Richard III (1955)

Based on the play by William Shakespeare, probably written c. 1592-1594.

 In 15th-century England, Richard covets the throne, which is currently occupied by his brother Edward. He will do anything to get it.

This is a free adaptation of the play where some characters (e.g. Margaret) are absent, scenes are shortened, and their order altered. The major merit of the play is its verbal brilliance, which is considerably diminished in the film because many dialogue exchanges were cut. There would be justification for those alterations if it were a trade off between verbal and cinematic elements, but to my assessment the film does not offer much in the way of visual creativity.

Rating: 48