Looking for Richard (1996)

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:

While making this documentary, Al Pacino had amassed some 80-plus hours of footage and it took six editors to cut it down to the film's theatrical length.

Quotes:

Al Pacino: A person has an opinion. It's only an opinion. It's never a question of right or wrong.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Return To..: Airport (#1.6)" (2008)

a fine film that brings Shakespeare a living edge

This film has fascinated me ever since I first happened upon it in the library of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. By a happy coincidence, I also checked out Ian McKellen's quite excellent "Richard III" on the same day and spent most of the afternoon viewing and comparing the two.

It all works: the performances, the interviews, the clowning around on the set. I thought Spacey was wooden, but Baldwin . . . wow . . . who would have expected such a performance.

Highly recommended for anyone who reads and thinks.

Rusty