Looking for Shakespeare: Taking Pacino’s Quest Seriously

This article examines Al Pacino's 1996 documentary film Looking for Richard, in which the actor adapts Shakespeare's Richard III as part of an experiment, in his words, in 'communicat[ing] a Shakespeare that is about how we feel and how we think today.' Following Pacino's quest, the article traces the Hollywood actor's investigation of how Shakespeare's name and ghostly image - which remain perpetually indefinite throughout the film - establish authority and authenticity, drawing attention to the plethora of different modes of performance that could function under the 'Shakespearean' banner. In doing so, it raises questions concerning the critical practice of adaptation, illuminating how on their titular search, Pacino and his collaborators - which include a host of Shakespeare practitioners and scholars - must themselves adapt, finding both the play and its author so defamiliarized that they have no choice but to suspend their knowledge and judgment, enabling the journey to become a conduit of feeling and meaning rather than one of scholarly endeavour. The film thus serves, the article demonstrates, as a warning to audience members - such as the scholars who feature in it - who think they know who Shakespeare is before they arrive and, in that knowledge, place themselves in a position of judgment. Ultimately, the essay argues for a new approach to critical work on Shakespearean adaptation which starts by aligning ourselves with Pacino in examining our own investment in knowing Shakespeare before our analysis begins.