Looking for Richard (1996)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Al Pacino

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Al Pacino (narration) ...

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Tagline:

A four hundred year old work-in-progress.

Plot:

Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."

Plot Keywords:

Interview | Rehearsal | Theater | Stratford Upon Avon | Queen Of England

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Penelope Allen	...	Herself / Queen Elizabeth
Gordon MacDonald	...	Himself / Dorset
Madison Arnold	...	Himself / Rivers
Vincent Angell	...	Himself / Grey
Harris Yulin	...	Himself / King Edward
Alec Baldwin	...	Himself / Duke of Clarence
Al Pacino	...	Himself / Richard III
Timmy Prairie	...	Prince Edward
Landon Prairie	...	Young Prince
Kevin Conway	...	Himself / Hastings
Larry Bryggman	...	Himself / Lord Stanley
Kevin Spacey	...	Himself / Earl of Buckingham
Estelle Parsons	...	Margaret
Winona Ryder	...	Lady Anne
Phil Parolisi	...	Halberd / Messenger

Also Known As:

À Procura de Ricardo III (Portugal) [pt]
À la recherche de Richard (Canada: French title) [fr]
À la recherche de Richard III (France) (TV title) [fr]
Al Pacino's Looking for Richard (Germany) [de]
Anazitontas ton Richard (Greece) [el]
En busca de Ricardo III (Venezuela) [es]
I väntan på Richard (Sweden) [sv]
Looking for Richard (Spain) [es]
Looking for Richard (France) [fr]
Ricardo III - Um Ensaio (Brazil) [pt]
Riccardo III - un uomo, un re (Italy) [it]
Richard nyomában (Hungary) [hu]
Richard'i ararken (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sposób na Szekspira (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

112 min | USA:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Italy:T | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Globe Theatre, Bankside, Southwark, London, England, UK

Company:

Chal Productions

Trivia:

Al Pacino himself recruited both Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin to appear in the film while filming Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Quotes:

Vanessa Redgrave: In England you have had centuries when words are totally divorced from truth.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frankie and Johnny Are Married (2003)

Captivating Piece of Film

After reading many of the previous reviews and commentaries, I'm beginning to wonder whether we all saw the same movie! I found the entire piece enriching, riveting, and suspenseful, and was immediately moved to call friends and family members to recommend it. The performances are remarkable: Pacino is intense, Ryder catches the "deer-in-the-headlights" feel of her character perfectly. Baldwin is restrained and beguiling, while Spacey delivers his usual flawless performance. Penelope Allen was astounding. The movie serves, not to deliver the entire work-- analyzed, explained, and discussed-- on a platter, but, rather, to whet our appetites and bring Shakespeare to modern classes, and I felt it succeeded in this admirably. It also showed the thought and preparation that goes into such a production. I particularly enjoyed watching the actors discuss various interpretations of particular scenes, imparting their own ideas and feelings, and often disagreeing with each other. While we are both generally "action movie" or suspense fans, we found ourselves completely drawn into the drama, both in the characters and in the actors, and-- even knowing, of course, the ending in advance-- found ourselves on the edge of our seats as the film neared its climax. My one complaint? I wish they had then gone on to film their entire version of Richard III to offer as a companion piece. An excellent way to indulge yourself in an exciting, well-performed piece of movie-making, and actually come away having learned a little bit. Highly recommended!