The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012)

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Siskoid
The first cycle of The Hollow Crown naturally ends with Henry V, which starts strong with Falstaff's death, always a tearjerker, but then becomes a bit of a slog. I don't understand how you can noticeably cut moments from the play, but then waste time with dead air. Everything takes a little too long in this one - the English lesson is excruciating - and all it really needed was for people to speak or answer a littler faster. There's no excuse for making Shakespeare's energetic, rousing piece of blatant patriotism so slow and turgid. While the direction is at fault, Hiddleston's performance is also a part of it. I fear he's too wet as Henry V, and his great speeches are intimate affairs that could only ever stimulate the passions of, like, three guys. I do think he pulls off the St. Crispin's Day speech even in those conditions however. Anton Lesser, as Exeter, also gives a relatively quiet, thoughtful performance, but one I really enjoyed - he's a highlight. Among the adaptation's innovations, we are shown York's death, and they do something interesting with John Hurt's Chorus by the end. Some great moments in here, but of the four Henry V adaptations I've seen, it's definitely the weakest. 3 years 4 months ago