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Richard III (1912 film)
Encyclopedia
Richard III is a 55-minute film adaptation of Shakespeare's play
, starring Frederick Warde
as the title character
. The film, a French/U.S. coproduction, was produced by Film d'Art and released through the independent states rights film distribution
system. The film was directed by French film director André Calmettes, who had previously directed the films The Assassination of the Duke of Guise
(1908) with a score
composed by Camille Saint-Saëns
, La Tosca
(1909) based on the play by Victorien Sardou
, and La Dame aux Camélias (1910) with Sarah Bernhardt
. Richard III was adapted from Shakespeare's original by playwright James Keane
, who also served as co-director and actor.
In 1996, a pristine print of the film was found by a private collector and donated to the American Film Institute
. It is considered to be the earliest surviving American feature film
.
On June 26, 2001, Kino International released the film on DVD
, which includes a 17-minute documentary film
Rediscovering Richard: Looking Back on a Forgotten Classic.
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
, starring Frederick Warde
Frederick Warde
Frederick Barkham Warde was an English Shakesperian actor who relocated to the United States in the late 19th century.In the late 1870s he partnered with actor Maurice Barrymore and the two agreed to tour plays around the United States. Warde would have one section of the country while Barrymore...
as the title character
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. The film, a French/U.S. coproduction, was produced by Film d'Art and released through the independent states rights film distribution
Film distribution
The distribution of a film is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor...
system. The film was directed by French film director André Calmettes, who had previously directed the films The Assassination of the Duke of Guise
The Assassination of the Duke of Guise
The Assassination of the Duke of Guise is a French historical film directed by Charles Le Bargy and André Calmettes, adapted by Henri Lavedan, and featuring actors of the Comédie Française and prominent set designers...
(1908) with a score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composed by Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, La Tosca
La Tosca
La Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role...
(1909) based on the play by Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
, and La Dame aux Camélias (1910) with Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
. Richard III was adapted from Shakespeare's original by playwright James Keane
James Keane
James Keane may refer to:*James Keane , American actor*James Keane , Catholic prelate*James Keane , Australian ice hockey player*James Keane , Irish accordionist...
, who also served as co-director and actor.
In 1996, a pristine print of the film was found by a private collector and donated to the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. It is considered to be the earliest surviving American feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
.
On June 26, 2001, Kino International released the film on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, which includes a 17-minute documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Rediscovering Richard: Looking Back on a Forgotten Classic.