I turned to Appendix 4, A-54 to find a good film adaptation of Richard III. I went for the safe road and chose the film made in 1955. I was able to watch half of the movie tonight and plan to watch the rest tomorrow if I have time. It was mostly true to the script, but there was a long coronation scene in the beginning that bored more than informed the audience. I was taken by Laurence Olivier, the actor who played Richard. Acting is hard enough, but acting the part of a brilliant, manipulative actor takes true skill. One problem I found with Richard was the dramatic deformity the movie gave him. Not only is he a hunchback, but he has a bad leg and a right hand that is nearly useless. There are a few scenes that suggest he is a formidable fighter, therefore the limp and hand make it harder to believe Richard is much of a threat with a sword.
 |
| I found this funny randition, a typical shortened parody, but it had some bad words, therefore I only included the funny picture above that I found on Google Images. |
I listened to Professor Burton and read Bevington's Essential Shakespeare, pp. xviii-xxv. I was familiar with the history of the War of the Roses, but I appreciated seeing all of the events in chronological order. I also did not know that there were attempts on Elizabeth's life because she was deemed a heretic by the Pope. I also read the sources Shakespeare used for Richard III. I finished the preparation part by reading the preface in our textbook. It was a lengthy and difficult read, but I got through most of it. I plan on completing it tomorrow and posting a bullet point list of the highlights.
The first two scenes were confusing. How does Richard get away with murder, with witnesses and a confession? Jennifer asked this on her blog as well. Pity my only response is mutual confusion. Despite the confusing justice system for British royalty, I enjoyed these scenes. I loved the characterization of Richard: born a freak due to the whims of nature, and turned to destroy the good things nature provided England. The line "drunken prophecies" made my night.
I tried to get social and read aloud with my wife, but she couldn't make it past the first scene. Also, I found myself getting into the character of Richard III to the point that my method acting stretched into an argument with my wife. It is scary getting into that character's Psyche. Looks like I am back to my cat, for now, but I will start reading earlier next time in order to get some human interaction. Maybe I will progress to my four year old half-sister. However, that might be risky, considering Richard locked the two children characters in a tower.
