Customer Reviews

Shakespeare's An Age of Kings (Richard II / Henry IV / Henry V / Henry VI / Richard III)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

By any standard I can think of this series stands out in memory as the finest television treatment of Shakespeare that exists. If for nothing else the performances of Connery as Hotspur, Hardy as Hal and Harry in Henry V, and Richard Daneman as Richard III are worth owning this. Robert Hardy's St. Crispin's Day speech rivals Olivier's and Brannagh's, Daneman's Richard III also rivals Olivier's and the great Stratford performance of Antony Sher. At no time in his long career did Sean Connery ever exceed his incomparable interpretation of Hotspur. I have wished for, prayed for, hoped for an opportunity to see this again, and NOW! Thanks to all the gods of drama.

We were living in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1961 when "Age of Kings" was shown on the local public TV station which, I think, was associated with the University of Nebraska. It was so memorable that I have never forgotten it -- especially Robert Hardy's performance as Prince Hal in Henry IV and as Henry V. He was so young and vigorous that his performance transcended the small screen and the absence of color. I've been a devotee of public TV ever since, but nothing was ever as exciting as those plays at that time. Perhaps it was TV's newness at the time, but since then TV drama has been prettied up and has lost its immediacy.

As a classically trained actor who has done more than his share of
Shakespeare, I can honestly say I've generally found the connecting
factors of his history cycle (Richard II to Richard III, with three
Henrys in between) somewhat elusive. This series has resolved quite
a multitude of misunderstandings I've had about these plays. To see
the whole cycle performed chronologically, with all the same actors
playing their designated roles throughout, gave me an appreciation
for these works that no actor (or basic Bardophile) should be without.
Many are familiar with Henry V or Richard III because of their past
cinematic incarnations, and some have only a perfunctory knowledge
of characters like Hotspur and Falstaff. This series, as dated as
it is, serves as a wonderful introduction. And what a treat to see
this cast! Many of them were (some still are) legendary performers
of the London stage who, because they never carved out a niche for
themselves in films (either American or British) are unknown outside
the realm. This series may be the only document available of their
incredible talents. Others of course, are more well known. To see
a pre-James Bond Sean Connery as Hotspur, or Judi Dench in her young
ingenue phase as Katherine of France (not to mention character actor
stalwarts like Julian Glover, Geoffrey Bayldon, and George A. Cooper)
is just so much gravy on an impeccable meal. An additional note for
those who may have difficulties in viewing and accepting this material,
is the on-screen English subtitle option that allows you to view the
Shakespearean text as its being spoken. And any qualms about length
are eased by the fact that the series is broken down as originally
broadcast - in 15 (mostly) one-hour segments. It's like viewing an
episodic Shakespearean historical soap opera. Perfect for students!
Highly recommended.

I've only seen Richard II, Henry IV, and parts of Henry V so far. I just compared parts of 1HenryIV from this black-and-white production (ca. 1960) and the more recent BBC production of 1HIV (an unexpected "pun", what?) from the complete set done a few decades later. The later was quite good, with Anthony Quale a wonderful Falstaff and decent color photography. The Falstaff in this set is just as good. The Prince Hal in the later set has an annoying Beatles haircut, the one in this set has more classical command of his character; pity he wears ballet tights. This Richard II is wonderful, you will feel for this pitiful lead character (historically he was not so pitiful, of course, but that's another story).

While the newer BBC set looks somewhat higher budget, this older one generally displays more gravitas. Perhaps I'm a tad antiquarian, but classical music buffs will understand the difference between a terrific modern recording vs. some of the better older recordings when conductors could put the fear of G-d into the players to deliver an extra "sweep" that is not possible today. In this "Age of Kings" set, the actors convey a long familiarity with their roles and deliver a dramatic "sweep." Here is old-school, flamboyant confidence.

It's a shame the recording technology used was so unnecessarily primitive, but had they done it right you wouldn't be getting 16 hours of fine Bard for $35.

The cuts are well planned, so the stories unfolds quite gracefully.
Most of the plays are presented in two 65 minute segments, rather than act-by-act. The sub-titles are very helpful for modern viewers.
This set is well worth it even if you never get to the Henry VI plays.

In the midst of the Great Recession, let me first remark what a bargain these discs are: eight Shakespeare plays for $35.00--a total of 947 minutes, we are informed. More important, they are glorious minutes. These are excellent productions, and stand up well nearly 50 years after they were recorded. They are not quite uncut, but the lost dialog is minimal. A side benefit is seeing familiar actors who have grown old on screen during those years delivering great youthful performances: Robert Hardy, whom my 11 year old son knows only as Cornelius Fudge, "Minister of Magic" in the Harry Potter series, as Prince Hal/Henry V; Sean Connery as Hotspur, two years before he first became James Bond; the great Judi Dench, and several others familiar to fans of BBC-TV. I cannot join in the complete adulation for these productions expressed by some adjacent reviewers, and I don't think they equal the histories as done by the BBC twenty years later for the "BBC Shakespeare" series. An occasional magniloquence and a general absence of irony root these performances more in the first half of the twentieth century than the second, but they are very good indeed, well worth experiencing as the first decade of the twenty-first century comes to a close. It's too bad that they were produced just before the great changes in video technology to color and to tape. Based on their low resolution, almost blurry at times, these black-and-white images have the look of something preserved by Kinescope, and not recorded directly to film or videotape (the latter, I think, not yet in general use in 1960). Still, we are the first generation able to experience directly complete performances of Shakespeare given half a century ago; in 1960, there was no possibility of seeing such a performance from 1910! We should be grateful to the BBC for preserving these productions and making them available on DVD.

Today, it's hard to imagine what a difficult undertaking this would be: All of the major history plays---Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Henry V, Henry VI Parts 1,2 and 3 and Richard III--- truncated (slightly) to 15 hours of television. For 30 weeks, on every second Thursday night, an hour of The Bard's works was broadcast into the homes of Great Brittan. Picked up by public television in America, it was for a generation the benchmark of televised Shakespeare. Not seen for decades, the big question was, of course, would An Age of Kings stand up to memory . . . or would the years date it absurdly?
Actually, the answer is yes. And yes. On the negative side, the technical work, especially in the earlier shows, leaves much to be desired. Grainy black-and-white is a given, but the camera seems sometimes to have a mind of its own, and the mind isn't always on Shakespeare. The focus drifts aimlessly, the heads of speaking performers are cut off, and generally there are moments of an unforgivably amateur look. Further, the style of acting is not one we're used to anymore, and, more than anything else, this is most off-putting. Actors at the time had a tendency to "gabble" their lines---that is, rely so heavily on the blank verse to carry the lengthy speeches that the audience feels pummeled by the heavily stressed beats in the iambic pentameter. No wonder An Age of Kings was so wonderfully parodied in "So That's The Way You Like It," a sketch from Beyond the Fringe
However, the plus side more than makes up for these shortcomings. First, consider that this is really the first rendering of the complete histories anywhere. Some of the plays, to be sure, had been done in succession, but the choice to do all eight was surely a brave one that paid off mightily. Although written separately throughout Shakespeare's career, the plays do ultimately fit together in a sweeping saga of the British Monarchy. Seeing the same performers play the same characters in successive works fills out a theme and narrative that would be otherwise missing; an added pleasure is to see a very young Dame Judi Dench in the small role of Katherine in Henry V, and an absolutely spectacular Sean Connery in the not -so-unsubstantial role Hotspur.

This is a superb set and production.But I want to focus on one aspect. Robert Hardy is the finest Hal I've seen (and I've seen, many times,all the filmed ones- Olivier, Branaugh, Gwillim, Baxter and many on stage at Stratford Ont and in London). His interpretation,while conventionally as- it-must-be vigorous, is thoughtful and nuanced. For instance amid all the revelry,you see,as rarely one does,from scene one, his association with Falstaff eating at him. The courtship with Katharine is done with unusual conviction. Line delivery is everywhere compelling.The series is marked by many intelligent and charming directorial touches and easily compares favorably with the latter (and fine) BBC series.But Hardy is outstanding.

Like some other reviewers I watched this series -hungrily from week to week- when it was first broadcast here in the early '60s and for the decades since have hoped and hoped that it would some day be resurrected on DVD. Nunc dimittis! Age has not withered it; if anything, the whole series has a wonderful freshness about it, It is certainly delightul to watch Judi Dench, Robert Hardy and Sean Connery in their early years ( Back then, I thought Sean Connery somewhat wooden; not now: one almost expects him to pop up with, "Hotspur, James Hotspur!")

What struck me most forcibly-it came during one of the Henry VI plays-was the fitting nature of the whole concept: even back in the '60s I had noticed how small the interiors were and it was obvious that even the exteriors were studio shot, but seeing a picture of the model of the set brought home that this was not merely production economy: in Henry V the Chorus asks, "...pardon, gentles all,/ The flat unraised spirits that hath dar'd/On rhia unworthy scaffold to bring forth/ So great an object." This is the genius of the whole series: Shakespeare had his wooden O and the BBC devoutly and appropriately set the whole Age on those terms.

The acting, for such an epic, is uniformly fine; no need to duplicate other reviewers, In true repertory tradition, actors appear and reappear in different roles; I sometimes wondered how Geoffrey Bayldon kept track of who he was playing!

And isn't it wonderful that through the magic of DVD, we don't have to wait a week between episodes any more!

I saw An Age of Kings back on Australian TV in 1960 or 1961 and have never forgotten it. The performance of Richard II is the best I've seen (including the RSC at Stratford-on-Avon). Terry Scully gave a great performance as King Henry VI -- not the easiest or most sympathetic character to play. He awoke in me an interest in the historical King Henry VI that has lasted now some 50 years. I was sorry to learn that he had died of a stroke in 2001. I have often sought in vain for a video of this great BBC series -- succeeding versions have all tended to be too "contemporary" and "avant garde" for my taste. I am delighted with this DVD and can recommend it wholeheartedly to all lovers of Shakespeare and those interested in the drama of the Wars of the Roses. (Don't expect Shakespeare to deliver accurate history, however!)

This is the complete Shakespeare searies of plays recounting the English kings from Richard II through Richard III. The cast is outstanding -- people you will recognize as : James Bond (Sean Connery), James Herriot's boss (all creatures great and small) Richard Hardy and many other first tier actors. There are more oscar and other award winning actors in these plays than any other series you will ever see.

I saw this series when it was originally broadcast in the early 60's. It was a wonderful way for an 11 year old to come to love and appreciate Shakespeare. These are better than Olivier and Branagh's productions. Having it available again is great. Its better than I remember.