Richard III (1955)

I’m glad I had watched the 1995 film version of the play fairly recently because it was less of a struggle to get through this one being familiarized with the narrative. I’m also really glad that Olivier’s Hamlet was black and white, because the colors in this are really distracting. I expect beautifully detailed castle interiors and instead get bare, cheap-looking sound stages. The costumes are garishly colored and the wigs are ridiculous. Both might be more faithful to a stage production, but film can do better. I much preferred the scenes filmed naturally in the outdoors toward the end. Olivier’s Richard is pretty good. It’s hard not to when he’s a master Shakespearean, but still found Ian McKellen’s superior for gross Machiavellian sliminess.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role