This is not your father's Shakespeare. Enter Richard, in gas mask, his breathe sounding like Darth Vader's, and executes Ed of Wales. His "winter of our discontent" speech follows a waltzing "and we will all the pleasures prove" and concludes by the urinals. In another powerfully staged scene Richard begins his advance on the widow of Wales Anne in the morgue.
Though many characters are combined, it is still a history lesson difficult to follow for Yanks bereft of mneumonics for remembering who held which titles in which order. The depicted fascism I do find distinctly British, though many have tried to deflect; there's many a slip twixt Adolph's loin and Richard's limp. McKellen's Richard's despised state, speech, and stature shames not the shadow even of Olivier.
Though many characters are combined, it is still a history lesson difficult to follow for Yanks bereft of mneumonics for remembering who held which titles in which order. The depicted fascism I do find distinctly British, though many have tried to deflect; there's many a slip twixt Adolph's loin and Richard's limp. McKellen's Richard's despised state, speech, and stature shames not the shadow even of Olivier.
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