Richard the Second
Encyclopedia
Richard the Second is a 2001 American film adaptation of William Shakespeare
's Richard II
, directed by John Farrell. This production is the first American feature film based on this Shakespeare play.
, an abandoned post Civil War-era fort on Long Island (an island in Boston Harbor
), as the location for this production. The fort lacked electricity and Farrell's production used torchlight to illuminate the scenes that were set inside the structure
Production took place between March and September 1987. However, the film went over its original $50,000 budget and Farrell was unable to secure financing to complete the production. As Farrell recalled in the book The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: "The original intent with Richard the Second was to shoot in broadcast 1" format and transfer to 35mm. We shot with an Ikekami camera and used Sony reel-to-reel. I even did a test trailer in the edit suite which sent to a place in Los Angeles
called Image Transform, which sent us back the trailer on 35 - this was when laser transfer was the new thing for video to film (no scan lines!)."
The film was given a direct-to-video release in 2001.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
, directed by John Farrell. This production is the first American feature film based on this Shakespeare play.
Production history
Farrell used Fort StrongFort Strong
Fort Strong is located on Long Island in Boston Harbor.It was originally named Long Island Military Reservation until 1899.Camp Wightman, a Civil War training camp, was located on the island in 1861....
, an abandoned post Civil War-era fort on Long Island (an island in Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
), as the location for this production. The fort lacked electricity and Farrell's production used torchlight to illuminate the scenes that were set inside the structure
Production took place between March and September 1987. However, the film went over its original $50,000 budget and Farrell was unable to secure financing to complete the production. As Farrell recalled in the book The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: "The original intent with Richard the Second was to shoot in broadcast 1" format and transfer to 35mm. We shot with an Ikekami camera and used Sony reel-to-reel. I even did a test trailer in the edit suite which sent to a place in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
called Image Transform, which sent us back the trailer on 35 - this was when laser transfer was the new thing for video to film (no scan lines!)."
The film was given a direct-to-video release in 2001.