Playwrights from Shakespeare down have been tempted to dramatize King Richard III and the events of his bloody reign. Hollywood has finally succumbed; but with typical Hollywood erudition, emphasis has been shifted from the character of the kind to the horror of his crimes, and the result is a gruesome nightmare of sudden death with but few elements of constructive drama. Basil Rathbone, as the king, happily avoids overacting and creates a reasonably credible character; but the script and the direction are against him. That amiable Englishman, Boris Karloff, is made the center of interest, and the results are as expected. Costumed settings and a capable supporting cast strive valiantly, and occasionally succeed in raising the level of the picture to that of historical drama; but the whole is tasteful only to those whose hearts still throb at the sight of flowing blood.
In the same mood are The March of Time, an essay on war, and "The Amazing Mr. Williams," a light but also bloody murder mystery.
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