Lady Anne Appearances
Richard is one of the best parts in Shakespeare so the play has seen some very exciting adaptations to film. Lady Anne's role might not be huge but it is meaty as heck, so there are some cool takes on her for us to examine.
in 1996 a pristine copy of the 1912 film The Life and Death of King Richard III was discovered by a private collector and donated to the American Film Institute, and is now recognized as the oldest surviving American feature film. It's a 55-minute adaptation of shakespeare's play, and Lady Anne is played by an actress named Violet Stuart.
the 1939 movie Tower of London wasn't based on Shakespeare's play, but was rather a Univeral Horror film based on the historic Richard III, starring film legend Basil Rathbone. In it, Rose Hobart played the role of Anne Neville.
Tower of London was actually remade in 1962 by low-budget auteur Roger Corman. This time Anne is played by scream queen Joan Camden.
Between those two historic horror films, however, is Laurence Olivier's 1955 production of Richard III. This is THE adaptation of this play; his iconic portrayal inspired imitators and satirists for decades, including legendary british comic series the Black Adder. Claire Bloom was absolutely iconic as Lady Anne.
BBC Television Shakespeare did a version of Richard III in 1983, where Anne was depicted by a fantastic Zoë Wanamaker.
in 1995, director Richard Loncraine directed his film Richard III, which set the story in a fictional 1930's, using nazi symbolism for Richard's regime. It's easily one of my all-time favorite film adaptations of Shakespeare. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Lady Anne, and she is absoutely fantastic.
This one is kind of interesting, if you're into this sort of thing. In 1996, after playing Richard III on broadway, Al Pacino directed his first movie; a documentary about the play, the characters, and their significance both historically and culturally. A group of very good actors all play scenes from the play and also discuss the parts. Winona Ryder plays the part of Lady Anne.
I'm a huge sucker for movies that adapt shakespearian plots to modern settings. the 2002 movie Street King (or King Rikki in some markets) tells the story of Richard III as a modern day drug cartel thriller. Native American actress Tonantzin Carmelo plays Anita, the sister of a rival drug dealer. It's the sort of movie that's fun to watch if you understand the motive behind it.
In 2016, the BBC aired the follow-up to their 2012 BAFTA winning series of BBC televised films The Hollow Crown, which adapted Shakespeare's second historic tetralogy. This time the series was called The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses. The final part of the series was Richard III, which earned Benedict Cumberbatch a BAFTA nomination. Lady Annie is played here by Phoebe Fox.