Dictatorial Analogy

One of the most obvious extra-textual elements in Ian McKellan’s film adaptation of Richard III is the unremitting reflection of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. At first thought, this would figure to be a shrewd directorial/screen-writing decision. In Richard we have a power-hungry tyrant whose ruthlessness, glazed by his smooth tongue, gains him the position that he is disqualified from if only by his very appearance and disposition. Sounds enough like Hitler to me. However, I must suggest that the decision to overtly conjure Hitler in the look of Richard and his surroundings is a mistake that immediately disables the play itself. It simply cannot work.

McKellan’s decision to borrow the look of Hitler and Nazi Germany seems manifestly at cross-purposes with another of his decisions: to set the film in 1930's London. Could he really expect an English audience, or an American one for that matter, to imagine 1930's England without Adolf Hitler as the threat?

"I don’t want people to think Richard is Hitler," McKellan has said (probably in response to that fact that that is exactly what has happened). "I don’t want anyone to believe that it actually happened. We’ve just borrowed some fantastic imagery, costumes and social setup to make our story believable."

Well, too bad. McKellan cannot traipse around in those boots, in that uniform, with red and black everywhere, in 1930's Europe and expect people to think more about Richard III than Adolf Hitler. McKellan has not simply borrowed "some imagery"; he has borrowed the most powerful imagery (second only to Christian imagery) available. McKellan need not worry about anyone thinking that his story "actually happened," they know what happened in 1930's England and that is all they are thinking about.

The problem is that the images of Hitler and the Third Reich are like the originals, they dominate wherever they are given a foot in the door. Richard was a bad dude, but he cannot sustain the weight of the Hitler analogy. Even McKellan’s brilliant use (both as actor and writer) of Richard’s asides cannot serve their purpose: the endearing of the audience to the villain. The very genius of Shakespeare’s Richard III is handicapped.

I am reminded of the story of the Elizabethan theatregoer who invited Richard Burbage (the first great Shakespearean actor) over to her house after his performance of Richard saying, "Come to me tonight as Richard." I cannot imagine that happening after McKellan’s version. Nobody wants Hitler creeping into their bedroom for any reason.