''Looking for Richard'' is a 1996 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

directed by Al Pacino, in his directorial debut. It is a hybrid film, including both a filmed performance of selected scenes of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Richard III'' and a documentary element which explores a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

. The film was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1996 and it was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

1996 Cannes Film Festival The 49th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1996 in film, 1996. The Palme d'Or went to ''Secrets & Lies (film), Secrets & Lies'' by Mike Leigh. The festival opened with ''Ridicule (film), Ridicule'', directed by Patrice Leconte and cl ...

. Al Pacino won the

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Documentaries The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries is one of the annual Directors Guild of America Awards given by the Directors Guild of America. It was first awarded at the 44th Directors Guild of Amer ...

Description

Pacino plays both himself and the title character, Richard III. The film guides the audience through the play's plot and historical background. Pacino and several fellow actors, including

Penelope Allen Penelope Allen, also known as Penny Allen, is an American stage and film actress and acting coach. She is best known as the head bank teller being held hostage in the film '' Dog Day Afternoon''. She also played Annie, the wife of Francis Lionel " ...

and

Harris Yulin Harris Yulin (born November 5, 1937) is an American actor who has appeared in over a hundred film and television series roles, such as '' Scarface'' (1983), ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), '' Looking for Richard' ...

, act out scenes from the play. In addition, the actors comment on their roles. Pacino also features other actors famous for performing Shakespeare, such as

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''Kin ...

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

, and Kevin Kline. Pacino includes interviews with Shakespeare scholars such as

Barbara Everett Barbara Everett (born 1932) is a Canadian-born British academic and literary critic, whose work has appeared frequently in the ''London Review of Books'' and ''The Independent''. In addition to her own publications, she is recognised as a leading ...

, as well as ordinary people on the street.

Cast

* Al Pacino as Richard III *

as Queen Elizabeth *

as King Edward *

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

as Buckingham *

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

as Lady Anne * Kevin Conway as

Lord Hastings Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...

* Julie Moret as Mistress Shore * Estelle Parsons as Queen Margaret * Alec Baldwin as

Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow * Clarence River (New South Wales) * Clarence Strait (Northern Territory) * City of Clarence, a l ...

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...

as Richmond

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics.

References

External links

* * *
Magazine Americana, December 2001 web article, "Looking Through Richard: Al Pacino and his Call to Shakespeare".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Looking For Richard 1996 films 1996 documentary films American documentary films Fox Searchlight Pictures films Documentary films about writers Documentary films about actors Documentary films about theatre Films based on Richard III (play) Films directed by Al Pacino 1996 directorial debut films Films scored by Howard Shore 1990s English-language films 1990s American films