Essay on Looking for Richard & Richard III

Resource Description

Our interests in the resonances between RIII and also LFR is enhanced by consideration of their marked differences in textual form.’

Evaluate this statement in light of the textual conversations between the two texts.

Richard’s inadequate perception of being unloved fuels his desire for power which is at the cost of humanity and felt by the rest of his dynasty. The textual conversation dictated by Pacino’s ‘Looking for Richard’ (LFR) with Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’ (RIII) enhances thematic resonances through their marked differences in textual format. Through the dissonance in textual portrayal, that being the docudrama rather than the play, Pacino’s text allows for a raw and refreshed insight whereby a contemporary audience’s values and ideologies are expressed in their whole. Pacino delves into three overarching conceptual ideas in his psychoanalytical examination of the notorious King, first being, in the pursuit of power, the truth is rendered powerless; second, the gap between outward appearance and inward reality and thirdly that both composers have created a Richard to fulfill their contextual purpose. The docudrama format enhances audience’s interests in these conceptual ideas as it is seen to be more accessible in an ever progressing 20th century audience who have stemmed further away from the Christian viewpoint but rather more to a secular, temporal society.

Richard’s lust for power drives his avuncular duties insinuating that in his ‘pursuit of power’, truth is rendered powerless. The audience is made aware of this in LFR as throughout the reconstruction of RIII, Pacino extracts key moments which demonstrates the evil, corrupted psyche of Richard. In LFR, it is stated that “he has let the pursuit of power totally corrupt him”, exploring that in Richards ‘need’ to secure power, that being societal or sexual, his human decency has been eradicated as he will do whatever he needs to do to stop those in his way. This is evident in Act 3, scene 1 of RIII where Richard is with his nephews. He acknowledges that their intelligence and honesty may hinder his chance of attaining kingship, so he states, “so wise so young, they say, do never live long”. This demonstrates his nature as a corrupted man who is “determined to prove a villain” as well as shows the lengths to which he will travel to in order to gain power. This foreshadows the deaths of Prince Edward and Prince York and Shakespeare emphasises this through his use of Iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is the rhythm and flow at which the play is said and would be used strategically at this point in the play as the heckler’s would have accepted that Richard is a hollow husk of society aiming for a crown which as  hollow as his promises to those around him. Additionally, the use of the perverted satire in this quote, demonstrates that Richard feels a ‘rush’ of emotions when he playfully threatens his nephews in search for power, he enjoys knowing that he can cause mayhem and then provides him with a feeling of accomplishment. In LFR, Pacino switches from an analysis of the scene to a reconstruction of the scene, where his use of high angle shots from Edward to Richard demonstrates the imbalance of power. “What should you fear at the tower?” foreshadows the deaths of the children as they believe that they can trust ‘Uncle Richard’, however his greed and obsessive search for power overrules his duties as uncle, that being kind and loving. Additionally, the use of the Shakespearean music in between scenes, enhances how the audience feels in relation to a section of the film. The music provides substance by establishing not only setting but also the way it foreshadows the development in the analysis of Richard that the cast has made. Therefore, truth being rendered powerless in the pursuit of power, is enhanced through the use of docudrama, as it portrays the need to understand Richard on a psychological level.

The gap between outward appearance and inward reality is exemplified throughout LFR and RIII through the use of soliloquy compared to the use of Pacino’s ‘interview format’. In the opening scene of RIII, Richard establishes who he is as a person and that society will feel his detriment in full capacity. Richard states that he’s “deformed, unfinished sent before my time” meaning that he is not beautiful enough to be loved due to his deformed nature and that he was born prematurely in a time where Christian morals counteracted secular ethics. Richard see’s himself isolated from others due to his defect at birth and believes that even “dogs bark at me as I halt by them” showing that animals also find him repulsive. By analysing this soliloquy, using music, props and large-scale actors, Pacino reveals that Richard cannot escape the sense of persecution from every angle to the contemporary audience. By providing the interviews with the English scholars, they also provide the context to demystify what was truly happening all along. Pacino also narrates their own ways when they attend a castle-like setting – “Frederic and I decided to go to the Cloisters… we thought we’d rehearse in this atmosphere”. By establishing the connection to England, they were able to provide an insight into the mind of Richard in a new and conditioned way which also provides mention of the stigma regarding the hierarchy of Shakespeare and that only the elites can view him. Richard takes on the persona of Richard, which is ironic in itself, as Pacino is a well-renowned actor, who is charismatic and also good looking. By Pacino delving into the psyche of Richard, he empathises with him especially when Kimbell asks “when are we going to kill Richard?”. He is shocked and believes that a part of him was going to die in a sense as well. By delving into his mind as Pacino, the audience were able to understand the complexity of what made up Richard and led him to a life of evil and dissatisfaction. Therefore, the gap between outward appearance and inward reality was exemplified throughout the use of RIII and also is enhanced by LFR.

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