Jane Howell - Henry VI (1983)

highlight in the BBC series, 19 February 2009
Author: hpod26 from United States

Out of all the BBC Shakespeare films I've seen, the three Henry VI plays (and Richard III, which finishes the story) are some of the best. It feels like you are actually there, in the story. Part of what contributes to the realism is that instead of creating a rollicking, fast-paced war movie, they made an in-depth, dramatic (aka real) world that you can immerse yourself in for 14 hours (if you watch all four films). It's so deep that you come out of the whole experience not entirely sure of what happened in which of the episodes, but still remembering the sense of how amazing it is. I rated all four films 10/10 stars.

I really liked how they filmed it on what looked like a modern stage set, instead of on location. After all, Shakespeare wrote for the stage. And while some film adaptations of Shakespeare have been made as movies instead of plays (like BBC's Troilus & Cressida, or Branagh's Hamlet, for example), it's still nice to see a somewhat more traditional version, uncut, with unknown but superb actors. I'm glad they made it this way, instead of going for an epic "Lord of the Rings"-type adventure. This movie, and its three sequels, are purely wonderful.





Terrific Second Part, 10 September 2007
7/10
Author: Alain English from London, England

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Henry VI (Peter Benson) has successfully overcome Joan La Pucelle but his marriage to the ferocious Queen Margaret of Naples (Julia Foster) has effectively given France back to the French and undone his father's conquest. Furthermore, civil strife brews as the scheming Duke of York (Bernard Hill) sets the ferocious Jack Cade (Trevor Peacock) upon the King as he sets up his bid to take the crown himself...

The sets grow ever darker and the battles ever bloodier, with heads on pikes this time round and other gory deaths. England is headed straight to hell in hand basket and the actors revel in the story and the language.

Peter Benson makes an excellent Henry VI, his gentle and frail appearance effectively conveying the monarch's powerlessness. Trevor Peacock, who played Talbot in Part One, makes for a ferocious Jack Cade and the scenes where he commands the masses to rebel are among the most stirring in these plays. Bernard Hill continues to impress as York, and also of note are Brian Protheroe as his eldest son Edward and Ron Cook making his first appearance as the hunchbacked youngest son, Richard...





Less dreadful than parts 1 and 2, 26 October 2008
Author: Flash Sheridan from Palo Alto, United States

The two leads, Peter Benson as Henry VI and Julia Foster as Queen Margaret, are much less annoying in the final part of the trilogy than in the first two—towards the end, they even do some actual acting, which suggests that their monotones in the first five sixths of the trilogy should be blamed on the director. The minor parts, as usual for the BBC Shakespeare, are mostly well-handled, even (this time) Bernard Hill as Richard, though it's still a relief that he's replaced in the sequel. The direction is competent when it's not heavy-handed, sometimes (as in Warwick's final speech) going over the top and distracting from the play and Shakespeare's words. The production continues to be cheap and gloomy, but this only occasionally (as with implausible snow on what's normally conceived as a filmed indoor set) interferes with the play, though it never adds to it.




http://rapidshare.com/files/117534962/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117536653/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117538173/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117539164/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117540368/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117541971/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117543199/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117544324/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117545384/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117547137/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117548477/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117549924/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117550296/HENRY_VI_PART_1_BBC.part13.rar

no pass

http://rapidshare.com/files/117551322/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117552462/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117553700/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117555310/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117556599/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117557614/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117559734/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117560922/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117563807/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117564986/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117566631/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117568187/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117568451/HENRY_VI_PART_2_BBC.part13.rar

no pass

http://rapidshare.com/files/117569601/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117571181/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117572285/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117573570/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117575249/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117576444/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117577541/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117578858/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117580008/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117581268/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117582503/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117584160/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/117584402/HENRY_VI_PART_3_BBC.part13.rar

no pass