Henry VI, Part 2
1983: Jane Howell
This is the BBC Shakespeare Plays version of this difficult play. While it is plausibly considered the best of the three Henry VI plays, it is far from Shakespeare's best. It’s a bit of a slog to get through, because the narrative is convoluted and the cast of characters very large — indeed, the largest of any of Shakespeare’s plays. That being said, at least many of those characters are carried over from Henry VI, Part 1, and in this production, they are mostly played by the same actors. There are some outstanding scenes scattered throughout, and they are played with finesse. The battle between Horner and his prentice Peter, and the interactions between Duke Humphrey (Gloucester) and his wife are vignettes that still have a certain amount of dramatic power for what they are.
The production values here are much the same as in Henry VI, Part 1, with very simple sets (which look like sets — not even attempting to represent the real thing), fairly traditional costumes, and virtually no incidental music. The emphasis is on the performances, which are reliably solid. Trevor Peacock, who was Talbot in Henry VI, Part 1, returns here as Jack Cade, and David Burke, while continuing as Gloucester, doubles as Dick the Butcher in the Jack Cade episodes. Peter Benson (King Henry) continues convincingly as a credulous and spineless naif, while Jula Foster as his wife Margaret is imposing, striking a delicate balance between being repellent (because she is so conniving) and being sympathetic, as a woman married to a do-nothing king in an age where that could spell not only the ruin of her marriage but the loss of her life.
The simple fact is that if you want to see a more or less complete form of this play, this one is currently your only option. The good news is that it’s competently played and staged throughout, and if one pays sufficient attention, it is at least entertaining, and occasionally surprisingly engaging.
Cardinal Beaufort: Frank Middlemass
Cler of Chartham: Tenniel Evans
Dick the Butcher: David Burke
Drummers: Brian Little, Gerald Broadley, Stephen Paine
Duchess of Gloucester: Anne Carroll
Duke of Buckingham: David Daker
Duke of Gloucester; David Burke
Duke of Somerset; Brian Deacon
Duke of Suffolk: Paul Chapman
Duke of York: Bernard Hill
Earl of Salisbury: Tenniel Evans
Earl of Warwick: Mark Wing-Davey
Edward Plantagenet (later Edward IV): Brian Protheroe
First Murderer: John Benfield
George Bovis: Derek Fuke
George Plantagenet: Paul Jesson
Jack Cade: Trevor Peacock
John Holland: Paul Jesson
John Hume: Michael Byrne
King Henry VI: Peter Benson
Lieutenant: Michael Byrne
Lord Clifford: Arthur Cox
Lord Say: Derek Farr
Margery Jourdain: Pat Keen
Micheal: Alex Guard
Peter Thump: David Pugh
Queen Margaret: Julia Foster
Richard Plantagenet (later Richard III): Ron Cook
Second Murderer: David Pugh
Second Prentice: Alex Guard
Sheriff: Trevor Peacock
Ship’s Master: John Benfield
Simpcox: Derek Fuke
Simpcox’s Wife: Gabrielle Lloyd
Sir Humphrey Stafford: Peter Wyatt
Smith the Weaver: Brian Deacon
Thomas Horner: Arthur Cox
Townsman: David Pugh
Trumpeters: Frank Walsh, Nigel Gomm
Walter Whitmore; Alexander Iden: Antony Brown
Young Clifford: Oengus MacNamara
Second Company: Angus Kennedy, Barry Grantham, Brian Binns, Brian Stephens, David Goodwin, David Leonard, David Leonard, David Ludwig, Dikran Tulaine, Gerald Blackmore, Graham Tudor-Phillips, Hamish Kerr, Hus Levant, Ian Puleston-Davies, John Rankin, Jonathan Evans, Mark Fletcher, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Martin Rutledge, Michael Cogan, Michael Gardiner, Nick Cox, Paul Benzing, Peter Aldwyn, Peter Macklin, Peter Searles, Philip Croskin, Sean Bartley, Simon Williamson, Stephen Brigden, Stuart Cox
Buy the complete BBC Shakespeare Plays at Amazon. Note that this will require a Region 2 player or a region-free player: it will not play on most normal American DVD players. Nevertheless, the price is so reasonable that even with a region-free player thrown into the deal, you’ll come out ahead.
Buy the complete set of the BBC Shakespeare Plays or individual plays (including this one) in Region 1 format direct from Ambrose Video.