These materials are copyrighted by Youth Media International and are reproduced here by permission.

Dear Educator:

Youth Media International, in cooperation with Fox Searchlight Pictures, is delighted to provide this viewer's guide to Looking for Richard. In this film, director/actor/writer Al Pacino fulfills a life-long dream: to help make Shakespeare entertaining and accessible to millions of young people. The film alternates between scenes from Richard III, Shakespeare's compelling study of greed and power run amok, and the interactions of the actors and filmmakers as they grapple with the challenge of bringing the drama to the screen. In the process, the viewer gains insight into the creative process and an appreciation for the timeless elements of Shakespeare's work.

First-time director Al Pacino has imbued the film with his passion for acting and his conviction that Shakespeare is for everyone. But Pacino does not treat Shakespeare with awe. Instead, he demonstrates the pleasure to be derived from the plays by conducting light-hearted man-in-the-street interviews about the playwright and capturing the heated, and often comic, exchanges among the performers as the camera moves from the streets of New York to the medieval Cloisters Museum to London's legendary Globe Theater.

Al Pacino plays the role of King Richard. He is supported by a well-known and accomplished cast: Alec Baldwin, Aidan Quinn, Winona Ryder, Kevin Spacey, Penelope Allen and Estelle Parsons. Interspersed throughout the film are observations by Sir John Gielgud, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Kevin Kline.

This guide will help high school and college students recognize the universality of Shakespeare's themes and characters as well as the imaginative possibilities of the English language, both in Shakespeare's time and our own. In addition, it will give students the opportunity to engage in the creative process.

We hope you will share this guide with your colleagues. Although the material is copyrighted, you are welcome to download the entire guide for educational use and to print and distribute copies of the activity sheets to your students. We also hope you will add your name to our mailing list; to ensure that you receive future mailings, send your U.S. Mail address to Youth Media International, SchoolRoom@aol.com. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Roberta Nusim
Publisher