THE HOLLOW CROWN (2016)

Shakespeare’s series of British history plays, the ones that cover The War of the Roses (RICHARD II; HENRY IV - PARTS 1 & 2; HENRY V; HENRY VI - Parts 1, 2, 3; RICHARD III - though not written in that order) have been tempting completest directors for decades.*  But they can be a tough go, especially since the saga begins with drippy Richard II (modern queer emphasis not a big help).  And because the three that were written last (HENRYs IV & V) show such a staggering advancement in dramatic craft, each a masterpiece of plotting, poetry & prose . . . plus Falstaff, they tend to outshine everything else.  Fortunately history’s chronological order ends with Richard III, written relatively early but with a scene-stealing/fourth-wall breaking villain for the ages.  The epic idea of doing all eight plays never fails, even if it never really works.  Or so till now with this lightly abridged compendium from the BBC.  A bit rearranged and textually amplified for clarity (what a kick to be able to parse what the heck’s going on and who’s who in those early HENRY VI plays!), even more fun to watch just about every possible U.K. Shakespearean (other than Kenneth Branagh, conspicuous by his absence) killing their roles under directors Dominic Cooke, Richard Eyre, Rupert Goold & Thea Sharrock.  Who knew PBS Masterpiece Mystery guys like Tom Hiddleston (Prince Hal), Adrian Dunbar (Plantagenet) and Anton Lesser (Exeter) were such natural Shakespeareans?  All the expected names also standouts, other than Simon Russell Beale whose Falstaff never connects.  Pace this one out to your preference (episodes already come in various lengths though full episodes last an average 2 and a quarter hours.  Great stuff for fans, newbies and specialists.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  *Orson Welles’ attempt was called FIVE KINGS on stage which he eventually brought down to TWO KINGS for FALSTAFF/CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT/’65.  Barely released when made, now universally hailed.  Its battle sequence, in particular, like nothing e’er seen at the time.  While now, just about every Shakespeare film has a battle scene stylistically copied from it.  HOLLOW CROWN with half a dozen.   https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2017/05/chimes-at-midnight-aka-falstaff-1965.html