Comparison Of Laurence Olivier, And Benedict Cumberbatch's Richard

Although, as Richard the Third, both Laurence Olivier and Benedict Cumberbatch speak straight to the camera in a fashion that makes the viewer feel as if they are complicit in their plots and schemes, and although both costumes show physical indications of Richard’s deformity, the two portrayals tell a considerably different story about Richard’s wicked origins. Laurence Olivier’s Richard is an infamous legend; the film does its best to tell a story about one of many in search of the English Crown. The psychological reasons for Olivier’s Richard are almost nonexistent. On the other hand, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Richard delves deeper into the psychological reasons for Richard’s actions, largely centered around his deformity. Richard III (1955) …show more content…
The scene is very bright, the atmosphere a contrast to Richard’s dark and wicked speech. It is as if Richard is darkness himself, as if his environment has no influence on his demeanor. For the beginning part of his speech, Richard is framed in a medium shot. His left hand is kept awkwardly on his sword the entire time; looking closely, we can tell his hand is withered, but other than that and his very slight limp, it is hard to tell he has any physical deformity. Even when he begins to tell us he is “cheated of feature by dissembling nature,” his deformity is not extremely obvious. As he harps on and on about his physical appearance, he turns and walks away from the camera, emphasizing his mild limp. At one point, he leans his withered hand against the wall to draw attention to it. Placing Richard so far away from the camera for much of his speech creates an echoing effect. Richard is all alone in the empty throne room; he is on his own, with no one to confide in but the camera, the echoes of his yells going unanswered. Richard is far away from the camera during the loudest part of his speech, as he screams with his back facing us – “torment myself to catch the English crown, and from that torment I will free myself or hue my way out with the bloody axe!” At the same time that the echoing emphasizes his frustrations, it also …show more content…
They are joyous together: smiling, clapping, laughing. It is a great contrast to the dark room Richard is in, alone. The opening of this scene also stands in great contrast to the opening of Richard III. As stated earlier, it took seven and a half minutes for Olivier’s Richard to begin his monologue and become the focus of the film. The somewhat unnecessary time spent on King Edward’s coronation, again, emphasizes that Richard is only one of many. In The Hollow Crown, Richard is immediately given the spotlight. The Hollow Crown still provides visuals for who Richard is talking about, by cutting to the family at the dinner table as he speaks. Unlike Richard III, King Edward is not given much screen time. The Hollow Crown intends to move at a much quicker pace by instantly diving in to Richard’s speech, and an immediate focus on Richard sets the stage for a much closer look at Richard’s