowards use.".
9IMDB entry: tt0049674 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 97 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "england", "coronation", "based on play or musical", "betrayal".

The technical file

Cinematography: Otto Heller
Original score: William Walton
Editing: Helga Cranston
Production design: Roger K. Furse
Makeup / hair: Tony Sforzini
Runtime: 155 min · 2h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Richard III (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 88/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 5,566 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 9 wins & 3 nominations total

Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film
BAFTA Award for Best British Film
BAFTA Award for Best Film
David di Donatello for best foreign production
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Laurence Olivier

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-24
★ 7/10
Whilst Laurence Olivier has been acclaimed by many as the greatest exponent of Shakespeare ever, it is pretty clear in this strongly cast adaptation of probably my favourite of his histories, that Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud were every bit as good as he ever was. Add to this excellent cast Sir Cedric Hardwicke (and his instantly recognisable voice) as Edward IV; Mary Kerridge's excellent performance as Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) and a host of accomplished British stage actors and the scene is set for a rousing and luscious depiction of betrayal, lust and power. It is a bit over-theatrical at times, and the stage-bound nature of the vast majority of the production can be a little limiting, but Olivier directs himself and the others pretty much as I imagine the bard himself might have done. The dialogue is delivered in a focused and effective fashion and the "method" acting is largely left at the stage door as this epic tale of treachery and duplicity gathers pace and the internecine nature of the characterisations and their intrigues are readily brought to the fore. It does require a bit of concentration, but I found it positively flew by on a big screen that had me glued from the start. I reckon this is as good an interpretation of William Shakespeare as you will ever see, and is well worth a watch.

Production companies