Why you should absolutely watch 'The Hollow Crown: Wars of the Roses'

All photos courtesy of @HollowCrownFans

     Why watch The Hollow Crown: Wars of Roses series? Just the titles Henry VI Parts One and Two and Richard III all sound a bit dusty, really: 400-year-old plays written in language complicated enough to match, and all about the most muddled part of English royal history. The red rose, the white rose, four different kings, along with all of their brothers, wives, fathers, children, uncles, cousins and enemies – many of them with the same names. In fact, you need a family tree for reference just to have an idea of what's going on!

     But I want to tell you why it is worth the effort! Actually, the movies minimize the effort most conveniently because you can go by their faces instead of their names. Knowing their names almost doesn't matter because the meat of the production is in the performances of the actors – they're so amazing that you can be confused about who's who and still enjoy the movies.

     The first and greatest reason to watch the series is for that very reason: the actors.

     For many of you, I only need to speak the words "Benedict Cumberbatch" and you'll be convinced. (I would be!) But the British film industry if chocked full of the best actors – particularly Shakespearean actors – in history, and The Hollow Crown has assembled an all-star team of the very best.

Hugh Bonneville in 'The Hollow Crown'

     Mr. Cumberbatch isn't in Henry VI Part One, so in my eyes the star performer in the first film of this series is Hugh Bonneville as the Lord Protector, Duke of Gloucester. We all love him as Robert, Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, and in this Shakespearean role he brings all those qualities of benevolent authority and the wise patriarch of a family that made him the solid and lovable Lord Grantham. But he possesses even more than a pleasant personality as King Henry's uncle; the caliber of his acting is some of the highest out there.

      If the natural style of Shakespearean acting is to your taste, he is superb! The lines just seem to flow out of him "at the speed of thought" (as Tom Hiddleston advocates). When he appears in a scene it suddenly gains a certain something – he adds gravitas, dignity and pure presence with his poignant looks and majestic voice.

     Another such treasure is Anton Lesser, and when he, Hugh Bonneville and Sam West are all in a scene together, it is pure alchemy. I think I might have giggled with delight to see that.

Anton Lesser as the Duke of Exeter in 'The Hollow Crown'

     If you have only ever read the plays before, as I had, you probably have experienced at least a little impatience with the peace-loving King Henry VI, as I most definitely had. He seems a bit of, to quote Richard III, "a milksop." But to my pleasant surprise I found that I genuinely pitied him, and I lay that newfound sympathy down to the talent of Tom Sturridge in portraying him.

Tom Sturridge as Henry VI and Sophie Okonedo as Queen Margaret

     The young king is surrounded by a power-hungry, bickering, violent mob at court, including his queen, the "she-wolf" Margaret of Anjou, played by a spirited Sophie Okonedo. Once we witness the squabbles and intrigues of the others, Henry's pleas for peace and reconciliation appear totally reasonable.

Queen Margaret and the Lancastrian forces

     Reason number two: Henry VI Part One offers an explanation for how the Wars of the Roses began, and why England was the scene of bloody chaos for the following 40 years. Henry VI Part Two and Richard III gain importance from this first play in the tetralogy. They become more than entertainment, more than the chance to see (very) bloody battles and dramatic speeches, and become vivid pictures of what results when the poison of ambition spreads through a government. What begins as a few guys picking red and white roses in a garden ends in the near destruction of two generations.

     This is powerful stuff.

     My last reason I present as an inducement to watch this series is perhaps the most frivolous – and yet it is the most inescapable – which is the mis-en-scene: the costumes and sets. SO MAGNIFICENT! Velvets, wools, damasks, armor, enormous sleeves, gold, pearls, furs and more make this a visual feast to the eye. It is a medieval court in all of its splendor. They are all in the perfect settings, too, since they were filmed in actual castles and cathedrals from the period. (Just another reason why England is my favorite country!)

Sally Hawkins as the wife of the Duke of Gloucester and Sophie Okonedo as Queen Margaret

Now that all of my attempts at eloquence are at an end, I will simply say: I loved them! The series was amazing, and if you like Shakespeare, history, costume dramas, British actors, or all of the above, then I would definitely recommend you see them, too!

P.S. They'll be available from both Amazon.com and Amazon UK on June 21!


Your Shakepearean historical drama and costume fanatic signing off til next time....