Looking for Richard

Looking for Richard is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Al Pacino, in his directorial debut. It is a hybrid film, including both a filmed performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a documentary element which explores a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The film was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1996^[1] and it was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.^[2] Al Pacino won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Documentaries.

Looking for Richard
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Al Pacino
Written by	William Shakespeare Al Pacino Frederic Kimball
Produced by	Michael Hadge Al Pacino
Starring	Penelope Allen Alec Baldwin Kevin Conway Al Pacino Estelle Parsons Aidan Quinn Winona Ryder Kevin Spacey Harris Yulin
Cinematography	Robert Leacock
Edited by	William A. Anderson Ned Bastille Pasquale Buba Andre Ross Betz
Music by	Howard Shore
Production companies	Chal Productions Jam Productions
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release date	October 11, 1996 (1996-10-11) (United States)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,408,575

Description

Pacino plays both himself and the title character, Richard III. The film guides the audience through the play's plot and historical background.^[3] Pacino and several fellow actors, including Penelope Allen and Harris Yulin,^[4] act out scenes from the play.^[5]

In addition, the actors comment on their roles. Pacino also features other actors famous for performing Shakespeare, such as Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Branagh, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, James Earl Jones, and Kevin Kline.^[6] Pacino includes interviews with Shakespeare scholars such as Barbara Everett,^[7] as well as ordinary people on the street.

Cast

• Al Pacino as Richard III
• Penelope Allen as Queen Elizabeth
• Harris Yulin as King Edward
• Kevin Spacey as Buckingham
• Winona Ryder as Lady Anne
• Madison Arnold as Rivers
• Vincent Angell as Grey
• Gordon MacDonald as Dorset
• Kevin Conway as Lord Hastings
• Julie Moret as Mistress Shore
• Estelle Parsons as Queen Margaret
• Alec Baldwin as Clarence
• Aidan Quinn as Richmond
• Bruce MacVittie as 1st Murderer
• Paul Guilfoyle as 2nd Murderer

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Looking for Richard is a smart, fascinating behind-the-scenes look at adapting Shakespeare."^[8]

References

1. Janet Maslin (29 January 2002). "Films on Junior High School And a Farm Win at Sundance". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
2. "Festival de Cannes: Looking for Richard". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
3. Bruce Weber (6 October 1996). "Al Pacino, Slouching (Again) Toward Shakespeare". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
4. Godfrey Cheshire (5 February 1996). "Looking For Richard". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
5. Roger Ebert (25 October 1996). "Looking For Richard". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
6. Janet Maslin (11 October 1996). "Royal Monster, Are You Out There?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
7. Burnett, Mark (2000). Shakespeare, film, fin-de-siècle. Basingstoke New York: Macmillan St. Martins. p. 66. ISBN 9780230286795.
8. "Looking for Richard". Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

• Looking for Richard at IMDb
• Looking for Richard at Rotten Tomatoes
• Looking for Richard at Box Office Mojo
• Magazine Americana, December 2001 web article, "Looking Through Richard: Al Pacino and his Call to Shakespeare".