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Topic:
The Shakespeare Discussion Thread
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/3/07 11:54am
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips from the Royal Shakespeare's production of Richard III
- Date Edited:
4/3/07 11:57am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Zaz
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I frankly wondered whether he was tucking in the napkin to eat the kid for breakfast when I first saw it. 
I'm looking forward to seeing the rest, though you are undoubtedly right when you say a live audience makes a difference.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/3/07 11:07pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips from the Royal Shakespeare's production of Richard III
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The second clip I liked better, but Richard is still miscast, and it's even more obvious in this scene. The actor still speaks the verse well (rather better than Lady Anne, who sometimes went too fast), but he's a Mosca rather than a Richard. In order to carry this scene off, he's got to have presence--nasty, steely self-confidence, magnetism; and he just doesn't. I suspect he's got great comedy technique. A damning thing to say about a dramatic performance. 
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JediNemesis
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
4/4/07 6:52am
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips from the Royal Shakespeare's production of Richard III
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Lady Anne's a bit on the quick side, yes; I seem to remember she went a bit fast when we saw it until she relaxed into the role.
I've got to disagree with you on the issue of Richard though. I still can't work out when the video was recorded - did they do it before the main run, I wonder, when things were still settling down? - but on stage, he really was nothing short of electrifying.
Good call on the comedy, though; the production definitely had more laughs than you might expect from a pretty dark play. Even Clarence's murder was funny, in a pretty sick way.
Think Gilbert-and-George-alike assassins, basically.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/4/07 10:09pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips from the Royal Shakespeare's production of Richard III
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The third clip just repeated the first, so I began poking about on Youtube, looking for some more.
Here's: Laurance Olivier doing the 'Sun of York' soliloquy. This is from his movie version. The sets are nice, but he seems never to have heard about ye close-up and ye montage. Speaks the verse very well indeed, and though he looks absurd in medieval drag, he does have something of the necessary presence.
And here, because I'm going straight to hell, is Peter Sellers doing a parody of Sir Laurance as Richard...
Next: Sir Ian McKellen Very interesting...he's the closest yet, I think.
The Woman Woo'd Speech
The murder of Clarence
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JediNemesis
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
4/5/07 12:26pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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Sir Larry
Works much better if you close your eyes, I find. The set's a trifle dated and the wig makes him look like Michael Jackson, but look no further as far as voice is concerned (I didn't know it was possible to roll your Ws . . .) Also possibly the first time I've heard an actor shout properly without losing the rhythm of the verse; he's a little squeaky sometimes, but I blame the video.
Interestingly, too, the speech is a compound of the actual "Sun of York" soliloquy and Richard's long solo in 3 Henry VI. I'd be most fascinated to learn how often bits of the 3H6 speech are interpolated; they certainly give a good deal more insight into Richard's motives. Plus it's a darn good speech which suffers from being in a relatively obscure play.
Peter Sellers
Oh my  If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell . . . because that's one of the funniest things ever. Not only does he nail Olivier's precise and deliberate style of speaking, it's astonishing how funny a song can be when it's spoken slowly enough to hear the lyrics 
Sir Ian
Didn't have a chance to watch the clip, but I've seen the movie, and it's great. He's great. May I reiterate how much I'm looking forward to his playing Lear?
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/5/07 11:18pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
- Date Edited:
4/5/07 11:20pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Zaz
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I was hoping to find a clip of Olivier and Claire Bloom, who played Lady Anne; I've heard he did a terrific job of that scene. No such luck; however, I did find the following article on Olivier's amendments and additions to the play.
McKellen's transposition of the play to the 30's worked astonishingly well in the clips I saw.
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
4/7/07 6:55pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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Olivier's version of Richard III is pretty painful; for all his reputation, the man didn't ever really produce what I would call a perfect or even a near perfect Shakespearean film. Hamlet is a great film in its own right, but its flaws are quite monumental. But compared to Richard III, Hamlet is the Ritz, if you get my drift.
Olivier's makeup and wig never quite work and strangely the supporting cast let him down; Gielgud is an icon, but he's absolutely off the mark as Clarence (in my opinion). And the film absolutely drags; the final battle seems to go on forever and has no cinematic impact whatsoever.
McKellen's version is, of course, the definitive film of RIII. The updating works spectacularly and look no further than Nigel Hawthorne for the definitive Clarence and Jim Broadbent as the definitive Buckingham (two characters that were quite butchered in Olivier's version). McKellen's film never drags and he makes several scenes work that really flop in Olivier's. I still remember vividly how absolutely flat the scene where Richard 'reluctantly' accepts the kingship played in Olivier's version; in McKellen's it's hilariously funny and it crackles with menace.
I'd also highly recommend Pacino's Looking for Richard; Pacino overplays tremendously and the behind the scenes stuff is actuallly more interesting than the scenes from the play, but it's very entertaining and Winona Ryder is a great Lady Anne.
Saw the RSC clips; I found the actor who was Richard to work quite well. But I fail to grasp why modern takes on Shakespeare have to do things like having Richard wave a tablecloth and conjure Edward with a paper crown and then have Richard bellow "NOW is the winter . . ." while Edward charges across the stage toward him like a lemming over a cliff. I mean, does the text speak or not? I mean, it's called 'theatrics' for a reason, but sometimes it gets a little silly.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/8/07 7:28pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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"Looking for Richard" will go on ze list, along with McKellen's version of Richard III; I am now eager to see the whole thing.
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
4/10/07 7:07pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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JediNemesis posted:
he's a little squeaky sometimes, but I blame the video.
Sadly, no, Olivier chooses to squeak like that through the entire movie; one of many choices in that film that . . . well, let's say I'm not entirely sure of the reasoning behind them.
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I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/11/07 5:25pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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What surprised me was his distance from the camera. Bit odd.
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
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Nov '00
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Date Posted:
4/12/07 7:19pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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That's something else he maintains through the film; the scene where he and Buckingham work the crowd and he finally accepts the throne is played almost entirely from high angle where you can see the whole crowd.
We often use 'stagy' as a perjorative, but I think he thought it was a good thing.
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I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
4/16/07 12:33pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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Olivier never quite mastered screen acting, I think, though obviously he was hot stuff on the stage.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
5/23/07 11:19pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of Richard III
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Here's Olivier as King Lear, and I note he's far less mannered:
King Lear
I liked John Hurt as the Fool...
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
5/26/07 7:52pm
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of King Lear
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God, that was outstanding. Having found Olivier quite terrible as Richard III and, frankly, a bit off as Hamlet, I have to eat my words regarding his Shakespearean talent.
This is outstanding and probably the best Olivier I've ever seen; he's very natural and very real, not at all stagy. When the Fool desperately tries to distract him outside the gates, his confusion is heartbreaking and that moment when he falls to the ground weeping . . . I actually teared up. I've never seen anyone deliver that "Let me not be mad" line so beautifully. Wow.
And the "sterility" speech was fantastic as well.
As you say, not very mannered; very naturalistic.
And Hurt is outstanding as the Fool; it's a hard part to play. You have to be silly but keep the seriousness at the front. His delivery of the "Lear's shadow" line was amazing.
Okay, I'm going to have to watch this movie then . . . Olivier, you have another shot with me and judging from this, he's going to change my mind about him.
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I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
5/27/07 9:47am
Subject:
RE: The Shakespeare Thread: Now Disc. Clips of King Lear
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I thought Dorothy Tutin spoke the verse a little fast...
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