Richard II

Streaming video - 1984

This production is part of a famous series produced by BBC of all of William Shakespeare's plays. The resulting films, renowned for their loyalty to the text, utilized the best theatrical and television directors and brought highly praised performances from leading contemporary actors. Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by God, yet he is a weak and ineffective king - wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choice of counsellors, and detached from his country and its people. When he seizes the land of his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, both the commoners and the barons decide that their king has gone too far... This production boasts... a distinguished cast, with Deek Jacobi in the title role and John Geilgud as John of Gaunt. Perfectly suited to a play written entirely in verse, their efforts were augmented by a studio set that enabled the director to reflect an intense psychological struggle as well as a taut political drama. more