Al Pacino leads the search party with an infectious, almost childlike passion. He conceived, co-wrote, co-produced and directed the movie, but ensures it never becomes one man's vision by seeking the witty and often surprising opinions of his peers and the public. The latter are largely candid and cutting. "It sucks," is a typical verdict from one man on street when asked for his feelings on Shakespeare, while directors and actors share their love, frustration, and occasional fear of Richard III and other of the Bard's works.

The impressive roll call of those interviewed includes the usual Shakespearean suspects such as Sir John Gielgud, Kenneth Branagh and Vanessa Redgrave. Additionally, Hollywood actors Kevin Spacey, Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin offer their opinions and enact various passages from the play with Pacino, of course, donning the corrupt crown.

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	Richard III (Laurence Olivier, 1955)    Richard III (Richard Loncraine, 1995)    Henry V (Kenneth Branagh, 1989)

These key scenes provide a tantalising glimpse of Pacino's interpretation of Richard, and by clarifying the malevolence, drive and sense of destiny in the character, he emphasizes the Shakespearean qualities inherent in his most famous role, Michael Corleone from The Godfather trilogy.

The film is filled with entertaining arguments and anecdotes and the director must take the plaudits for creating a documentary that celebrates and explores Shakespeare without ever becoming schoolmasterish or overly self-conscious. Discussing why he stuck with the project for over 10 years, Pacino revealed the subject matter "ignites me and re-ignites a sort of passion", indicating how a potentially dull and dry search is ultimately made glorious by this son of New York.

Gavin Collinson

Cast