Looking for richard

LOOKING FOR RICHARD The works of Sir William Shakespeare are known to have made a resounding impact in western literature since the time of the English renaissance. Not only do his works reflect a perfection of literature in words and diction but they also bring out philosophy in the way his characters relate to each other, in their moments of soliloquy and the plot behind every play. It is said that his plays would put meaning to words and the impact of each word played out would eventually enlighten the mind and nourish the soul.
In the 1996 movie ‘ Looking for Richard’ Al Pacino takes the initiative to document the making of one of Shakespeare’s most popular play Richard the third on the big screen. His sole purpose however seems to bringing Shakespeare to the ordinary citizen , capture their thoughts and make them understand the gravity of the matter when it come to these works of literature. To him they are not just forms of entertainment set out to trigger only the human emotions but pathways to opening the human mind, how we think and how our words and actions affect people around us.
On the other hand Al Pacino takes on a humble role in the documentary seeking to learn more on how Shakespeare’s works are actually supposed to be performed; he ventures into the difficulties encountered when acting this Shakespearean play and its translation. He learns of the importance of the iambic pentameter which is explained as the rise and fall of the words in a five beat sequence. It is presumed by the academics as the sole key into bringing out the diction in the plays, the accent needed and the emotions Shakespeare tries to bring out in his plays. He then seeks out every character; analyzing their behavior and the impact they have on the play thus being able to come up with a suitable actor for the role. He does this by taking up Frederic Kimball; a scholar Shakespearean literature who helps him decipher the acts of the plays and also helps in co-writer and also elicits helpful criticisms from academics.
As a film runs we see the effort Al Pacino takes not only into understanding the play but the history behind it and its writer. He visits places such as the birthplace of the playwright in Stafford and the grand theater in London where the play was first performed with an aim of seeking inspiration for the scenes and get to see the environment which gave inspiration for the development of the acts. It is quite evident from the documentary that picking out the scenes for the acts had been a problem and that it took a while for the actors to get into character this coming from the fact that the ordinary audience were quite unfamiliar or had no prequel knowledge of these Shakespearean characters.
What comes out as amazing in the film is how Al Pacino himself quickly picks up the character of Richard the third and makes it his own. The emotions he steers to the screen that makes it seem like the character was made for him only him. How he is able to convince the Lady Anne of his romantic feelings towards her as the sole purpose of him killing her husband and stepfather or how he is able to convince the table of dukes and earls that Lord Hastings seeks ill of him.
The film changes the normal perspective of Shakespearean art. It brings out the care and time taken to develop these works and the intended impact to the audience that get to watch them. Every character is molded to represent a vice or virtue thus the whole play having a message to convey to the audience.