Looking for Richard (1996)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Poor King Richard III. He's killed all his rivals for the throne and there's no one left to bow and scrape. And he can't even find a horse to ride away.Al Pacino doesn't explain why he chose this play of Shakespeare's 37, but he very successfully uses this gory history drama as a prism through which to demonstrate that Shakespeare is full of sound and fury, signifying a lot -- if Americans will just take the time to be aware.Wearing shades and a baseball cap, and clutching a copy of Cliff Notes, Al Pacino travels from New York to England talking to all manner of folk about the Bard, from men-in-the-street to ivory-tower English scholars. And he dramatizes the best scenes from the play with an ensemble of crackerjack American actors. The result is a compelling argument for giving old Will another look.I read in the IMDb notes that Pacino had originally intended to film his own version of "Richard III" but decided against it when he realized he couldn't outshine Lawrence Olivier's 1955 masterpiece.It was probably a good call.Pacino comes up with something entirely unique here and it's a delight through and through. Highly recommended for anyone who'd like to know more about the writer who knew us best.

Having lately seen Kevin Spacey's marvellous 'King Richard III' at London's Old Vic (on Broadway in a month or two) I had to see again this splendid exploration of Shakespeare, Richard and the wariness by the American public of WS and the phobic approach to his work of some actors. Yet years ago Brando joined John Gielgud and James Mason to play a thrilling Mark Antony in Mankiewicz's 'Julius Caesar', and here an American cast show themselves fine Shakespearean actors. Spacey (young and handsome!) is most enjoyable as Richard's conniving spin=doctor, Buckingham, and in his inevitably fragmented portrayal Pacino shows what a dark, deadly and witty Crookback he would be - on film or stage.

LOVED it! Al Pacino turned one of Shakespeare's most complicated plays into an absorbing experience, shedding light on how we can really deal with a Shakespearean text. He'll have you laughing, thinking, and wondering how you haven't noticed the beauty of such a play before.The integration of stage scenes and real life scenes, experts' opinions and ordinary passerbys' opinions, makes the documentary more vivid and engaging. Kevin Spacey as Bukingham was perfectly appropriate and fun to watch. And as for Pacino, now I can't read the play without imagining him as Richard. If you're not really into reading, go and watch Looking For Richard. Wonderful work!

Al Pacino, tough guy- just the one you want to do Shakespeare, right? You bet! He did a great job in Merchant of Venice, and this project- "Looking for Richard"- makes me long to see the whole play. I enjoyed the discussions with various actors analyzing their respective characters and their transformation into those characters. Kevin Spacey, for example, was a very enjoyable as Buckingham; Kevin Conway, whom I enjoyed as the Irish sergeant in Gettysburg, played a terrific (emphasis on terror) Hastings whose betrayal by Richard and destruction at the council table leaves him dumbfounded.This film is billed as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Shakespeare, but as one who has seen three different movie productions of Richard III, I was engaged from the first, and watched it a second time with my wife and a third time because the performances, particularly by the well-known actors/actresses were so enjoyable. What could be better? Seeing the whole play! Why isn't that available?