Henry IV, Part 2
2012: Richard Eyre

This is the third section of the 2012 BBC series, The Hollow Crown. Much of what I have had to say about the project overall I have said with respect to the previous installment — see here. Even most of the cast is the same, except for those who either disappear after the first (like Hotspur, who dies near the end of Henry IV, Part 1) or those who show up first here (e.g., Gower, Shallow, and Warwick).

The casting continues to be excellent, and even relatively minor parts are played with care. It’s certainly worth the time and effort to compare scenes here with the analogous (if we can’t quite call them the same) scenes in the BBC Shakespeare set. As a more or less random pair, compare the scene very near the end where Hal confronts the Chief Justice, who expects to suffer his wrath for having corrected him earlier. We get the essential point here — that as Henry V, he will not only not punish the Chief Justice, but will in fact support and commend his even-handed administration of the law — but much of the surrounding discussion is missing here, while it was there in the BBC Shakespeare Plays versions.

Again, I can recommend the version in The Hollow Crown fairly enthusiasticall for the experience it creates, but caution students to see or read (preferably both) a more complete performance as well. Too much can slip through the cracks otherwise. Include also the standard warning about certain kinds of material (nudity, etc.) that might be problematic for some viewers.

Buy the BBC series The Hollow Crown at Amazon. This is the first of two projected series, containing Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V.