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The Hollow Crown (BBC, Shakespeare) |
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#51 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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I thought that was a really excellent production. The cast were all excellent, the decisions on what to keep in and leave out were probably the right ones (though I do think the plot lost a bit in not hearing what the quarrel between Bolingbroke and Mowbray was about; that's a minor quibble though).
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#52 |
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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Yes a really excellent production and I look forward to the rest. I had never heard of Ben Wishaw and was worried he would spoil the whole thing but he was impressisve, as were the rest of a fantastic cast.
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#53 |
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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Sorry to be thick but I thought Bolingboke had settled for getting his possessions back.
Why did Richard need to stand down? |
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#54 |
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Quote:
Sorry to be thick but I thought Bolingboke had settled for getting his possessions back.
Why did Richard need to stand down? I think he was always after the throne. And he manipulated/used people to achieve that. |
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#55 |
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Join Date: Feb 2011
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Yes Bolingbroke is a very ambiguous character - we had great fun discussing this in our essays!
@CarlLewis - Henry has some interesting dialogue with Prince Hal about how he got the crown in Henry IV part 2, so the whole thing might make more sense if/when you see the next couple of films. |
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#56 |
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Quote:
Yes Bolingbroke is a very ambiguous character - we had great fun discussing this in our essays!
@CarlLewis - Henry has some interesting dialogue with Prince Hal about how he got the crown in Henry IV part 2, so the whole thing might make more sense if/when you see the next couple of films. ![]()
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#57 |
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Spoilers TLP, Spoilers!!!
![]() ![]() Anyway the point is, this is a tetralogy so certain issues are addressed more as we go on.
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#58 |
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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My interpretation was that Richard had lost too much support to carry on. Also he was basing his claim on "The divine right of kings" - that is he is on the throne as God put him there. But if he loses then that must be God's will so God must want another on the throne. We saw the same philosphy at the start with the duel - they weren't going to produce evidence or sworn depositions to determine who was traitor - God was going to make sure the Right man won!
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#59 |
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Ha! Not really possible to spoil plays written hundreds of years ago and that are part of the national consciousness is it?!
Anyway the point is, this is a tetralogy so certain issues are addressed more as we go on.![]()
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#60 |
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Anyone know if it's repeated? I'd like to tape it.
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#61 |
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Join Date: May 2003
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Quote:
Anyone know if it's repeated? I'd like to tape it.
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#62 |
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#63 |
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Quote:
Anyone know if it's repeated? I'd like to tape it.
![]() ![]()
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#64 |
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No repeat during the week that I can find. Burning to DVD as I type.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() it's ok I shall wait for the official DVD compilation release with deleted scenes & commentary extras
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#65 |
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Have watched it now - absolutely fantastic production. Beautifully shot and brilliant turns from everyone involved especially Ben Whishaw in the title role and David Suchet. I see that they decided to make Aumerle Richard's murderer in this version rather than Exton as in the text; I wonder what the rationale was behind that.
I hadn't seen the chisel-faced Tom Hughes (Aumerle) in anything before. He looks like some kind of cross between Richard Ashcroft and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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#66 |
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Quote:
I hadn't seen the chisel-faced Tom Hughes (Aumerle) in anything before. He looks like some kind of cross between Richard Ashcroft and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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#67 |
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Join Date: May 2012
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While I enjoyed Whishaw's performance, the person I was watching with, who isn't much of a historian, ended up wondering if the reason they all wanted rid of Richard in the end was because he was gay, because he felt Whishaw's character was coming across that way, and all the talk of his young male friends corrupting him, just before they got executed,plus his distant relationship with his wife, was a veiled shot suggesting as such.
I explained that it was just a play and not really true to the real history, but it was an interesting thought and I wondered if anyone else noticed anything like that? |
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#68 |
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Richard is another ambiguous character. Who knows what Shakespeare intended? Leaving it deliberately open most likely. Mark Rylance played Richard possibly even more fey at the Globe between 5 and 10 years ago.
A similar story with Michael Pennington, though he played him as a particularly nasty little drama queen too, constantly spitting and hissing. I do remember studying criticism to the effect that Richard is supposed to be effeminate to Henry's masculine warrior-like character though. Richard's very verbose and manipulative - he is also almost like a 'mother earth' character when he's on the beach after coming home from Ireland, trying to make a pact with the earth against Henry. |
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#69 |
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He was in the first series of Silk. Am I alone in thinking that he is cast for his looks rather than his acting ability?
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#70 |
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Quote:
While I enjoyed Whishaw's performance, the person I was watching with, who isn't much of a historian, ended up wondering if the reason they all wanted rid of Richard in the end was because he was gay, because he felt Whishaw's character was coming across that way, and all the talk of his young male friends corrupting him, just before they got executed,plus his distant relationship with his wife, was a veiled shot suggesting as such.
I explained that it was just a play and not really true to the real history, but it was an interesting thought and I wondered if anyone else noticed anything like that? |
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#71 |
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,249
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I thought the St Sebastian shot full of arrows referenced the "gay st sebastian" from Derek Jarmans film. Luckily we were spared the sight of a mincing Richard.
It was a fantastic production,certainly the best tv shakespeare i have ever seen, dare i say it possibly one of the best ever filmed shakespeares? Agree about the Aumerle character without doubt the worst thing about it, just a poor actor. |
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#72 |
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I definitely thought Richard's sexuality was ambiguous. There is that bit in Bolingbroke's speech at the execution of Bushey and Green when he accuses them of making Richard a stranger to his wife's bed, or something similar.
Of course, it could just mean that they were up all night boozing and playing the medieval equivalent of video games. Richard and his wife were obviously very affectionate, in any case. My vote is that he's bi. |
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#73 |
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Am very much looking forward to Henry IV Part One as I studied it for O-Level, many years ago. Will be interesting to see how much I remember, although I can still quote Prince Hal's soliloquy, especially after a few drinks
![]() I remember seeing an adaptation with Tim Pigott-Smith as Harry Hotspur - he was so good I've been a fan of his ever since |
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#74 |
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Quote:
Am very much looking forward to Henry IV Part One as I studied it for O-Level, many years ago. Will be interesting to see how much I remember, although I can still quote Prince Hal's soliloquy, especially after a few drinks
![]() I remember seeing an adaptation with Tim Pigott-Smith as Harry Hotspur - he was so good I've been a fan of his ever since Henry IV Part 1 was one of Shakey's most popular plays. It's easy to see why. A cross between Only Fools and Horses, Star Wars (Prince Hal : A New Hope.) and Game of Thrones. |
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#75 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
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I too studied Henry IV part 1 for O level. Shall we form a club?
![]() Not only that, but we had a school trip to Stratford to see a performance of the play. Amazing experience for me then. Roy Dotrice was Hotspur and Ian Holm was Prince Hal. I still remember it after 40 + years as being magic! |
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Anyway the point is, this is a tetralogy so certain issues are addressed more as we go on.

