The Hollow Crown (TV series)
The Hollow Crown is a series of British television film adaptations of William Shakespeare's history plays.
| The Hollow Crown | |
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| Genre | Historical drama |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sam Mendes |
| Producer(s) | Rupert Ryle-Hodges |
| Running time | varies |
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The first cycle is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historical tetralogy, the Henriad: Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V,[1] starring Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston. Olivier Award winners Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock directed the telefilms,[2] which were produced by Rupert Ryle-Hodges for BBC Two and executive produced by Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris under Neal Street Productions in association with NBCUniversal. The first series, which aired in the United Kingdom in 2012, received positive reviews from critics. Ben Whishaw and Simon Russell Beale won British Academy Television Awards for Leading actor and Supporting actor for their performances as Richard II and Falstaff, and Jeremy Irons was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for his role as Henry IV. The first episode, Richard II, was nominated for the Best Single Drama at the BAFTAs.[3]
The BBC aired the concluding cycle in 2016 as The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, a reference to the series of English civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses,[4] starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Bonneville, Judi Dench, Sophie Okonedo and Tom Sturridge. The plays were produced in 2015 by the same team that made the first series of films but were directed by the former artistic director of Royal Court Theatre and Olivier Award winner, Dominic Cooke.[5] They are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III.[6] The adaptation presents Henry VI in two parts, incorporating all three Henry VI plays. Benedict Cumberbatch was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Leading Actor and The Wars of the Roses was nominated for Best Mini-Series.[7]
The title of the series is taken from a line in Richard II:
For within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court...— Richard II, act 3, scene 2
Cast
List indicator(s)
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
- Italics indicates a non-speaking cameo
Crew
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| Film | Director | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| Richard II | Rupert Goold | 30 June 2012 |
| Henry IV, Part 1 | Richard Eyre | 7 July 2012 |
| Henry IV, Part 2 | 14 July 2012 | |
| Henry V | Thea Sharrock | 21 July 2012 |
| Henry VI, Part 1 | Dominic Cooke[8] | 7 May 2016 |
| Henry VI, Part 2 | 14 May 2016 | |
| Richard III | 21 May 2016 |
Production
The BBC scheduled the screening of Shakespeare's history plays as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a celebration of British culture coinciding with the 2012 Summer Olympics.[9] Sam Mendes signed up as executive producer to adapt all four plays in September 2010.[10] He is joined as executive producer by Pippa Harris (both representing Neal Street Productions), Rupert Ryle-Hodges as producer, Gareth Neame (NBCUniversal), and Ben Stephenson (BBC).[11]
Parts of the series were filmed in Kent at Squerryes Court and Penshurst Place.[12]
The concluding cycle of plays were produced in 2015 by the same team that made the first series and were directed by Dominic Cooke. Richard III was played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Executive producer Pippa Harris stated, "The critical and audience reaction to The Hollow Crown series set the bar high for Shakespeare on screen, and Neal Street (Productions) is delighted to be making the concluding part of this great history cycle. By filming the ‘Henry VI’ plays as well as ‘Richard III,’ we will allow viewers to fully appreciate how such a monstrous tyrant could find his way to power, bringing even more weight and depth to this iconic character."[13]
Once again, the production returned to Kent for The Wars of the Roses, filming at Dover Castle, Leeds Castle and Penshurst Place.[14]
Broadcast
The first four plays aired on consecutive Saturday evenings on BBC Two between 30 June and 21 July 2012. The start time of Henry IV, Part 1 on 7 July was delayed by an hour because of coverage of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, and the play was shown a second time the following evening on BBC Four.[15] The plays were shown in the United States from 20 September to 11 October 2013 as part of the PBS Great Performances series.[16]
All four plays were shown again on consecutive evenings on BBC Four in April 2016 as part of the BBC Shakespeare Festival commemorating the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death.
The second cycle of plays aired on consecutive Saturday evenings on BBC Two commencing Saturday 7 May 2016.[17][18]
Home media
The overseas and DVD rights for The Hollow Crown series are owned by NBC Universal.[19] A Region 2 DVD set of the four films was released on 1 October 2012.[20] A Region 1 DVD set was released on 17 September 2013.[21] A 2-disc DVD set of The Wars of the Roses was released on 20 June 2016.
Soundtrack
The original music soundtrack from The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses composed by Dan Jones was released on the Wave Theory Records label in June 2016 and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.[22][23]
Awards
Cycle I
| Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music & Sound Awards 2013 | Nominated | Sound Design (TV Programme) | The Hollow Crown |
| South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2013 | Nominated | Best TV Drama | |
| Won | Times Breakthrough | Tom Hiddleston | |
| Broadcasting Press Guild 2013 | Won | Best Single Drama | The Hollow Crown |
| Nominated | Best Actor | Ben Whishaw | |
| BAFTA Television Awards 2013 | Won | Leading Actor (Richard II) | |
| Won | Supporting Actor | Simon Russell Beale (Henry IV Part 2) | |
| Nominated | Single Drama | Richard II | |
| RTS Programme Awards 2013 | Won | Single Drama | |
| BAFTA Craft Awards 2013 | Won | Original Television Music | Stephen Warbeck (Henry IV) |
| Won | Sound (Fiction) | Tim Fraser, Adrian Rhodes, Keith Marriner (Richard II) | |
| Nominated | Costume Design | Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Richard II) | |
| British Society of Cinematographers | Nominated | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Ben Smithard |
| 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards | Nominated | Best Miniseries | The Hollow Crown |
Cycle II
| Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA Television Awards 2017 | Nominated | Best Leading Actor | Benedict Cumberbatch |
| Nominated | Best Mini-Series | The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses | |
| BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2017 | Nominated | Best Costume Design | Nigel Egerton (Richard III) |
Historical accuracy
The film adaptations present a dramatic and compelling view of politics and violence in the lives of the kings of England in the late Middle Ages, but do not necessarily portray some key characters and events the way Shakespeare does nor as modern historians would. (For example, Lord Talbot actually died at the Battle of Castillon in 1453, many years after the Siege of Orléans in 1429.)
References
- "The Hollow Crown: Series Info". Thetvdb.com. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- Lawson, Mark (29 June 2012). "The Hollow Crown: as good as TV Shakespeare can get?". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- "TV Baftas 2013: all the winners". The Guardian. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- "BBC Two announces further casting for The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses". BBC Media Centre. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- BBC Two (6 April 2014). "Richard III..." Twitter. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- "Tony Hall announces greatest commitment to arts for a generation". BBC Media Centre. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- "Bafta TV awards 2017: full list of winners". The Guardian. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- "Principal photography begins on The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses". BBC Media Centre. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- "Liverpool actor David Morrissey to star in new BBC production of Richard II". Liverpool Echo. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- "Sam Mendes for BBC Shakespeare season". BBC News. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- "Cast confirmed for BBC Two's cycle of Shakespeare films" (Press release). BBC Drama Publicity. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office The Hollow Crown – Henry V Article".
- Barraclough, Leo (6 April 2014). "Benedict Cumberbatch to Play Richard III in Neal Street's Film for BBC". Variety. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses Article".
- "Henry IV – Part 1". Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- "The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare's History Plays – About the Series". PBS. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- "Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Henry VI". UPI. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- "The best star studded Shakespeare TV adaptations". UK Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- Brown, Maggie (2 July 2012). "Sam Mendes: BBC Worldwide rejected 'Hollow Crown' Shakespeare films". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- "The Hollow Crown (4 Discs)". Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- "The Hollow Crown: The Complete Series". Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- "The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (Film music soundtrack by Dan Jones)". Wave Theory Records.
- "The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (Dan Jones & BBC National Orchestra of Wales)". Amazon UK.
