Richard III (1955/Olivier/London/Lopert/Criterion Blu-ray)/Shakespeare: The King’s Man (2012/Acorn/Athena DVD Set)

 

Picture: B+/C+     Sound: B-/C+     Extras: B     Main Programs: A-/B

 

 

Now for the latest Shakespeare releases; two very much worth your time…

 

 

Laurence Olivier directed, produced and starred in the title role of Richard III (1955) in what is one of the best Shakespeare films ever made.  Backed by producer Sir Alexander Korda (not always credited), Olivier had already made some stunning films based on the works of The Bard (only rivaled by the likes of Orson Welles at the time) and was in rare form when he decided to make this film and go all out with a big frame big screen format (VistaVision), Technicolor, big production designs and still manage to never deviate from the source material.  If anything, it expands it and no one would try to do Shakespeare like this again until 1996 when Kenneth Branagh released his 70mm Hamlet (reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site).

 

Talking to the audience occurrently breaking that fourth wall, Olivier opens up the title character for the schemer he is and lets the audience in on it all the way, no secrets.  With al the color, energy and openness, that does not stop the material or intends from being any less dark and that is even more apparent in this longer epic cut of the film saved in ways many likely did not know it needed the help of some big supporters of film restoration and preservation to do.

 

Then there is the terrific supporting cast that includes Claire Bloom as Lady Anne, Ralph Richardson as The Duke Of Buckingham, Cedric Hardwicke as King Edward IV, John Gielgud as George, Duke Of Clarence, Mary Kerridge as Queen Elizabeth I, Laurence Naismith as Lord Stanley, Michael Gough as Dighton, John Laurie as Lovel, Patrick Troughton as Tyrell, Pamela Brown as Jane Shore and Stanley Baker as Henry, Earl Of Richmond.

 

A landmark achievement and great act of pure cinema, London Films and Lopert originally handled its release back when it debuted and it always had a great reputation, but to see it come alive again on this scale is amazing.  Though it runs 158 minutes, it never feels that long since it moves so smoothly, so naturally, so thoroughly well that it is the Shakespeare I would show someone who has not read the books or seen any film adaptations as the perfect introduction to his work and that says something considering the great films that have been made over the century+ time cinema has been with us.

 

This is easily one of the best classic film releases for all of 2013 on Blu-ray!

 

Extras include the usually nicely illustrated booklet on the film including informative text and Amy Taubin’s essay Red-Blooded Richard, while the Blu-ray offers extras including a great feature length audio commentary track by Russell Lees & John Wickers on the film and The bard that is a must-0hear after seeing the film, Original Theatrical Trailer, 12-minute TV trailer promo for the film in black and white, Restoration Demonstration with Martin Scorsese, 1966 Olivier interview from the BBC TV show Great Acting on black & white PAL videotape and a Poster/Still Gallery.

 

 

Then we have the three-part documentary mini-series Shakespeare: The King’s Man (2012) well hosted by James Shapiro, a scholar on the subject who explains the differences between The Bard’s Elizabethan Era and the darker Jacobean Era that followed and concluded his monumental output.  With King James I succeeding Elizabeth I, England fell into uncertainty and Shakespeare’s work reflected this change with darker themes, writing and tones that would have never happened in his earlier works.

 

A combination of history, royal history, Shapiro’s Bard Scholarship, the religious angle, the political; angle and a series of unbelievable twists and turns make this a solid documentary show to check out, especially if you like literature.  Shapiro gets intense at times too.

Extras include an illustrated booklet on the series & The Bard including informative text, while the DVD adds text bios of the host, The Bard and other writers of the period and we get a bonus DVD featuring the 1983 Time Life/BBC production of Macbeth with the underrated Nicol Williamson in the title role of a decent, if somewhat minimalist production.

 

 

The 1080p 1.66 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can on Richard III is a stunning upgrade from the previous Criterion DVD, which started with the original VistaVision 35mm camera negative (which was fading), a road print copy of the film that was supposed to be the full length version and every other print they could find to replace missing frames, frames too damaged to transfer and then make all kinds of color corrections, defect corrections and finish the color timing in the superior, wide ranging color that a dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor 35mm print version of the film or a VistaVision copy of the film would offer.  Remarkably, a photochemical restoration took place decades ago when that was highly uncommon and that too contributed to the fixing and saving of the film here.

 

Director of Photography Otto Heller, B.S.C. (Peeping Tom, The Ipcress File, Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb and the original versions of Alfie and The Ladykillers) is one of the only times he ever shot in a large frame format, but his use of the highly detailed, exceptionally colorful VistaVision frame is stunning, the slightly darker British lab color and the extraordinary use of color through the film from its costumes to set and production design is more jaw-dropping than ever before, reconfirming it is one of the great Shakespeare films, great VistaVision films, great British films, great Olivier films and one of Heller’s greatest achievements.

 

It is sadly one of the few British VistaVision films that really made it big in the U.S. (we have covered several that deserve rediscovery) and thanks to Blu-ray, you can see the depth and rich visuals intended, like walking into the actual world of the film and when Criterion starts to consider titles for new “Mastered in 4K” Blu-rays, this is a must as a top candidate.  As it stands, it is one of the best-looking Criterion Blu-rays on the market and despite some minor grain and a few brief cuts that show the material is not first generation; it has plenty of demo shots throughout to challenge any HDTV, HD projector or Ultra HDTV or projector on the market.  You got to see this one!

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Man is consistent throughout its three episodes with some good shots, some good color, some motion blur and a professional presentation overall.  Maybe this would be sharper on Blu-ray, though.

 

 

The PCM 1.0 Mono on Richard III is cleaned up and digitally remastered from an original optical monophonic 35mm soundtrack master.  The result is that the film has never sounded better, even in its best 35mm Technicolor or VistaVision presentations.  The dynamic range even surprised me versus the previous Criterion editions.  The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Man is simple stereo with much talk and some music, but just fine for a documentary presentation.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo