Shakespeare's Henry VI "House of York" (part 4 of 16)

The English Shakespeare Company adapted the three Henry VI plays to Henry VI "House of Lancaster", and Henry VI "House of York".

"The Wars of the Roses" (English Shakespeare Company, UK, 1990) is a direct filming, from the stage, of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence based on Shakespeare's history plays.


June Watson as Margaret of Anjou
Paul Brennen as Henry VI
Michael Cronin as Warwick
Andrew Jarvis as Richard Duke of Gloucester
Barry Stanton as Richard of York


All performances were recorded at the Swansea Theatre.


from blurb on videotape:

Shakespeare's history cycle recounts the story of two great dynasties, the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, who contested their rights to the crown across nearly two centuries of murder, intrigue, rebellion, counter-rebellion, and bloody battle culmination at last in the Battle of Bosworth and the accession of Henry Tudor to the throne.

The great battles of Agincourt, Tewkesbury, and Bosworth; the poetry of love, the treachery of power politics, and the unease of crownèd heads--in short, Shakespeare's history plays--are here presented by the English Shakespeare Company in performances hailed for bringing to life the history as well as the plays.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Shakespeare
• King-Henry-VI
• June-Watson
• Barry-Stanton
• York
• play
• theatre
• English-history
• HenryVI

[GreatGrumbledook]

WARWICK After them! nay, before them, if we can. Now, by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day: Saint Alban's battle won by famous York Shall be eternized in all age to come. Sound drums and trumpets, and to London all: And more such days as these to us befall!

[GreatGrumbledook]

YORK I know our safety is to follow them; For, as I hear, the king is fled to London, To call a present court of parliament. Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth. What says Lord Warwick? shall we after them?

[GreatGrumbledook]

SALISBURY Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day; By the mass, so did we all. I thank you, Richard: God knows how long it is I have to live; And it hath pleased him that three times to-day You have defended me from imminent death. Well, lords, we have not got that which we have: 'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled, Being opposites of such repairing nature.

[GreatGrumbledook]

RICHARD My noble father, Three times to-day I holp him to his horse, Three times bestrid him; thrice I led him off, Persuaded him from any further act: But still, where danger was, still there I met him; And like rich hangings in a homely house, So was his will in his old feeble body. But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

[GreatGrumbledook]

It should be made a court martial offence to mingle with the verses of Shakespeare! How can anyone dare to mix the first outbreak of the Wars of the Roses, where many bitter words were changed between the two factions, with this armistice? Who does not know the plays will scarcely be able to make any sense of it! A much failed attempt to use the beginning of Henry VI Part III for the outbreak of the conflict between the houses York and Lancaster: A War of the Roses without St. Albans? No way!