Sunday, July 15, 2012

SPOTLIGHT ON BBC'S EPIC SERIES "THE HOLLOW CROWN" IN FOUR PARTS - "RICHARD II", "HENRY IV" & "HENRY V" WITH JEREMY IRONS, TOM HIDDLESTON, JAMES PUREFOY, PATRICK STEWART, BEN WHISHAW!, HARRY LLOYD

Hollywood Spy wrote about this project before, but it is such a magnificent treat that I just had to make a spotlight for it: BBC's THE HOLLOW CROWN
series which just started airing over in UK with the premiere of the first film in the saga - RICHARD II  followed by other three filmed adaptations of Shakespeare's History Plays - HENRY IV parts 1 and 2, and HENRY V. Starting in the year 1399, this continuous story of monarchy follows events during sixteen years of dynastic and political power play. Kings, with their families and followers, are threatened by rebellion and conflict. The story takes us from the Royal Court at Westminster to battlefields in England and France. These rich films are woven with the finest of Shakespeare's poetry and are filmed in the architecture and landscape of the period.
 RICHARD II 
The first part of THE HOLLOW CROWN saga has been aired recently in UK and should hit USA TV later on this year. In the story King Richard (Ben Whishaw) is called upon to settle a dispute between his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (Rory Kinnear) and Thomas Mowbray (James Purefoy). Richard calls for a duel but then halts it just before swords clash. Both men are banished from the realm. Richard visits John of Gaunt (Patrick Stewart), Bolingbroke's father, who, in the throes of death, reprimands the king.
After seizing Gaunt's money and land, Richard leaves for wars against the rebels in Ireland. Bolingbroke returns to claim back his inheritance. Supported by his allies, Northumberland (David Morrissey) and the
Duke of York (David Suchet), Bolingbroke takes Richard prisoner and lays claim to the throne. The cast also includes Clemency Poesy as Queen Isabella and GAME OF THRONES' Harry Lloyd.


HENRY IV
The second part of the saga was aired last weekend in UK following the heir to the throne, Prince Hal (Tom Hiddleston), who defies his father, King Henry (Jeremy Irons), by spending his time at Mistress
  Quickly's (Julie Walters) tavern in the company of the dissolute Falstaff and his companions. The King is threatened by a rebellion led by Hal's rival, Hotspur, his father Northumberland and his uncle
 Worcester. In the face of this danger to the state, Prince Hal joins his father to defeat the rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury and kill Hotspur in single combat.


HENRY IV PART TWO 
Aired last night at BBC, the story of the third part of the saga was set in the aftermath of the Battle of Shrewsbury, where Northumberland learns of the death of his son. The Lord Chief Justice attempts on behalf
of the increasingly frail King to separate Falstaff from Prince Hal. The rebels continue to plot insurrection. Falstaff is sent to recruit soldiers and takes his leave of his mistress, Doll Tearsheet. The rebel forces are
overcome. This brings comfort to the dying king, who is finally reconciled to his son. Falstaff rushes to Hal's coronation with expectations of high office!
 HENRY V 
The final part of the saga will be aired on BBC next weekend and will see the conclusion to the story seen in the previous two films on Henry
IV.  After being crowned the new king Henry V (always deeply magnificent Tom Hiddleston) takes England to war and the English confront French in the famous epic battle at Agincourt against the French King (Lamber Wilson).

HOLLOW CROWN TIDBITS
This is BBC's most ambitious and most lavish production on Shakespeare in more than twenty years and is overseen by James Bond director Oscar winning Sam Mendes.  You can read more about all of
these film over at BBC official site! HENRY IV was directed by famous Richard Eyre! It is interesting that the production teams of all of these films include people who worked on classics such as THE PIANO,
 THE KING'S SPEECH,CRANFORD, DOWTON ABBEY, THE QUEEN... The whole project is done to mark London 2012 Festival and The Cultural Olympiad on the BBC which coincides with the summer Olympics.

36 comments:

  1. Quite the undertaking it seems and surely sounds like an epic 4 part series I will have to give a go. And yep stole your word, oh well. haha

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    1. it's the biggest BBC's project on Shakespeare since our births, Pat :) Epic epicness!

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    2. Will be torrenting it soon, shhh haha

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    3. No, no, HOLLYWOOD SPY does not approve of torrenting, watch it on BBC! :)

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    4. Oh Cat, I got your none to subtle jab. I am properly chastied, but remain unrepentant.

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  2. Those costumes are awesome! Looks like an intense series!

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  3. Looks like a wonderful show. Can't wait to catch it.

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    1. I hear it will air later on in USA, not sure about Mexico :(

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  4. Oh my god...you've left me in a state of rapture. :))

    Those all look fantastic and I can't wait to devour them. You know I just saw Richard III on stage and loved it, but Henry V is also one of my all time favorites. I'm so happy they made these movies, and with such great actors too. Brilliant post my dear. :))

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    1. LOL, I knew you would get excited, Luanne :)
      I think they will be shown at NBC in USA, but I'm not sure.

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  5. That's one helluva bitch slap King Henry lays on Prince Hal!

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  6. There's a whole lot of royalty in this post :) hehe

    Hope you're enjoying the weekend, Dez!!

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  7. I will always see him as lomi no matter which role he takes

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  8. This is going to be fantastic. And you know I don't have telly, but I'm betting somewhere on YouTube, the Irish underground is busy thwarting the BBC. The time will be short, the window will be narrow, but I'll find it and be there ready to illegally download it. Wooohoooo!!!

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    1. I think it will be aired in USA too, you can watch at the neighbours :)

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    2. I know you don't approve of this behavior darling and I understand why. I would watch it at a neighbors house if a neighbor would welcome me into their home. But they will not. The Irish diaspora is much, much larger than the Jewish diaspora. We view what we do as an act of solidarity and as a small way of "getting back a little of our own" against the nation that murdered our people and stole our land. And they still hold six of our counties today. Our resources are being bled to pay for social welfare for British people in England while our own people go hungry. Our small act of defiance costs the BBC a couple of thousand pounds a year. Millions of pounds are stolen from Ireland every year and that will never, ever, ever change.

      I know that I am on the wrong side of things here, but I get a bit of a rush when we thwart them in some small way.

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    3. you know that the situation with Northern Ireland has always reminded me on our situation with Kosovo, darling. ANother eerie similarity between the Irish and Serbs :(

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  9. Incredible spotlight. I love, love Shakespeare and this series of films is extraordinary. I loved each of these clips. What powerhouse casting!

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  10. I was watching this last night, what a great cast!

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  11. thanks, I haven't heard of the hallow crown until now

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  12. This series looks great!
    I hope that it will be on the same level than "Games of Thrones"!
    thanks !

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    1. This is on a much higher level, you can't really compare Shakespeare with Martin.

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    2. I've said that????
      didn't talk of the stories of course!

      I know that English actors and directors are born in a bath full of Shakespeare!

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    3. yep, they are amazing, most of them naturally born thespians.

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  13. Ow my...it's already airing!!!! Huaaa i want to see it so bad!

    I hope the DVD will be sold here, even if only the pirate ones, because I don't think I can download it :(

    Love the images you have shared here Dezz. The one I really want to see the most is Jeremy Iron as Henry IV

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    Replies
    1. It finishes airing tonight :)
      It was difficult choosing pics for the post, since I didn't have enough space and wanted to post all of them :)

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  14. Man, the UK always get the best shows!! I wish they made something like this here then I might watch more TV :)

    Oooh, my Hiddlestud looks so regal as King Henry V. Awesome coverage, Dez!

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    1. it's an epic project, isn't it? I think it will be aired in USA also later this year.
      We do love Hiddlestud, don't we? :) And Whishaw is also great and so is Harry Lloyd, my personal pet :)

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