Looking for Richard quotes Flashcards
(13 cards)
Actor Discussion Quotes
A lot of the characters in Richard III are shown in a more nuanced, modern light, not trapped by illiteracy or fear of an evil monarch.
Actors describe Richard as emotionally shut down, full of self-hatred and insecurities rather than pure evil.
Pacino adopts a secular psychoanalytic approach, portraying Richard as complex and vulnerable, not just a Tudor villain.
Link: Character complexity, modern reinterpretation, actor insight
breaking the 4th wall
Pacino frequently turns to the camera mid-discussion or performance to share thoughts or questions.
This builds intimacy and invites the viewer into the interpretive process, challenging the idea that Shakespeare is elite or closed-off.
Collage montage
The opening sequence rapidly cuts between street interviews, rehearsal footage, dramatic quotes from Richard III, and voiceovers from Pacino.
Establishes central tension: Shakespeare vs. the Modern World, showing many feel disconnected from Shakespeare, contrasted with scholars and actors who understand and want to understand the text.
Positions the film as a bridge between scholars and everyday people and reveals the raw process of art-making.
Jumpcut
Cuts very forwards and backwards in time and narrative, mirroring Richard’s manipulative tactics and Pacino’s direction.
Shows how performance itself can be a form of manipulation.
Rapid cutting
Cuts between street interviews and actors’ readings show contrasting perceptions of Shakespeare.
Keeps the pacing dynamic and reflects the fragmented nature of understanding Shakespeare for a modern audience.
Shakey Shots
Shaky cameras are used when not acting or when interviewing on the streets.
Reflects the chaos of the modern world and contrasts with the simplicity of Shakespeare’s time.
Suggests Shakespeare is not just a product to consume but a complex process to enact and understand.
Chiaroscuro (Lighting)
Richard’s soliloquies use shadow to emphasize his sinister inner world.
Theatrical lighting dramatizes Richard’s villainy, while natural lighting grounds the modern segments in reality.
Link: Shows how lighting moves from character complexity to modern context, breaking down the pure evil stereotype.
Intertextuality / Metatheatre
Shakespeare appears as a character in two scenes, where Pacino both mocks and struggles to understand him.
First, Pacino dares Richard to challenge his understanding of the play.
At the end, Shakespeare appears embarrassed, showing Pacino’s failure to fully grasp Shakespeare’s intentions.
Link: This highlights Pacino’s personal journey and clash with Shakespeare’s complex legacy.
Our lives
Quote from the end of the film: “Our lives are only a certain length and that everything will end in sleep.” — Al Pacino
Suggests the play needs to rest or “sleep,” reflecting Pacino’s frustration and the tension between revitalizing and retiring Shakespeare’s work.
Link: This connects to the shattering of Pacino’s ego and his conflicted mission.
Camera Closeup
Close-ups on Pacino’s face reveal the collapse of his ego throughout the film.
Connects with his admission that the play may need to rest, contrasting his initial desire to bring Shakespeare to life in the modern world.
Link: Reflects the clash of ideals in the film and deepens the meta-narrative.
Quotes for Critiques of the play
“Another misguided attempt to make Shakespeare intelligible to the groundlings” Donaly Lyans of commentary
“It’s a very slim gloss of the play”
DR MAC
D issonance
R esonance
M irrors
A lighns
C ollides
