Richard III Overview:

Richard III (1955) was a Historical - Drama Film directed by Laurence Olivier and produced by Laurence Olivier and Alexander Korda.

Academy Awards 1956 --- Ceremony Number 29 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorSir Laurence OlivierNominated
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BlogHub Articles:

Richard III and Disinformation in TOWER OF LONDON (1939)

By Jennifer Garlen on May 8, 2019 From Virtual Virago

One probably doesn't go looking for timely political commentary in a film like Tower of London (1939), which offers a mashup of history and horror in its retelling of the bloody rise and fall of England's most reviled monarch. Much of the plot is familiar to viewers thanks to broad cultural awarenes... Read full article


“Is There a Murderer Here?”: The Great Villainy of Richard III

By Margaret Perry on Apr 17, 2015 From Margaret Perry

It is no secret how much I love the Shakespeare – the Immortal Bard has been the subject of many a post on this blog. Shakespeare’s plays are timeless in that they are often rejuvenated in film form. Movie lovers who wrestled with the gruelling texts during their high school years have r... Read full article


Richard III (Laurence Olivier, 1955)

By Judy on Apr 25, 2014 From Movie Classics

This is my contribution to the Great Villain Blogathon, hosted by the Silver Screenings, Shadows & Satin and Speakeasy blogs. Please do visit and read?the?great range of postings for this event. For millions who were never lucky enough to see Laurence Olivier?play Shakespeare on stage, the near... Read full article


SIFF 2013: Olivier Plots in Bold Color, Richard III (1955)

By KC on Jun 2, 2013 From Classic Movies

(d: Laurence Olivier c: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, Cedric Hardwicke, United Kingdom 1955, 161 min) That English battlefield looked a lot like Southern California to me! The above was said loudly in the line for the ladies' loo after a screening of the... Read full article


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Quotes from

Richard III: Darest thou resolve to kill a friend of mine?
Tyrell: Please you, but I'd rather kill two enemies.


The Lord Hastings: The cat, the rat, and Lovell the dog / Rule all England under the hog.


Richard III: And therefore since I cannot prove a lover,To entertain these fair well-spoken days,I am determined to prove a villain,and hate the idle pleasures of these days.


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Facts about

Filming of Clarence's murder in the Tower of London could have been completed in one day, but was lengthened to three days. The actor playing one of the murderers was short of work and Laurence Olivier was helping him out.
Hastings's line "The cat, the rat/And Lovell the dog/Rule all England under the hog" is from eighteenth-century actor David Garrick's alteration of the play.
Laurence Olivier wanted Carol Reed (who was then the top British director during that period) to direct the film, but Reed turned the offer down outright. It was his then-wife Vivien Leigh and friend Alexander Korda who persuaded him to direct. Filming took seventeen weeks whereas in Olivier's previous Shakespeare film,Hamlet, it took six months to film.
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Best Actor Oscar 1956






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