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Post by sgev1977 on Jan 4, 2020 1:57:45 GMT
The acting is, of course, very Shakesperean. The first two episodes were extremely bloody. I remember the first thing I thought when I watched them was in the Mexican cartels! You know a lot of beheadings and dismembering between groups of peoples trying to control a territory! It's not so insane considering The Godfather films are practically a modern version of the Shakeaspere's York family! So gangsters aren't very different to European royalty!
Richard III is an equally nihilistic version of the play but much less bloody and subtle. I don't know if you watched the first Hollow Crown series of the plays with Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear and Tom Hiddleston. They were done during the London Olympics games and they were tragic but also majestic. They were designed to show how great the UK are/were. The War of the Roses is much more pessimistic. UK was about to vote the Brexit when it was released and it kind of showed the division. Even the ending is very pessimistic. I won't spoiler it but in the play is a celebration of the triumph of goodness against evil. Here there's the suggestion of a never ending cycle of tragedy and violence. In comparison, the first The Hollow Crown ended with a tragedy but it didn't feel like anything other than a celebration of all the great British things!
I personally loved them all!
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Post by roverpup on Jan 4, 2020 2:40:10 GMT
No, "over the top acting" is definitely not the point! This is Shakespeare. It is dramatic poetry. It is depicting a VERY violent time in English history, so I'm not even sure the violence could be considered OTT, honestly.
To me, this installment of The Hollow Crown is THE best presentation of these historical plays of Shakespeare that's ever been done.
Along with Patrick Melrose, IMO BC's Richard III is his finest performance to date - nothing he has done can come close to touching the work he did with those two pieces to me. The scene where he kills Margaret's son Ned was pure evil. And Richard's soliloquy about his schemes for the crown as he heads off to kill the hapless defeated Henry is electrifying in its rage. I have watched those two scenes probably hundreds of times and still find them thrilling, spine tingling and totally powerful the way he draws you into the character's evilness!
But besides BC, the rest of the cast was great too. Sophie Okonedo was incredible as Margaret (I had the supreme pleasure of seeing her live on the London stage a few years ago where her versatility was on full display but this performance certainly does show off her classical stage strengths). Adrian Dunbar is just as wonderful as the head of the Plantagenet clan (his death scene is chilling still).
But it isn't just the magnificent acting! It's the location shooting which brings the production to life brilliantly. It's the gorgeous adaptation (Cooke and Powers) done on the original text which captures the feel of Shakespeare's words but trims away the archaic waste. And lastly it's Dominic Cooke's perfection direction! He had a monumental task and pulled it off without a hitch IMO.
Sorry if I appear to be a bit too strenuous in my reply but I really adore this production so much I feel very protective of it.
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Post by prudence on Jan 4, 2020 3:00:56 GMT
I recognize that it’s well done, it’s just hard for me to keep watching it.
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Post by queenzod on Jan 4, 2020 5:35:55 GMT
It’s not easy watching, that’s for sure. It’s bloody, brutal, and filled with horrible, unlikeable people. But the prose is lovely, the acting superb, and the cinematography & direction quite spot on. I never understood before how all those plays fit together, but now I have better comprehension of that time & how awful it was. We’re not quite so bloody in the corridors of power in most of the world now, but it does give you a sense of what people will do for a crown. All that scheming & desperation. 😬
What I enjoyed most in RIII were the funny parts. “I am not made of stone,” he says, looking directly into camera. Cheeky bastard! 😂
Maybe watch it in sections? It’s definitely an education.
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Post by onebluestocking on Jan 4, 2020 6:30:53 GMT
I agree, but add Hamlet and Frankenstein to the list, for me.
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Post by roverpup on Jan 4, 2020 10:51:53 GMT
Oh definitely add those two if you are including live stage presentations!
I do wish there were easier ways to access those marvelous stage performances though. I understand why they won't put them on Bluray/DVD, but I still long to see them as many times as I have watched PM and THC:TWotR.
I have ordered The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses on Bluray. Should get it at the end of January. Can't wait to see Richard in all his evil glory! I'm getting goosebumps just anticipating it!
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Post by prudence on Jan 4, 2020 13:32:35 GMT
I very much enjoyed Hamlet. But, it helped to already be familiar with the story and to not have all of the blood. I did pause Hollow Crown to read up on the war of the roses and that did help to have some sense of who people were and what was happening.
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Post by prudence on Jan 5, 2020 16:46:32 GMT
I liked the final part of the series much better than the rest.
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Post by sgev1977 on Jun 6, 2020 13:54:43 GMT
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Post by sgev1977 on Jun 6, 2020 14:01:47 GMT
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