Henry VI, Part 3
1983: Jane Howell
This is the BBC Shakespeare Plays version of the play.
Like most of the rest of the series, and the Henry VI plays in particular, this offers minimalistic production values — very spare sets, minimal costumes, and conventional camera work — but the acting forces are considerable. The cumulative effect of the tragic story line gives it, weak play though it is generally considered, a curious dramatic impact. There is enough backstabbing and double-crossing that one needs a scorecard to keep track of who is doing what to whom. The number of people who change their loyalties partway through the course of events is truly staggering; the weight of the support of the Earl of Warwick gave him the name of “Kingmaker” while he lived. Eventually his vacillations undid him too.
Peter Benson continues to portray the frail and irresolute Henry VI, but his character subtly grows in stature, and he becomes more and more sympathetic as he approaches his tragic demise. His perspective on the monarchy affords a certain amount of the reflective content of the play. Ron Cook delivers an increasingly nuanced performance as Richard, Duke of Gloucester. While in his eponymous play (Richard III) he is an unmitigated villain, largely without motivation or remorse, here we see him actually grieving for his father, the Duke of York (Bernard Hill); the wanton slaying of his younger brother Rutland manages to be curiously moving. Meanwhile Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s Queen, gains in both stature and venom, and becomes the looming presence whose curses overshadow much of Richard III. All in all, for all its limitations, it’s a performance worth seeing. Most of the defects here are an artifact of the writing more than anything in the performance or direction.
Drummer: Brian Little, Gerald Broadley, John Dempster, Stephen Paine
Duke of Exeter: Derek Farr
Duke of Norfolk: Peter Wyatt
Duke of Somerset: Arthur Cox
Duke of York: Bernard Hill
Earl of Northumberland: John Benfield
Earl of Oxford: Brian Deacon
Earl of Warwick: Mark Wing-Davey
Earl of Westmoreland;: Derek Fuke
Earl Rivers: Paul Chapman
Edmund, Earl of Rutland: Mathew David
Edward IV: Brian Protheroe
Edward, Prince of Wales: Nick Reding
Father that killed son: Michael Byrne
First Keeper: Tenniel Evans
First Watchman: Tenniel Evans
George, Duke of Clarence: Paul Jesson
Henry VI: Peter Benson
Huntsman: John Benfield
Lady Bona: Merelina Kendall
Lady Elizabeth Grey, later Queen: Rowena Cooper
Lewis, King of France: Antony Brown
Lord Hastings: David Daker
Marquess of Dorset: Alex Guard
Marquess of Montague: Michael Byrne
Mayor of York: Derek Farr
Messenger to Warwick: Oengus MacNamara
Messenger to York: Tenniel Evans
Post: Derek Fuke
Queen Margaret: Julia Foster
Richard, Duke of Gloucester: Ron Cook
Second Keeper: John Benfield
Sir John Montgomery: Antony Brown
Son that Killed Father: Alex Guard
Trumpeters: Frank Walsh, Nigel Gomm
Young Clifford: Oengus MacNamara
Young Richmond: Tim Fuke
Second Company: Angus Kennedy, Barry Grantham, Brian Binns, Brian Stephens, David Goodwin, David Leonard, David Ludwig, Dikran Tulaine, Gerald Blackmore, Hamish Kerr, Hus Levant, Ian Puleston-Davies, John Rankin, Jonathan Evans, Mark Fletcher, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Martin Rutledge, Michael Cogan, Michael Gardiner, Nick Hall, Paul Benzing, Peter Aldwyn, Peter Macklin, Peter Searles, Stephen Brigden, Stuart Cox
Buy the complete BBC Shakespeare Plays at Amazon. Note that this will require a Region 2 player or a region-free player: it will not play on most normal American DVD players. Nevertheless, the price is so reasonable that even with a region-free player thrown into the deal, you’ll come out ahead.
Buy the complete set of the BBC Shakespeare Plays or individual plays (including this one) in Region 1 format direct from Ambrose Video.