The Hollow Crown
DVD Review
At school everyone moaned when they got told they had to
study Shakespeare because they didn’t understand the language or found it
boring, I was unfortunately one of them. however back in the summer of this
year when I found out that the BBC was airing remakes of some of Shakespeare’s
most famous plays featuring Tom Hiddleston, I done a little bit more than
jumping for joy. Being a fan of his and finding Shakespeare easier to
understand when he portrays such roles I was excited.
The Hollow Crown
is a series of feature length films of some of Shakespeare’s famous plays
including Richard II, Henry IV Part 1
& 2 and Henry V plays of politics, family and power.
The series was aired as part of The Cultural Olympiad for
London 2012 Fest and featured some of Britain
And now from 1st
October it’s your chance to relieve some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays
of power, corruption and greed from the comfort of your own home.
The series began with Richard II portrayed by Ben Whishaw as
the self indulgent man who reigns with no care as to his peoples welfare and
who gets overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke(Rory Kinnear) who later becomes
King Henry IV(Jeremy Irons).
When he becomes king however, he feels guilty over the Civil
War and Richard’s death and it doesn’t help that his son Prince Hal (Tom
Hiddleston) who later portrays Henry V is a constant trouble maker who couldn’t
care less about becoming king and who cares more about getting drunk and having
fun.
Tom Hiddleston does a superb job as the cheeky care free
Prince Hal doing a brilliant impression of Henry IV. There is also a scene in
which Hal has a conversation with his friend Falstaff in a sauna with them both
topless which is bound to make all the women swoon!
After a telling off from his father and being told he will
become King when his father dies, he starts to get his act together. When he
later becomes Henry V he is left to bury his fathers past whilst fighting his
own battles.
Henry V is probably the most famous Shakespeare play and
features the `Once Under the Breach` monologue, one of the most famous
monologues to date aswell as the scene in which Henry woos Catherine. As both
Prince Hal and Henry V Tom Hiddleston does a superb job making every woman wish
it was them he was wooing.
Directed by Rupert Goold,
Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock, The Hollow Crown is definitely worth a
watch for the superb acting of some of the most famous British Shakespearean
actors of all time alone, if not for the acting for the beautiful
cinematography, costume, language and getting to see Tom Hiddleston in both
leather and topless.
Rating: 12
Cast: Ben
Whishaw, Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Maxine Peake, Rory Kinnear
Directed by:
Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock
Emily Pontin
4/5 stars
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