Day 44: Richard III

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use."

[Alright, before I get to my review let me just get this out of the way. First, Ian McKellan sort of looks like Ron Paul in this movie. Second, Ian McKellen is such a damn good actor. Probably one of the best we'll ever see. Jesus, he's good.]

The film, Richard III, is an adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play of the same name. While it's "updated" it's actually a period piece. Set in an alternate history where Britain has become a Fascist state reminiscent of all the wicked glory that's carried with Nazi Germany, Richard III largely keeps the dialog of Shakespeare himself but slightly updates it, though not by much. Indeed it may have been a commercial success and critical darling had it have translated the film to modern English but then that would have been besides the point anyway.

Richard III is very much a cerebral film. I enjoy films of this nature. A "cerebral" film is what I consider to be one where the dialog is more important than anything else. Not the kind of dialog that a Quentin Tarantino would write but more like the kind of dialog you'd see Richard Linklater write for Before Sunset and Waking Life. You must pay attention. At times Richard III is almost like a foreign film where the DVD has extremely poor subtitles. (Shakespeare is that foreign to me at least.) But the actors translate the material quite well. They act as if this is how they talk. Other Shakespeare films (Much Ado About Nothing with Denzel Washington for example, God I hate that film) make the dialog seem out of place and odd. Here, in Richard III, the first 10 minutes will go by, you'll notice, and then you'll begin to pay attention and think nothing of it.

Ian McKellen...can we go on about him for a little while? This man is so good at what he does. He plays Richard so wickedly that after awhile you'll look at Daniel Plainview and think of him as the kind Melanie from Gone with the Wind. It's that good of a performance. What's even better is that this film doesn't take itself too seriously (which is odd considering it's Shakespeare) so we actually get a chance for him to break down the fourth wall and add this humorous and sadistic humor that you may not find anywhere else. The other actors do a fine job as well. Kristin Scott Thomas and Robert Downey Jr. are great in their supporting roles. But the character of Richard dominates everything, so who cares about them when we get to watch Ian?

The set pieces are incredible. The look of the film? Dazzling. The music? Oh, the music. Instead of that pompous blazing away of the horns that would exist in a John Williams film (I very much enjoy his scores), we get a score filled with jazz and trumpets. After all, it's a film that takes place in the 1930s! So expect more Aviator and less Ben-Hur.

Usually reviews should be about the story and how good it is and blah, blah, blah but when it comes to commenting on Shakespeare...I can only think of a sound clip that was used by Jay Electronica:

How does he do it?

-My young lad do you ask a dolphin how it swims?

-No.

-Or an eagle how it flies?

-No.

-That's right you don't! Cause that's what they were made to do!

I've never been too big of a Shakespeare man. I got a collection of all his works for Christmas and I've glanced at them every now and then (I kind of cheat by reading Cliff Notes or summaries where I still get to enjoy the plot), but after watching this and looking back at my collection to see how close this adaptation actually is, I'd have to say that not only am I more interested in his work but I was quite frankly blown away at how good he is. Usually authors of his stature are very overrated. But there are in fact writers and playwrights that receive a praise that is very much worthy. Dickens, Twain, and Orwell come to mind for me. But after Richard III, old Willy will have to be added to that list as well.