My God, this is a movie!

The classic Shakespeare play of deceit and treachery set against Britain of the 1930s. But this doesn't look like Britain. Visually, this reminds us of another tyrant killing all who stand before him. Yes, this is Nazi Germany if it had happened in Britain.

I couldn't help thinking of another movie during the first scene. The military advisor sits down to eat dinner as his king tries to sleep in the next room. Soon, a tank blasts through the wall. Foot soldiers wearing gas masks burst in. The breathing, the sound of a respirator as a soldier fires his gun into the king's skull. Darth Vader? Feels like it. No, the mask comes off and it's Richard.

Richard is the scoundrel, systematically plotting the deaths of all in the royal family who stand between him and the throne; and all the while acting as though he is completely innocent.

Of course, what Richard doesn't understand is that people follow you because they choose to be led by you. Soon there is a new rebellion in the land, and Richard's days naturally are numbered. Sounds like Star Wars some more, doesn't it?

This is film-making at its finest. The idea of taking a classic play hundreds of years old and re-molding it into a new century was genius. The choice of decades is perfect. Had it been placed any closer to contemporary times, we might not have gotten the point.