In Richard III, the closing film of this year's Prague International Film Festival, Shakespeare's 16th-century dialogue is stripped to the bone and married to 20th-century imagery

In the 1930s, bloody civil war tears England apart. The Prince of Wales throws a bone to the dog slumbering in front of a blazing log fire before sitting down at the table for a solitary dinner.

Suddenly a tank crashes through the wall spewing ominous figures in gas masks and battle fatigues. The soundtrack reverberates with the heavy and rasping breath of malevolence. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, takes off his mask, raises the gun, and blows the heir to the throne to kingdom come Welcome to Richard III, with dialogue by William Shakespeare, filleted and realised by Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine.

"This is Shakespeare done as it has never been done before," claims co-producer Lisa Katselas Paré, with some justification.

The ensemble cast includes the cream of the UK talent - Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George), Kristin Scott-Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) - alongside American duo Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jnr.

Shakespeare has exercised an irresistible allure for filmmakers since Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's King John in 1899. Laurence Olivier (who made the 1955 version of Richard III) and Orson Welles are generally considered the finest screen interpreters of the bard.

More recently, Kenneth Branagh, whose Hamlet will be released later this year, has reminded US studios that Shakespeare does have a commercial value in the marketplace.

The genesis of Richard III lies in Richard Eyre's 1989 acclaimed stage adaptation for the Royal National Theatre, starring Ian McKellen, one of the most respected Shakespearian actors of his generation.

McKellen then wrote the screenplay in 1993 when on tour with the production in LA.

One of the things that convinced producer Paré of the film's potential was the accessibility of the script: "It was the first time I had ever read the play and understood it everybody who saw the script went WOW!" McKellen pared down the play to the bone, ruthlessly cutting down the minor characters that obfuscate the central storyline, leaving a fast, furious, action-packed dialogue that is true to Shakespeare and his intentions.

Tim Avis

Prod co: Red Rooster, United Artist Pictures, First Look Pictures

Prods: Stephen Bayly, Lisa Katselas Paré

Dir: Richard Loncraine

Scr: Ian McKellen, Richard Loncraine, based on Richard Eyre's stage adaptation of William Shakespeare's play

Ph: Peter Bixiou

Ed: Paul Green

Prod des: Tony Burroughs

Cast: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Robert Downey, Jr, Maggie Smith, Nigel Hawthorne

Running time: 105 mins

Int sales: Mayfair Entertainment

Screening: 29 June, 20.00, KCP-Kongresovy (Closing Film)

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