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The BBC TV Shakespeare Collection


RRP: £199.99
Our Price: £99.92 (subject to change)

Absorbing and illuminating
Review date: 2008-10-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I remember the series when it was first screened, and wondered how I would respond to it now. The answer is: with even more pleasure. There are few weaknesses in it, and perhaps the finest achievement comes in the History Plays, from the start of Richard II right through to the end of Richard III: the performances are so compelling, particularly Quayle and Gwylim in the Henry lV tetratolgy, and the ensemble in the second tetralogy really conveys the vicious power struggle. By deliberately making the battles both theatrical and bloody, the horror of the period is VERY vividly conveyed.
At the other end of the spectrum, Lunghi and Lindsey are simple fabulous in Much Ado About Nothing, and manage to give the play heart and well as laughs.
This set is a formidable achievement and just makes Shakespeare so easy to love. It reminds you, if you need reminding, that Shakespeare was a playwright who appealed to all sorts of people, and that in his day there were no English Lit graduates.There are no silly gimmicks to make it "relevant" - Shakespeare doesn't need that, just this kind of wonderful acting and brilliant diction that lets the compelling drama speak for itself."The play's the thing!"

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Reviews


A must, obviously
Review date: 2008-08-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

This set is a must. It's amazing that the BBC could accomplish this task with such success. The vast majority of the actors involved here give outstanding performances. I'd like to praise especially Derek Jacobi (wonderful Hamlet, astonishing Richard II, a play I didn't know before this), Michael Hordern (superb King Lear, really great Prospero in The Tempest), John Cleese (Surprising in The taming of the shrew), Ron Cook (malignant and subtle Richard III), David Gwillim (Prince Hal and Henry V), etc, etc. I was a little bit dissapointed with Nicol Williamson in Macbeth, but anyway, it's only my opinion and surely many people will find his performance not only accurate, but very good. The sets and costumes really suit the plays, with occasional strokes of genius (the sets for All's well that ends well reproduce from time to time famous paintings by Vermeer or Rembrandt). I recommend this to any theatre lover, especially those that, like me, like the classical way of set designing.

To DVD or not to DVD......That Is The Question
Review date: 2008-05-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

I grew up on these here in the US courtesy of PBS. I vividly remember Charles Gray and Keith Michell in Caesar, Derek Jacobi in Hamlet, Nicol Williamson in Macbeth. There is a company here in America (not BBC Video) offering these on DVD in retail stores on and offline, but in limited 5 packs for like $150 a pop. To get the whole series from the manufacturer would be $1,000s Fortunately, I have a player that can player all regions, so ordering this for less than $200 US is a steal. Especially since I found a marketplace client on OUR Amazon who wants twice that for this very same copy. I am looking forward to finally getting these for keeps.

Uneven, but one of those must-have's.
Review date: 2008-03-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

The quality of the BBC production varies from play to play, and many plays are disappointing, or to put it bluntly, long and boring.

While I prefer conservative interpretations, the BBC renditions tend to be too conservative, too bland. There are some notable exceptions. Leonard Rossiter saves King John, Derek Jacobi makes an dandy Richard II, Roger Daltrey (from the Who) stumbles comically through "The Comedy of Errors", and John Cleese tames the shrew into an ex-shrew.

I'm sure it's no accident that the best plays are by the biggest stars. Having more stature, they have the authority to get their own way, and they're doing this for fun.

Also on the whole the Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2, and Henry V series is pretty good. I haven't made it through all the plays yet, but I find the others I have seen (Pericles, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Love's Labour Lost) lack "oomph". The lines are too often recited without wit. I expect even the tragedies should have more laughs or action-drama in them than these productions show us. But I suppose the actors are afraid of being accused of hamming it up. Too bad. Colourful interpretations should be "de rigueur".

My two favourite performances are Derek Jacobi's Richard II and Leonard Rossiter's King John. Jacobi gives us a dandy and a fop too full of himself and too careless of the consequences of his acts. Rossiter's King John is wonderful because he spices up his performance with innuendoes and sly looks that match his kittish tones.

Even though it falls far short of perfection, the breadth of the BBC project makes this a must have collection for any family's DVD shelf and will prove a good benchmark against which future renditions can be judged.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin

Shakespeare DVD
Review date: 2008-02-25 Rating: 6 out of 10

The special virtue of this collection is in allowing viewers to see plays which are rarely if ever prduced such as Henry VI, 1,2, and 3, and Pericles. There are some outstanding performances. Helen Mirren as Titania and Rosalind, Michael Horden as Lear and Prospero, Warren Mitchell as Shylock, and Roger Daltry as the Dromios, are a few of a large number. There are disappointments. Ron Cook as Richard III is an outstanding example of bad casting. Ron plays Simple in the Merry Wives of Windsor and that should be the height of his ambition, or anyone else's ambition for him. Further, I would say play Shakespeare on a bare stage or play him on a realistic location, but don't play him in a junk yard as was done for Henry VI.

Product Details/Specifications


Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503176723
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 37
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-11-14
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 5940 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)

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