An Analysis of Laurence Olivier's Richard III
The power of film to create a devious Shakespearean villain
In 1955, Laurence Olivier released his final Shakespeare film, an adaptation of Richard III. He presents a classic rendition of the Shakespeare play, complete with period costumes and its original historical setting while remaining mostly faithful to the original text. He plays a Richard similar to traditional stage performances, like the extravagant gestures and expressive delivery characteristic of theatrical acting. However, his villainous performance does not feel awkward on camera. With theatrical acting and mostly static set designs, the film gives an atmosphere of a stage play. Through the useful tools and techniques of moviemaking, Olivier is able to create an entertaining and engaging production. These elements enhance Olivier's masterful portrayal of a terrifying and cruel Richard III. His looming and scheming presence is highlighted by camerawork, lighting, and costume; along with a powerful and sinister delivery of lines. Laurence Olivier's adaptation of Richard III transforms the villain into a larger-than-life cinematic figure through theatrical acting, exaggerated visual motifs, and manipulative charm, reinforcing the play's main themes of power and deception.
Shakespeare's Richard III has always been famous for being a sinisterly calculated and manipulative would-be king who schemes his way to the crown through manipulation of others and evil deeds done in the shadows. After his kingship is acquired he quickly develops into a power hungry ruler that immediately finds himself having to defend the throne from a rebellious army. Olivier's portrayal of Richard leaps off the pages of Shakespeare, masterfully bringing Richard to life. At times, Richard is devious and cruel, but can quickly turn polite and tender hearted. Olivier masterfully portrays Richard's shifting personas. He captures the attention of the audience by bringing out the best of his experience as a theatrical actor. This is most noticeable by his decision to break the fourth wall of the film, directly speaking into the camera. This is common for theatre, but deciding to do it in a film helps to engage the audience directly to keep us hooked and enveloped by his many soliloquies that connect us to Richard's reasonings. Olivier's iconic diction and delivery of lines make for one of film’s most popular villains. His vocals bear a resemblance to the intensity of an Adolf Hitler speech, particularly in its cadence, calculated pauses, and mighty projection, which serve to captivate and manipulate his audience.
Olivier immediately draws in the audience to his villainy with his manipulative, powerful, and passionate line delivery. Even the way the character's, especially Olivier, move throughout the film is engaging. His pacing during soliloquies and exaggerated body movements not only help sell the passion but also clarify the Shakespearean language by enriching the lines to bring out more of their meaning. The film benefits from these theatrical acting techniques. Laurence Olivier's Richard III has become an iconic film that sparked a noticeable pop culture legacy, with obvious references in films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail (with its chanting monks, the Black Night, and its colors and trumpeting fanfare) and Shrek (whose main villain, Lord Farquaad, bears a clear resemblance to Olivier's Richard).
His body language, direct audience engagement, and commanding line delivery cements his Richard III as a theatrical villain perfectly adapted for the screen. Other adaptations have been great as well using a more naturalistic acting, but Olivier's bold theatricality makes the film enduring. His performance not only brings Shakespeare's words to life but also redefined the boundaries between stage and film, ensuring his portrayal will always have its lasting impact on cinematic villainy.
The enjoyment of this production is further enhanced by Olivier's excellent decisions in cinematography and staging. The film's color was captured by VistaVision using Technicolor. The results are an eye-catching and pleasurable picture due to the new technology of VistaVision which uses a 35mm negative running horizontally through the camera - giving it a sharper image. The camera captures vivid colors, enhancing the film's more striking scenes. Olivier will continue to use this camera to present a film in a conscious and accessible way. In the famous soliloquy that Richard begins the play with, we get an overall capture of how Olivier will use the camera to present this play in film format. Richard's entire speech is addressed directly to the camera in one uninterrupted shot. He approaches the camera, and then walks away, and then comes back several times. This helps bring the dramatic and theatrical performance of a theatre production to the film. These long shots that focus on Richard's face help Olivier deliver the lines in an excellent way. Many other actors and actresses throughout the film are also able to draw out their theatrical talents thanks to these long shots. In a scene like when Richard woos the mourning Lady Anne, Olivier stages the scene in an interesting way to really bring it alive. When telling her to kill him if she really believes that he is responsible for her husband's death, Richard really pulls out his sword and presses it against his throat. When she repeatedly calls him a liar, Richard dramatically rolls back his eyes in a shameless annoyance. It's these decisions of staging that makes the scene one of the films most memorable. The film also cleverly at times uses camera angles to heighten the emotions of the characters. In one scene where one of his nephews teases Richard about his hump back, the camera quickly cuts to an angle looking up at Richard, his face lit but surrounded by darkness, to intensify his hatred in his eyes at the comment.
This darkness is used similarly throughout the film in the form of Richard's shadow. Olivier's use of his shadow throughout the film highlights the evil Richard's scheming plots and venomous manipulations.
The character of Richard III has always been one of multiple interpretations. Most interpretations revolve around his intentions for getting the crown. Is he a tragic, scorned figure seeking power out of necessity, or is his suffering a calculated veil to mask his ruthless ambition? Or is this just a front he puts on as he seeks true villainous power? Richard always is a schemer, but as for his actual nature, a scheming prince or a revenge seeking psychopath, depends on the interpretation. Olivier plays the scheming prince Richard. His soliloquies to the camera are directly to us, asking us to see his reasonings and sympathize with them. His physical deformities contribute to his loneliness, resentment, and jealousy, which in turn fuel his ambition and cruelty. He is lonely and forgotten and so his desire to power is to feed the hole left in the purpose of his life. Resentment and jealousy of those around him lead also to his wanting to ruin others happiness as well. His villainy can be seen as a response to his deep loneliness and exclusion. Olivier's Richard feels he deserves the crown and wants to win the audience to his cause. This is what he confesses directly to the audience in his opening soliloquy. But his manipulative nature should draw us into questioning the truthfulness of the case he presents. Although he presents himself as pitiful to us, his commanding posture and confident speech suggest that this is merely another layer of his deception. He is self-assured and tactful in his speech. In a scene where he is vying for the crown, he plans a walk with monks reading the bible to fool the crowd into believing that he is a holy man and would lead the country in a virtuous way. When the crowd walks away, Olivier adds a line for Richard "Call them again." again to show his interpretation as Richard being one willing to lie to a crowd to gain their sympathy. It's a sign of his performative cunningness and desire for control.
Laurence Olivier's performance as Richard ties together the plays' overall themes over power and treachery by presenting a Richard who is manipulative in his drive for the crown, vying for support from his people and the audience, driven to these extremes by the resentment he has for life.
Laurence Olivier's Richard III masterfully bridges the gap between stage and screen, transforming Shakespeare's villain into an iconic cinematic force. Through theatrical acting, innovative cinematography, and a complex psychological portrayal, Olivier presents a Richard who is both captivating and disturbing. His direct engagement with the audience, exaggerated yet calculated physicality, and manipulative charm heighten the film's exploration of power and deception. The film's bold use of color, shadow, and camera work further enhances Richard's presence, making his villainy all the more striking. Ultimately, Olivier's adaptation stands as a defining portrayal of Shakespeare's most famous villain, blending the majesty of the theatre with the intimacy of film to create a legendary cinematic masterpiece.