Looking for Answers in Looking for Richard Essay -- Looking for Richar

Looking for Answers in Looking for Richard Al Pacinos Looking for Richard is an laughable rent. It is a documentary about the complexities of Shakespeare, the performing of the play Richard III, and the ignorance of the average American regarding Shakespeare. The unusual nature of the film - its similar to a filmed Cliff-notes version of the text - provokes wildly different reactions from film buffs, critics, and Shakespeare purists. A perusal of five different reviews of the film show such variant descriptors that range from Mary Brennans comment that the documentary is decidedly narcissistic to Edwin Jahiels comment that the film is an original, mesmerizing exploration. The rather wide incongruousness between the reviews leads to an interesting juxtaposition of its critiques, as we examine the reasons Looking for Richard incites such strong responses from its proponents and detractors. A summarized look at each of the reviews reveals the wide range among the criticisms. The for the first time review, by Mary Brennan and posted on the Film.Com web site, is generally positive, despite the aforementioned quotation that the documentary is decidedly narcissistic. Brennan found herself enjoying the film despite herself, enjoying the inordinately riveting way the film dissected Shakespeare. However, every endorsement of the film is subsequently balanced by a disparaging remark about it. Brennan calls whatsoever of the rehearsals thoroughly entertaining, then says that the endless scenes of Pacino mugging into the camera... rapidly lose their charm. Still, she seems to enjoy the film despite its perceived weaknesses. Al Pacinos posturing is exasperating but likable, and the tout ensemble package is enjoyable. Brennan seems to... ...r those like me, however, who enjoy Shakespeare but perhaps do not grasp it as well as we hope to on the first bring together of readings, it worked ideally. Works Cited Brennan, Mary. Film.com. Internet. On Line. 1996. URL h ttp//www.film.com/reviews/index.jhtml?review_url=/film-review/1996/9006/15/default-review.html Dre. Girls on Film. Internet. On-line. 1996. URL http//www.girlson.com/film/navigation/index.html Jahiel, Edwin. Rec.arts.movies.review. Internet. On-line. 1996. URL http//reviews.imdb.com/Reviews/65/6541 Renshaw, Scott. Rec.arts.movies.review. Internet. On-line. 1996. URL http//reviews.imdb.com/Reviews/61/6195 Schwartzbaum, Lisa. Great Shakes. Entertainment Weekly. 1 November 1996. http//www.ew.com Zimmer, A. Syracuse Times Online. Internet. On-line. 1996. URL http//newtimes.rway.com/films/richard.htm