Looking for Richard is the first film directed by Al Pacino. He also plays himself and the title character (Richard III). Pacino originally wanted to make a straight film, not a documentary, but he discovered that he wouldn't be able to top Laurence Olivier's 1955 version.

As a documentary movie, Looking for Richard is both a performance of scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III, and an examination of Shakespeare's relevance in popular culture by adding interviews with ordinary people, and in-depth analysis with Shakespeare scholars. In addition, Pacino also features many actors ever performing Shakespeare's, including Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, and Vanessa Redgrave.

Along with Pacino, several actors act out scenes from the play, including Alec Baldwin (as Duke of Clarence), Aidan Quinn (Richmond), Penelope Allen (Queen Elizabeth), Winona Ryder (Lady Anne), Kevin Spacey (Earl of Buckingham), and Harris Yulin as King Edward (previously, in 1983 Yulin was Pacino's opponent when he played the infamous corrupt Miami police detective Mel Bernstein in Scarface).

Looking for Richard was featured at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

The film, along with Chinese Coffee and The Local Stigmatic, released on June 2007 as a part of a three-movie boxed set called Pacino: An Actor's Vision.



Cast:

Al Pacino ... Himself/Richard III
Alec Baldwin ... Himself/Duke of Clarence
Kevin Spacey ... Himself/Earl of Buckingham
Winona Ryder ... Lady Anne
Harris Yulin ... Himself/King Edward
Penelope Allen ... Herself/Queen Elizabeth
Vincent Angell ... Himself/Grey