Looking for Richard

1996 "A four hundred year old work-in-progress."
7.3| 1h52m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 11 October 1996 Released
Producted By: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."

Genre

Documentary

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Director

Al Pacino

Production Companies

Fox Searchlight Pictures

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Looking for Richard Audience Reviews

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
Lightdeossk Captivating movie !
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
proteus6847 Ninety minutes of mind-numbing incompetence. Pacino played Richard twice on stage (in 1973 and 1979) and both times he was blasted by the critics, for the simple and sufficient reason that he has no classical talent. Prior to making this film, his only other venture into Shakespeare was as Marc Antony in an early 80s production of Julius Caesar: here, too, the critics came to bury Al, not to praise him. But nothing can daunt a stubborn egomaniac. Well, almost nothing, for you'll note that this isn't a film version of Richard III, but rather a documentary about Pacino's "search" for the character. Interesting, that. Did Branagh make a film called "Looking for Henry V"? No, he made a film version of Henry V. Did Olivier make a film called "Looking for Othello"? No, he made a film version of Othello. So what's up here? Why is Al presenting us with a "search" for the thing instead of the thing itself? I'll give you three guesses.
wildwoodmusic Wow! I just found this. Been out of the country for a long time and I seem to have missed a lot. I love Shakespeare and have seen many, many productions and films. I find this fascinating and could have watched more. Some say it was laughable, I don't see it. It is a learning experience and Pacino captured Richard perfectly. Better then most I have seen. There is a lovely mix of the scholarly, the actor's processes and a good bit of fun. I felt as if I was discovering new views along with the actors. Maybe it isn't to everyone's tastes but it beats out the pablum that is the usual fair in these times. I too greatly regret the whole film was never made and released in conjunction with Looking for Richard. It would have been magnificent.
jzappa With what seems to be inadvertent coherence, film is both a performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The movie guides the audience through the play's plot and historical background.Pacino plays both himself and the title character, making it an absolute essential for fans of Al Pacino, people like me, who cannot get enough of the guy's presence. His energy is infectious, his spirit is enviable.Combines crowd-pleasing with the widespread cultural turn-off Americans have with the challenge of Shakespeare. What an incredible cause. Kids seeing this film first may well end up with a better understanding of the Bard's work, because Pacino has made an informative, engrossing and hugely enjoyable movie that stands as a work of pure entertainment as powerfully as its inspiration, the very mixture he intends to apply to complicated historical potboilers like Richard III. And he does not condescend the masses by focusing entirely on the negligent view of Shakespeare as obligation. Stars who turn to directing rarely or never do things like this.
Alain English "Looking For Richard" is Al Pacino's monument to William Shakespeare. By taking the audience inside rehearsals for a production of one of the Bard's most famous plays, Richard III, the actor comprehensibly dissects the text and makes the play come alive.For me, in one respect, "Looking For Richard" is a disappointment. By taking the audience through the play like this, rather than actually just putting the play on screen he deprives us of what could have been a great Shakespearean performance. The snatches we see of him performing the role of King Richard by far outmatch his other on-screen Shakespeare, Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice".Pacino takes us through the play act by act in a filmed production of it. This includes discussions with his fellow producers and also the popular actors he brings on board with him, among them Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder and Kevin Spacey. He also visits Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, and also London, at the site of the reconstruction of the writer's Globe Theatre.Memorable highlights include a breakdown of iambic pentameter (that's something you don't see every day) as well discussions of Shakespeare with connisseurs like John Gielgud, Kenneth Branagh and Peter Brook.Without any of the expletives for which Pacino is famous in his roles, "Looking For Richard" could easily be an educational picture as well as family entertainment. I long to see Pacino come here to London and do some Shakespeare for real.As it stands, this comes thoroughly recommended to Shakespeare buffs and newcomers alike.