Series was so perfect when suddenly i started watching season 2 half episode 1. OHHH GODS this Margaret of Anjou cast. OHH GODS this persistence of yours to dominate history... from a fair white blonde lady to an african with full african characteristics and 50 years old. I expect to see a movie with Jimmy hendrix being played by a white guy, ohh soz i forgot this would be racism. pitty hollow crown was a good series

I have enjoyed watching the first series and I am about to begin the second set with Henry VI and Edward III.The acting is impeccable (how could it not with that cast?), the closed-captioning appreciated by a Deaf individual and the battle scenes fascinating and interesting. I am a big fan of historical costuming and valued the work that must have gone into them.For those who are not fans of Shakespeare this series may not be for you. I did not mind the old language but it takes a bit of getting used to if you are not familiar with it.I was disappointed to see Charles VI, King of France, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece during Henry V. This Order was established by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (aka Philip the Good) in 1430 to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. Henry V and Charles VI both died in 1422, eight years before the Order's inauguration.

Hugely acclaimed on their release, I have only just got around to watching this tetralogy of films based on the plays by William Shakespeare - and they're rubbish. The biggest problem is the casting: Ben Whishaw plays Richard II as a laughably fey figure, whilst Tom Hiddleston as (the future) Henry V is too introverted and skinny to convince as either a daredevil wastrel (Henry IV Parts 1 & 2) or a mighty warrior king (Henry V). These central failures destroy much of the fine work done by the other actors (Patrick Stewart, Simon Russell-Beale etcetera). This is compounded by the lousy direction, which is flat and lifeless. The locations are wasted and used largely as mere backgrounds (barring the near-blasphemous linking of the dead Richard II and Jesus Christ through a slow shot of a life-size wooden crucifix). Whilst I don't mind the prose delivery of Shakespeare's verse, the way in which it is done is terrible; the actors are left to speechify to an unmoving camera, without any of the movement or visual flow necessary to successfully adapt from the stage to screen. The choice of setting is also odd, with the production trying for a pseudo-historical look but getting the costumes all wrong (rubber fantasy armour, Darth Vader helmets, and turbans!) and persisting with the official policy of colour-blind casting (which is sure to mislead some people) despite its ludicrous incongruity in this context. Much of the budget appears to have been wasted on sub-"Saving Private Ryan" battles, leaving Tom Hiddleston to give (his rather weedy version of) the Crispin's Day Speech to about five people, all of whom are aristocrats (thereby undermining the whole point of the speech). Symptomatic of the whole farrago is that Larry Olivier's 70-year old version of "Henry V" is better acted, more historically accurate, more inventively staged and better directed - so you're better off watching that instead!

When I was at school, Shakespeare was as dry as the pages it was written on. To watch it, performed by actors who really know and understand Shakespeare, and can convey that in their work, is to enter a world of majesty, of subtle innuendo, of humour and of total understanding of the work of the Shakespeare who used his gift to allow 'the common man' to discuss and understand the goings-on and political machinations of his age. There are no 'spoilers' when it comes to Shakespeare - the work is out there in a myriad of forms and interpretations, waiting to be read. This production is one of the best available. Watch it, then read the plays. Savour the words. Go back and watch the scene performed. Truly appreciate the nuance and the masterful language of the master at work. I cannot recommend this production highly enough. From the haughty, almost effete King Richard (Ben Wishaw) through Jeremy Iron's haunted Henry IV to the masterpiece of development that is Tom Hiddleston's Prince Hal, this production brings the humanity and the grandeur of the role of King and all that conveys. Get it. Watch it. Love it.