Pacinos docudrama looking for Richard (1995) draws upon a twentieth century

context to reshape the value of religion in Shakespeares play King Richard III
(1591) into individualism and to expose the power and influence of
Shakespeares language .Pacinos purpose is to connect Shakespeares universal
themes and his powerful language with a contemporary audience through the
use of visual medium which is an easily accessible form of medium. Similarly,
Shakespeares purpose is to affirm the Tudors legitimate right to the throne to
the Elizabethan audience through the use of plays which are considered the most
popular form of entertainment back in the sixteenth century. By a comparative
study of texts, we can gain a better understanding of how their textual
forms/context influences their context and displaying their composers purpose.
(Their context serves to reshape the values in King Richard III into values that are
more relevant in the twentieth century context).
King Richard III draws upon the power and influence of Shakespeares language
in order to portray the Tudor monarch Elizabeth I as the rightful ruler of the
throne. Despite the evil imagery Shakespeare uses in King Richard III, Richard
was most likely not the evil, vindictive ruler who Shakespeare depicted. Such
imagery: Lump of foul deformity used on Richard was likely done in favour of
the current ruler, Elizabeth I. To solidify her position on the throne, Richards
actions had to be put in a bad light, with his evil method of ascending to the
throne in direct opposition to her being the direct heir. This is done through the
power of Shakespeares language when Richard says to Lady Anne; Your beauty
which did haunt me in my sleep. Through the power of Shakespeares language
and Richards words, he is able to manipulate people into doing what he desires.
As a result, Shakespeares purpose is to depict the events of history in a way
preferable to the audience of the time. In the twentieth century, Pacinos purpose
is similar; he depicts the scenes of Richard in a fashion more accessible to a
modern audience. This is expressed through the visual medium. By depicting the
process of producing and understanding Richard and Shakespeare, Pacino shares
his journey with the audience; the table reads are particularly in expressing such:
You have an entire company on the stage, good actors, not knowing where
theyre going. Where they are! By depicting the actors ignorance to
Shakespeare and his techniques, Pacino makes their efforts more accessible to
the modern audience, who can relate to their lacking of understanding, creating
and allowing a greater understanding of the different yet similar values
embodied by the sixteenth and twentieth century.
The difference in the twentieth century and the sixteenth centurys medium
preferences also influences the meaning and significance of Looking for Richard
and King Richard III respectively. Looking for Richard portrays the Battle of
Bosworth, the employment of the visual medium altering its depiction. In King
Richard III, the battle and Richards murder is a relatively quick affair, the stage
direction: They fight. King Richard III is slain, is the only orated form of violence.
Through the visual medium however, Pacino is able to dramatize Richards final
scene, turning Richards murder from a lost fight, into an execution through low
angle shots which are used to reflect his loss of power and almost make the
audience feel sympathetic towards Richards death. Pacinos representation of

the battle represents views in society at that time; revealed in the numerous vox
pops, it is revealed that the common public to not care for Shakespeare. By
extenuating the battle scene Pacino is able to compare Richard III to films such
as Brave heart, employing the genres popularity to generate interest in the
prospective audience.
Looking for Richard ignores the theocentric values of the Elizabethan audience and
reshapes it into values that are more relevant to the twentieth century. This
becomes evident when Pacino succinctly states A person has an opinion. Its only
an opinion. Its never a question of right or wrong. The dialogue reflects a secular
society where theocratic values are no longer universally accepted. The film
juxtaposes the twentieth century values with those of the Elizabethan audience to
depict that individuals are guided only by their own moral compass and not by
religion. This is revealed as Pacino has omitted the dialogue between Clarences
murderers as they reveal their fear of the divine price of their murderous behaviour.
Instead, he chooses to focus the conversation on their own individual guilty
consciences and the impact on their lives Faith, certain dregs of conscience are
here within me. Pacino chooses to cut out the religious rhetoric to highlight that
although the ideas remain pertinent, Elizabethan values are to an extent, irrelevant
to the twentieth century audience. Rapid camera movements of Richard depict him
as a tormented, fragmented and a psychologically unstable man. Richard is
haunted by the ghost of his conscience and ultimately, is punished by his madness
rather than his death. Looking for Richard emphasises that there is no fear of divine
retribution but the impact of their immoral behaviour on their individual identity. In
the twentieth century context, justice comes in the form of their own psychological
fragmentation and guilty conscience, rather than sanctioned by God.
Thus, the analysis of this pair of texts served to heighten our understanding of the
values and contexts of the texts and the commonalities between them.
Shakespeares sixteen century audience placed great significant value on religion.
The Elizabethans are comforted in the knowledge that any individual to usurp the
hand of God will face divine retribution and right will definitely be restored. On the
other hand, Pacinos twentieth century audience have no agreed spiritual
references and live in a postmodern world where independence is placed on the
individual rather than God. Ultimately the contextual comparison of the texts
furthers our understanding of the values portrayed within two different contexts.