Richard II (S01E01)

I always found Richard II rather overshadowed by the rest of Shakespeare’s works; not for its atypical, flowery versed form, but purely because the main character always seemed perhaps the least interesting of all of Shakespeare’s major main protagonists. Which is a direct contrast to Bollingbroke, who, despite having much less space and fewer lines, is in my eyes a far more fascinating and unbalanced character. In any case, Whishaw’s bold “effeminate" interpretation of Richard II considerably redeemed this character for me. When you realize just how much his performance is bound by absolute faithfulness to the original text, then he definitely deserves nothing less than the word “respect". In any case, this changes nothing about the fact that for me, Bollingbroke is the main protagonist in Richard II and the person who acts him is the stumbling block for this adaptation. However much I like Rory Kinnear (and he certainly isn’t a bad actor), in this Milky Way of stars, you have to admit he plays second fiddle. Which is a crying shame even despite the premature climax being the confrontation between John of Gaunt and Richard. (18/05/2013)

I don't know if I will hurt the feelings of devout worshippers of classical English drama and the legendary William Shakespeare in particular. One star is for the generous production, where it is evident that the British truly respect their classic playwright and make every effort to meet the needs of his historical dramas. Therefore, one can admire the magnificent British castles, which have a genuine medieval atmosphere, and one can also admire the knightly armor and costumes of the film protagonists. The second star is for the story because Shakespeare drew from the real history of the English crown, which was rich in events and captivating human dramas in the 14th and 15th centuries. Other than that, I don't know what else to appreciate about it. The four-part series mainly relies on the holy respect that the creators hold for Shakespeare, and the resulting maximum effort to preserve his plays without adaptations that would make Shakespeare's plays more accessible to today's audiences and fit into the format of a film rather than a stage play. There is simply too much blank verse - that is, Shakespearean verses - too many monologues in completely inappropriate moments when the protagonist thinks out loud to convey his thoughts to the audience. There are too many noble words and pathetic phrases, and it is quite clear that the author wrote this during the pinnacle of the Renaissance for the court audience. This simply does not represent the thinking of medieval characters. It is almost amusing that the fantasy series Game of Thrones, whose author drew from the stories of feudal clans during the War of the Roses - if we disregard the burden of fantasy elements - is able to convey the atmosphere of the high Middle Ages better than Shakespeare. Overall impression: 40%. (11/05/2014)