Director
Al Pacino
Leading Actors/Actresses
Al Pacino, Frederic Kimball
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Vanessa Redgrave, Penelope Allen, Kevin Conway, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, John Gielgud
Genre
Documentary, Drama
Language
English
Awards
Won DGA Award - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
Date of Release
1996
Producer
Michael Hadge, Al Pacino
Setting and Context
1996 —New York and Great Britain, while the play itself takes place in the 15th century
Narrator and Point of View
POV is primarily that of Al Pacino.
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic, Humorous, Investigative, Playful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Pacino. There is no real Antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Al Pacino thinks that Shakespeare is perceived as esoteric and difficult to understand by the general public, and he wants to find a way to help more people gain access to classic plays.
Climax
The climax of the movie occurs in the staging of Richard III's death on the battlefield, which signals the end of the play, and thus, the documentary.
Foreshadowing
Understatement
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
References to Shakespeare and his work.
Paradox
Buckingham helps Richard III to gain the crown in exchange for property from Richard. Buckingham gets Richard to the throne, but paradoxically Richard denies him what he promised him.
Parallelism
An actor dressed as William Shakespeare is in the audience when Pacino walks on stage in the beginning of the film. This is paralleled at the end of the film as we see the same actor in costume putting his hand on his head while watching Pacino.
