The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth, including his death and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth (1979)

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   Siskoid

   Henry IV Part 2 is a truer sequel for Falstaff than The Merry Wives of Windsor, as it seems that separated from Prince Hal, his considerable wit has been let loose to take greater shape. In Part 1, he was a merry companion who stole the show. In Part 2, he IS the show, and Shakespeare knows it, his asides to the audience pithier and more frequent. Between a greater role for the Henry IV, dying even as civil war rages, and Falstaff's shenanigans, using the war to make money, Hal almost seems to disappear. This is the moving joint between Henrys IV and V, with Hal playing both the trickster of the earlier play, and ultimately rejecting his former life - and Anthony Quayle's once again (not to say "even more") terrific Falstaff - to take up the responsibilities of the monarchy. The BBC production is of a piece with its bookends, and it's clear the director sees the first parts as foreshadowing to pay off in Henry V, well done. 6 years 8 months ago

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