Shakespeare's An Age of Kings (Richard II / Henry IV / Henry V / Henry VI / Richard III)
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DVD details
Actor: Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Julian Glover, Robert Hardy, Sean ConneryBrand: WHV
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Black & White, Box set, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 947 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-03-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Worldwide
Product features:
- In this fifteen-part inventive series based on William Shakespeare's history plays, the turmoil, power, mystery and frailty of the English crown in the medieval ages is laid bare in epic style. This series originally aired as live broadcasts and was recorded on film. Starring Sean Connery, Julian Glover, Eileen Atkins, Robert Hardy, Angela Baddeley, Judi Dench and John Warner.Running Time: 900 min
DVD Reviews of Shakespeare's An Age of Kings (Richard II / Henry IV / Henry V / Henry VI / Richard III)
DVD Review: Tacky - Update: Not tacky, not bad 3.5 stars and a mea culpa
Summary: 2 Stars
9/4/10 - I was wrong. I was watching these DVD's on a portable player - when I switched to a 24 inch screen, I did become engrossed. I rewatched Richard II and Henry IV - and virtually the whole plays are there. A lot of the acting is pretty darn good, though some of it is pretty bad. But the Baddeley's, Hermione and Angela, were fine. As I noted below, the guy playing Falstaff isn't funny, but he does have his moments. It's the other main players who miss the target. Hal (Robert Hardy) is stiff and his passionate stuff lacks conviction. Sean Connery as Hotspur is a far more interesting character - I wanted him to win. Too often our Kings - Bolingbroke/Henry IV and Richard II - stare into space as they speak - no, not soliloquies - one does not get the sense that they are thinking to themselves - it's like they don't know where to look. The staging is cramped, and even a HiDef screen doesn't help the video. There are times at the end of Henry IV Part II when one simply cannot see what is going on, though nothing much is actually happening.
One final cavil. There is no material supplied with the series - just the original TV shows. No printed material. Not even a list of actors and roles - one of the reasons I am so vague as to who plays whom.
All in all, I must admit my original rating was far too low. The things I said about the video, audio, staging and makeup were true, but the overall production does a great deal with so very little. Now I would give An Age of Kings - 3.5 stars, maybe more or less as I finish the DVD's - they are good enough so that I want to do so. Yeah, I was off before. Shakespeare always draws you in.
I was, however, right about one thing; when I showed Henry IV Pt 1 to a student, he kept laughing, and not at Falstaff.
EARLIER: This DVD release of a long ago BBC television series has gotten praise from other reviewers, and, since there seemed to be no other DVD version of Henry IV Part I, I figured I might as well get Richard II, the Henry's (IV-VI) and Richard III together in one bundle. Videos help students understand Shakespeare.
Wrong choice - the Age of Kings does not actually have the complete plays, only chunks, though they are easy enough to follow. However, I cannot show this series to students - they would laugh. The production values are terrible - shoddy, cramped sets that are unconvincing and a video quality one can usually only find on old VHS. It looks like filmed TV of an earlier age (because that is what it is), washed-out, slightly murky and a little blurry. In this case, one can be grateful that An Age of Kings isn't in color. As for the sound, everything seems too loud, even when one turns down the sound. The sound quality is also not good, and horns hurt your ears. Enunciation is good though monotonic, and the subtitles are clear and helpful.
The make-up the actors wear (and they wear a lot of it if they are supposed to look old) is of a quality usually seen on kids at Halloween. Richard II's face looked as if it were made of wax, and the fake eyelashes on various characters seem something out of a comedy.
None of this would really matter if the acting were good, but in what I have watched so far (Richard II through the second part of Henry IV) it is not. Sean Connery as Hotspur is watchable because he doesn't seem to be taking the whole thing seriously, though when he does, the scenery is thoroughly chewed. None of the other actors were known to me, except for Judy Dench, but she hasn't shown up yet. (I have never seen her go wrong, so her role, at least, should be a treat.) Prince Hal is unconvincing and is always looking off stage for lines. Richard II and Henry IV seem half-dead - even the great "Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad tales of the deaths of kings ...." speech is almost emotionless. Glendower looks and sounds like a Klingon. The sword battle between Hal and Hotspur is so badly staged as to be funny. It's a wonder the two actors didn't kill themselves. Speaking of humor, this Falstaff is not funny, but he's not bad; when he discusses "honor", he's right on target.
When this series was done, it was a great achievement for television, but it just doesn't hold up over time. It's not horrible, but it's not good. The complex interplay of themes which Shakespeare created get badly lost.
More Shakespeare's An Age of Kings (Richard II / Henry IV / Henry V / Henry VI / Richard III) reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5
Description of Shakespeare's An Age of Kings (Richard II / Henry IV / Henry V / Henry VI / Richard III)
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 03/31/09
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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