The Second Part of Henry the Sixt (1983) (TV)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Jane Howell

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

9 January 1983 (UK)

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | William Shakespeare | Shakespeare's Henry V | Based On Play | Character Name In Title

Cast

Peter Aldwyn	...	Second Company
Sean Bartley	...	Second Company
John Benfield	...	First Murderer / Ship's Master
Peter Benson	...	King Henry VI
Paul Benzing	...	Second Compnay
Brian Binns	...	Second Company
Gerald Blackmore	...	Second Company
Stephen Brigden	...	Second Company
Gerald Broadley	...	Drummer
Antony Brown	...	Walter Whitmore / Alexander Iden
David Burke	...	Duke of Gloucester / Dick the Butcher
Michael Byrne	...	John Hume / Lieutenant
Anne Carroll	...	Duchess of Gloucester
Mark Lindsay Chapman	...	Second Company
Paul Chapman	...	Duke of Suffolk
Michael Cogan	...	Second Company
Ron Cook	...	Richard Plantagenet
Arthur Cox	...	Thomas Horner / Lord Clifford
Nick Cox	...	Second Company
Stuart Cox	...	Second Company
Philip Croskin
David Daker	...	Duke of Buckingham
Brian Deacon	...	Duke of Somerset / Smith the Weaver
Jonathan Evans	...	Second Company
Tenniel Evans	...	Earl of Salisbury / Cler of Chartham
Derek Farr	...	Lord Say
Mark Fletcher	...	Second Company
Julia Foster	...	Queen Margaret
Derek Fuke	...	Simpcox / George Bovis
Michael Gardiner	...	Second Company
Nigel Gomm	...	Trumpeter
David Goodwin	...	Second Company
Barry Grantham	...	Second Company
Alex Guard	...	Second Prentice / Micheal
Nick Hall	...	Second Company (as Nick Cox)
Bernard Hill	...	Duke of York
Paul Jesson	...	John Holland / George Plantagenet
Pat Keen	...	Margery Jourdain
Angus Kennedy	...	Second Company
Hamish Kerr	...	Second Company
David Leonard	...	Second Company
Hus Levant	...	Second Company
Brian Little	...	Drummer
Gabrielle Lloyd	...	Simpcox's Wife
David Ludwig	...	Second Company
Peter Macklin	...	Second Company
Oengus MacNamara	...	Young Clifford
Frank Middlemass	...	Cardinal Beaufort
Stephen Paine	...	Drummer
Trevor Peacock	...	Sheriff / Jack Cade
Brian Protheroe	...	Edward Plantagenet
David Pugh	...	Peter Thump / Second Murderer / Townsman
Ian Puleston-Davies	...	Second Company
John Rankin	...	Second Company
Martin Rutledge	...	Second Company
Peter Searles	...	Second Company
Brian Stephens	...	Second Company
Graham Tudor-Phillips	...	Second Company
Dikran Tulaine	...	Second Company
Frank Walsh	...	Trumpeter
Simon Williamson	...	Second Company
Mark Wing-Davey	...	Earl of Warwick
Peter Wyatt	...	Sir Humphrey Stafford

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: Henry VI, Part Two (USA) (video title)
The Second Part of King Henry VI (UK)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

Dick the Butcher: The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Third Part of Henry the Sixt (1983) (TV)

Not entirely dreadful

This is one of Shakespeare's earliest and weakest plays, but that doesn't excuse this production. The two leads (Peter Benson as King Henry and Julia Foster as Queen Margaret) are intolerable. Benson has some excuse, since playing a weak and useless king (who was in fact insane) makes it difficult to avoid acting weak and useless. Julia Foster, however, seemed to avoid acting altogether, in favor of simply glowering throughout the entire play. (In Part I, this made male characters' infatuation with her simply ridiculous). As usual with the BBC Shakespeare, however, most of the minor characters are well-portrayed; with, however, the exception of Ron Cook as the future Richard III, which bodes ill for the sequels.

As was regrettably fashionable at the time, the production is minimalist while the directing is over-done, especially some of the later battle scenes. But when the leads and the director get out of the way, some of the Shakespeare shines through.