The Hollow Crown (Shakespeare's histories)

[Augustus 3061]

The Hollow Crown series (available on Prime) is a series of movies of Shakespeare's history plays Richard II through Richard III.  Wondering if any of you saw these and what you thought.  Random musings:

Tom Hiddleston (Henry V) is terrific. Not sure I've heard any actor deliver that dialogue so effortlessly.  Maybe Ian McKellan.

I've never enjoyed Falstaff as a character but Simon Russell Beale plays him brilliantly.

Rory Kinnear is great as Henry IV in the first of the Henry IV plays.  For some reason, in Henry IV part 2, he was played by Jeremy Irons, about 50 years older than Kinnear and way older than Henry IV when he died.

Patrick Stewart as John of Gaunt delivers a fine "This England."

Benedict Cumberbatch is Richard III and really brings the menace.  Thought he could've used a little more nuance.

Thoroughly recommend the series.

 

Ben Whishaw knocks it out of the park surrendering his crown to Bolingbroke

 

Harry gets a dressing down

 

[gsoda3 3284]

It's been a few years but I loved it. Hiddleston has been great in everything he does but this could be his finest work. He's the most natural hal I've seen. Jeremy irons was distracting. I thought cumberbatch was over the top but I suppose that's how shakespeare wrote the part which I'm not too fond of to begin with. Whishaw nailed his part. Really impressed with how they pulled it off. This should be required viewing for all AP English and history classes.

[Augustus 3061]

5 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

It's been a few years but I loved it. Hiddleston has been great in everything he does but this could be his finest work. He's the most natural hal I've seen. Jeremy irons was distracting. I thought cumberbatch was over the top but I suppose that's how shakespeare wrote the part which I'm not too fond of to begin with. Whishaw nailed his part. Really impressed with how they pulled it off. This should be required viewing for all AP English and history classes.

That's one of the reasons I started the other thread about Looking for Richard.  Pacino didn't play him over the top at all.  And Ian McKellan's interpretation was menacing but more suave, as well.

Cumby just brought the anger and little else.  His Richard was the first interpretation that I've seen, actually, which made me think "psychopath."  Which is a shame because BC has some chops.  Could've been so much better.

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by Augustus

[Augustus 3061]

The biggest distraction about Irons, for me, was the frustrating casting of a dude near 70 years old.  Bolingbroke died at 46.  Plus, we had just finished watching Rory Kinnear as Henry and then we move forward in time a bit and he's been on Social Security for damn near a decade.

Unnecessary.  Daniel Craig would've been a nice choice.  Or hell, I don't know... Colin Firth.

Or God forbid they go all out and get Damien Lewis.

So many other options.  And I'm a huge fan of Irons.

Edited September 5, 2020 by Augustus

[gsoda3 3284]

Firth would have been good. He did well playing the future george vi. Hugh bonneville would have been another good choice. It's funny you say Daniel craig. When we watched knives out I couldn't get over his ridiculous accent. It was so distracting watching james bond sound like colonel sanders.

[Augustus 3061]

22 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

Firth would have been good. He did well playing the future george vi. Hugh bonneville would have been another good choice. It's funny you say Daniel craig. When we watched knives out I couldn't get over his ridiculous accent. It was so distracting watching james bond sound like colonel sanders.

Yeah I think that reaction was pretty typical.  

I mentioned Damien Lewis.  Obviously he's fantastic in every role, but after seeing his portrayal of Henry VIII in Wolf Hall, I'd have loved to have seen him as Henry IV.  He'd have been perfect.

One guy neither of us mentioned, but I thought knocked it out of the park:  David Suchet as York.