In his directing debut, Al Pacino has given us one of the most accessible Shakespeare spinoffs ever for the screen. Smart, witty and energetic, Looking for Richard is a delight to watch, offering insight into Shakespeare and his iconic Richard III, and giving the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at how a production of the play might be mounted.

Pacino intercuts between his “film” of Shakespeare’s Richard III and documentary-style scenes and interviews on the making of same. The “real” movie (or at least portions thereof) is fabulous: Pacino plays Richard as an intellectual with a conscience, the effect being all the scarier. Winona Ryder seems out of her element as Lady Anne, but Kevin Spacey turns in a stunning performance as Buckingham: smart, quiet, and cunning.

The documentary is equally entertaining as well as illuminating. Why, after four centuries, does Shakespeare still grab new audiences every generation? There are plenty of sharp folks on hand here, both in and out of theatre and even on the street, eager to share reasons for our ongoing bardolatry. On the theatre-side, we see actors struggling with Shakespeare’s language, we see Pacino wrestling with the story and character interpretation, but above all, we see an ensemble of artists, some of them the best in the business, passionate about Shakespeare and determined to create an accessible performance of a classic play.

And do they succeed. This movie should be shown in schools around the world as a turn-on to Shakespeare. Informative, entertaining, and devoid of all pretention, Looking for Richard was one of the finest films of 1996 and one of the best Shakespeare documentaries ever produced.

Cast and Interviewiees: Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Penelope Allen, Gordon MacDonald, Madison Arnold, Vincent Angeli, Harris Yulin, Alec Baldwin, Timmy Prairie, Landon Prairie, Kevin Conway, Winona Ryder, Estelle Parsons, Larry Bryggman, Vanessa Redgrave, F. Murray Abraham, Aidan Quinn, Kenneth Branagh, James Earl Jones, Peter Brook, Viveca Lindfors, Emrys Jones, John Gielgud, Derek jacobi, Michael Hadge…

Here’s a sort of “trailer” for the film”

One of our favorite sections: “Was ever woman in this humour wooed…?”