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Reviews
The Hollow Crown: Henry IV, Part 1 (2012)
Beale as Falstaff is a disaster!
I once wrote a thesis on Falstaff, and am teaching a course on Falstaff: Shakespeare's Greatest Comic Character. After watching the RSC and Globe theater films of Henry iv plays, delighted with the portrayals of Falstaff, I was horrified in the Hollow Crown to see Beale, completely miscast, destroy the character.
Where is the comedy! Where is the jolly, exuberant celebration of life? Beale looks so severe and sounds so serious. He comes across as a pathetic, drunken depressive. Horrific. Just awful. He completely destroys one of Shakespeare's greatest and popular characters.
Wishaw (especially) Suchet, Stewart, Irons, and Hiddleston are superb in their roles. But Beale as Falstaff - what a travesty!
Secret Passage (2004)
Exceptional film about an important time in history!
I loved this film. Among the highlights: the cinematography and scenes of Renaissance Venice; the sensitive portrayal of the Jews in hiding trying to maintain their faith; the superb acting of Isabel (Katherine Borowitz); the quiet beauty and expressiveness of the young girl Victoria (what a wonderful young actress, Hannah Taylor-Gordon) ; and the intrigues of the plot that keeps one glued to the screen, waiting to see what happens next. My only criticism was that there was some lack of clarity in what was happening as the plot reached its climax - pertaining to both to the glassmaker and the sister's emotional reactions to each other near the end. But the lack of clarity also keeps one reflecting on the film. All in all, a haunting film which I highly recommend.