Richard III (1955) (Criterion) DVD

• New high-definition digital transfer, including newly discovered footage from the original theatrical release, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen TVs
• Audio commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilders, former governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company
• RSDL dual-layer edition for optimal image quality
• 1966 BBC interview with Laurence Olivier hosted by renowned theater critic Kenneth Tynan
• Gallery of on-set and production stills and posters, featuring excerpts from Olivier's autobiography "On Acting"
• 12-minute TV trailer, including footage of Olivier, producer Alexander Korda, production designer Roger Furse, and other crew members at work in Shepperton Studios
• Original theatrical trailer
• Essay by film historian Bruce Eder

Director: Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Stanley Baker, Mary Kerridge, Nicholas Hannen

With Richard III , Laurence Olivier—as director, producer, and star—transfigures Shakespeare’s great historical drama into a mesmerizing vision of Machiavellian villainy. Olivier’s performance, viewed as the greatest of his career, charges Richard with magnetic malevolence as he steals his brother Edward’s crown through a murderous set of machinations. His inspired direction brings to the screen superlative performances by veteran theater actors Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud and the young Claire Bloom. Filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor, The Criterion Collection is proud to present the restored full-length version for which Olivier received the 1956 British Academy Film Awards for Best Actor and Best Film.