So I have officially started my reading of Henry IV. The reading is coming along nicely. I am about half way through the second act, so i definitely will be able to make the class goal of finishing our history play by the end of this week. I have been investigating film adaptations of the play and have decided that I will watch one of two films, either the 1991 Gus Van Sant movie, My Own Private Idaho, or the 1979 David Giles BBC film, Henry IV. Does anyone have any suggestions on which one I should watch? I am looking for a movie that is both a good representation of the actual play and entertaining. Here are the movie posters for both.
Here is the poster for the Gus Van Sant film:
Here is the David Giles BBC version:
I think I am leaning more towards the BBC film due to the fact that I am looking for a more traditionalist representation of the play. However, I am open to suggestions.
Thanks!
2 comments:
Brandon--I have seen either version, and I haven't read too many reviews (although I read that both are good). However, I did read that the Branagh version includes what most people consider a decisive scene, where Henry determines that his close friend should be put to death--whereas the Olivier version doesn't include this. The description of this element of the plot was intriguing enough to me that I thought my preference would be the Branagh version.
Actually, what Max is referring to here is that in Branagh's Henry V (not IV) he brought in a scene from Henry IV. Branagh has not filmed the earlier play.
You probably need to broaden your search. Don't just look at productions that combine Henry IV part 1 and part 2. They stand alone as separate plays, and it gets into a lot of other adaptation issues when they start combining plays. I don't know the reputation of these two films. Be sure you check reviews for appropriateness and for quality. Check the resources we have in our textbook and elsewhere for academic reviews of Shakespearean film adaptations.
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