The Hollow Crown

I'm a bit behind with this but I've now had chance to see all four of BBC 2's series of Shakespeare history plays (Richard II, Henry IV Pt 1 and Pt 2, Henry V). These were excellent productions. (See more here). They take the plays out of the theatre (making for some difficulties in Henry V which is very much written for the theatre with a chorus [John Hurt this time]). These were not lavish productions for today I suppose but a good deal of time time and money was invested in scene setting, costumes and extras that far from detracting from the plays themselves added greatly to the interest. The idea of featuring the same hollow crown in all four plays was inspired and added to the whole. I'm not sure why the continuity preserved by having one man play Henry V (Tom Hiddleston) could not have been followed in the case of Henry IV (Rory Kinnear is replaced by Jeremy Irons). All four plays featured well known actors (Jeremy Irons, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Julie Walters, etc) and lesser known ones too. Although all four presentations made for a gripping 8 hours of TV, the first was the outstanding one for me. Ben Whishaw in the lead role is just magnificent. The decision to present him as a Christ figure worked brilliantly visually. A stunning performance. It is not easy to get to see this at this stage but it is worth seeking out.