LOOKING FOR RICHARD 1996
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
1 :-) for being a great high school resource for Richard III
Cast: Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, Aidan Quinn, Penelope Allen, Harris Yulin Director: Al Pacino Screenplay: Al Pacino and Frederick Kimball based on the play by William Shakespeare
Ever wanted to make a movie without any definite idea of how you want to make it? So when the crunch comes, the simplest solution is to grab the best footage and throw it together into a coherent mess. This is my impression of Al Pacino's ‘LOOKING FOR RICHARD' based on ‘William Shakespeare's Richard III'. A difficult Shakespearean play to understand, even at the best of times. Despite being mostly documentary and partly stagey, this film does work. One gets the general feel of Pacino et al, urgently trying to understand Richard III. Their earnestness rubs off on the audience, even if their acting doesn't.
Annoying factors include constant close ups of a deranged looking Richard III/Al Pacino, staring into the camera with bewildered looking eyes. Kevin Spacey, who just gets to smile on film, but without any footage of his having recited any Shakespeare at all. Alec Baldwin, who gets to say a few more lines than Spacey, before being murdered in a bell tower. Winona Ryder looking pretty, but Shakespeare she ain't. The lesser well-known actors have a better flare for Shakespeare, but you'll end up asking yourself who are they? Also included, is informative footage of interviews with Sir John Gielguld, Vanessa Redgrave and Kenneth Branagh on Shakespeare.
Despite the patchwork style of this movie, one does conclude with a better understanding of Richard III. However, we do not actually see the play performed in its full glory, but presentation is the sacrifice that Pacino has to pay, in order to get a fuller understanding of lines like ‘This is the winter of our discontent' or ‘A kingdom for a horse.' By far the most unusual and modern approach to Shakespeare, and also by far the best high school resource for kids studying Richard III.
Timothy Voon
e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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Hugues Bouclier's Movies in Melbourne
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