Method Acting and Pacino's Looking for Richard
Abstract
In her paper, "Method Acting and Pacino's Looking for Richard," Peirui Su explores the influence of method acting on Al Pacino's decision to film Shakespeare's Richard III as an unconventional docudrama. She compares Pacino's film to Laurence Olivier's 1955 film of Richard III and Ian McKellen's 1995 modernized version to show how Pacino's documentary structure solves the problems raised by films that try either to recreate the Elizabethan world or to update Shakespeare, thereby introducing anachronisms. Su argues that Pacino engages US-American audiences by filming interviews and open rehearsals. Su concludes her paper by analyzing the well-known scene of Richard's wooing Lady Anne to show how Pacino's characterization of Richard III relies on the insight that Richard, like Pacino himself, is an actor.
Recommended Citation
Su, Peirui. "Method Acting and Pacino's Looking for Richard." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 6.1 (2004): http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol6/iss1/9
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