The Hollow Crown: Henry IV, Part II

[selenak]

Last time on "It's Hard Out There For A Lancaster": yes, they do previouslies instead of the "Rumours" chorus, which actually I admit I don't miss at all. This second part is generally less popular than the first, but in this version I felt it was actually the better one. Still suffers from Chimes at Midnight comparison as far as cinematography is

Comments

[likeadeuce]

Production wise, it's also notable that Hal is played as genuinenly angry with Falstaff and cold in his "good night, Falstaff" here as opposed to amused by Falstaff's lies the way he was in part I, which is a good lead-up to the big finale.

This is the part I really didn't like -- I didn't believe Hal would act like that (either that he would be genuinely surprised or offended that Falstaff talked shit about him, or that he would expres that in a sincere way.) But I also think I have a philosophical difference with this production about how the comedy is supposed to work and what the tavern stuff is for. I mean, I agree with you that Poins is an ass but it doesn't bother me because I'm most interested in the tavern milieu as a demonstration of the emotional violence at the root of a lot of comedy. So the sort of wobbling between fun-loving & earnest mostly didn't work for me (aside from the role-play scene in 1, which is just such a great scene that it works on its own, whereas the eavesdrop scene works in a context that didn't really come off for me in this production). Anyway, I thought rather than building up to the final rejection, this just ended up playing it twice (and begged the question why Falstaff was so confident of a good reception after the way they had left things.)

In conclusion, Hal in Eastcheap = I have a lot of feelings and probably can't be rational about it.

I do agree with you that Irons, and all the Lancaster family dynamics, were absolutely wonderful.

[selenak]

why Falstaff was so confident of a good reception after the way they had left things

You have a point there, but the way it came across to me was that Falstaff when Pistol brings the news first is utterly shocked precisely because what happened earlier gave him an inkling this will be the end of things, but then the Falstaffian capacity for denial and make believe overrides everything else, and of course it's going to be fine, party time at infinitum, Hal loves him, of course he does, off to Westminster etc.

Re: Hal, I agree he wouldn't be genuinenly suprised Falstaff talks shit about him, but as I said in my review - I saw it as projecting self disgust because here he is, going through the same old routine with Falstaff (and spying on Falstaff had been his idea) when his father is dying elsewhere, and what does that make him? Hence lashing out in genuine anger at the person in front of him, Falstaff.

Glad the Lancaster family dynamics worked for you as well, and Irons! (Who should get some sort of award.)

[likeadeuce]

I can see that about Hal and Falstaff. It's just not an interpretation that did much for me or touched on what I generally find interesting about the play.

However, since the Lancaster family parts and Henry himself often get short shrift, it was well worth watching for that.