The film opens in Cineplex theaters across Canada on April 16th, with encore screenings on April 17th
Richard IIIthe final film of the Stratford Festival starring Colm Fiore, will be screened at Cineplex theaters across Canada on April 16th, with encore screenings on April 17th.
Directed for the screen by Barry Avrich and for the stage by artistic director Antoni Cimolino, the film sheds new light on Shakespeare’s tale of fatal ambition.
“Shakespeare’s work is very cinematic in its structure and this play, with its ruthless, cunning and charismatic protagonist, translates brilliantly to the big screen,” Cimolino said in the Stratford Festival announcement. “Colm Feore gives a masterful performance as Richard and is supported by strong performances from our best actors.”
Shakespeare’s Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, is the epitome of deadly ambition, manipulating and killing his way to the throne of England. But once he’s on top, there’s only one way down, and in Richard’s growing list of vengeful enemies, there’s none more threatening than the ghosts of his past.
“The historical Richard, like Shakespeare’s tyrant, was defeated and killed. But it was replaced by a much more sophisticated police state, under regimes that were tougher and more effective at political manipulation,” Cimolino explained in the release. “The text of Richard III is an example of this manipulation. Yet it is also a subversive indictment of tyranny, exposing the tricks used to deceive and manipulate.”
The cast of the film is as follows: Sean Arbuckle as Earl Rivers, Michael Blake as George, Duke of Clarence, Ben Carlson as Lord William Hastings, David Collins as Lord Stanley (Earl of Derby), Jessica B. Hill as Lady Anne, Diana Leblanc as Duchess of York, Seana McKenna as Queen Margaret, Lucy Peacock as Queen Elizabeth, André Sills as Duke of Buckingham and Emilio Vieira as Sir William Catesby.
“When you combine Shakespeare’s brilliant and iconic prose with the unbridled power of Colm Feore, the result is pure cinematic bliss,” Avrich, who also produced the film, says in the news release. “After producing and directing nearly 20 of these filmed productions, this is a career highlight for me.”
Richard III will be available to stream on CBC and CBC Gem this spring.
