Laurence Olivier in "Richard III" - a 3 hours marathon on NBC TV (1956)
King Richard III, as Shakespeare portrayed him, was one of England's least attractive monarchs—malevolent, murderous, deformed in body and warped in spirit. But since the play was written, Richard has proved irresistibly attractive to almost all Shakespearean actors, who yearn to play the juicy part. The greatest living Shakespearean player, Sir Laurence Olivier, is no exception. His brilliant new movie version of the play will be seen first in the U.S. on television. NBC bought it for $500,000 and will soon broadcast it in its three-hour entirety.
Not one of Shakespeare's better plays, Richard III has been felicitously streamlined for action, magnificently filmed and cast with four famous stage knights—Sir Laurence himself, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Historians have lately been defending the real Richard, saying he was a good and unjustly defamed monarch. But Producer-Director Olivier lets no such second thoughts inhibit him as he skillfully portrays Shakespeare's fascinating, wicked hunchback.
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