I have always wanted to give you a good Amway this British drama that has X highest in my heart so far -
The Empty Crown
Produced by the BBC, it is an original adaptation of Shakespeare's historical drama series: Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III.
The reigns of these kings spanned nearly a hundred years from 1399 to 1485, and their stories strung together to form a history of 15th-century England.
It was a chaotic world in which the divine right of kings was given like a child's play, and the city head changed the banner of the king, which was called the "War of the Roses" in history.
In addition to X-high, this drama also gathers the most outstanding actors in The United Kingdom at present, which is called literature, history, big names, and acting skills.
Of course, don't be embarrassed, I believe that many friends, including me, were initially interested in "The Empty Crown" for one reason - male gods.
For the sake of the male god, I am willing to endure the tiredness of this drama. After all, it is the quaint English of the 16th century, after all, it is a foreign and chaotic world more than six hundred years ago.
The BBC made Shakespeare's drama into a TV series, popularized the classic, and benefited fans, but if we can't break through the barrier of history, I am afraid it will be difficult to understand this painstaking effort.
The Empty Crown is about the end of the Plantagenet Dynasty and the Wars of the Roses.
Flowers and finches, both sound romantic, cruel to say.
When is something like a crown not dripping with blood? And power will always only dig a big hole in the soul. Compared to real British history, what is Game of Thrones?
Plantagenet was originally a nickname. The first king of the dynasty was Henry II, his mother was the daughter of King Henry I of England, and his father was the Earl of Anjou, France.
It is said that the earl liked to insert planted planted plantagenets on his hat, so people later replaced the large size with the flower name.
Although they were kings of England, plantagenets were more like The French, and the first kings of the dynasty spoke French and were all related to the French royal family. A third of what is now France was once the domain of the British king, and the king of France certainly did not do it.
So Britain and France fought endlessly. And there was little peace in the country, and the king's cousins, cousins, uncles, and uncles, each holding heavy power, were always ready to stage a drama of usurping the throne.
When the throne passed to Edward II, the king was deposed, exiled, and murdered by his wife (who was also the french king's sister) and his adulterers.
Then his son Edward III, who had been a puppet since he ascended the throne at a young age, grew up to avenge his father, killing the adulterer, exiled his mother, and then rekindling the war with France, which was fought intermittently for a hundred years.
Edward III had five sons, of whom the heirs of the second and fourth were enfeoffed to York, the clan emblem white rose; the third eldest family was enfeoffed to Lancaster, the clan emblem red rose -
The "War of the Roses" refers to the tearing of these two descendants for the throne. After his death, he passed the throne to his eldest grandson, Richard II, who was only 10 years old, the first king to appear in The Empty Crown.
The story line of "The Empty Crown" is basically the following picture.
I sympathize with this tyrant —
Ben Vishaw/Richard II
In 2012, the BBC launched the first season of The Empty Crown.
Richard II is the first and most obscure of all.
Because a large part of the play retains the poetic dialogue in Shakespeare's original work, and the style of "horizontal" plot development of traditional narrative films is not very harmonious, it requires actors to control the lines and use performances to bring the audience into the play while controlling the lines and sonorous.
But for graduates of the Royal Academy of Drama like Ben Wishao, this is not a problem.
From the first shot and the first sentence of "Richard II", Ben Vishaw takes the audience back to that era full of deceit with his highly recognizable voice and unhurried but emotional tone.
Emperors who ascended the throne at an early age, grew up with the assistance of powerful ministers, and their power was suspended is not uncommon in history, some of them became a generation of Ming emperors and ruled the world; some of them, the sword took the side, thus falling into the abyss.
The fate of Richard II, unfortunately, belongs to the latter.
Under Ben Wishao's interpretation, you can clearly see the king who was eager to regain power after adulthood, and the willfulness and arrogance and arrogance when he overthrew the courtiers;
Recklessness and sloppiness in deciding on the imperial conquest;
Sadness and despair when returning from defeat, experiencing the double blow of domestic rebellion, and becoming a prisoner of the order;
When summoned by the new king to his former palace, even if his heart is like ashes, there is still no lack of his innate brilliance and king aura.
Richard II doesn't have the war scenes from the other Films of The Empty Crown to clinch the climax.
But no one can forget Richard II's "twists and turns" inner monologue on the beach.
The scene relies entirely on the actors' bodies and lines.
After Henry's rebellion, Richard went from hearing that the Welsh army had dispersed, to learning that two of his cronies had been beheaded, to learning that the only remaining hope was that the Earl of York had also united with Henry, and the reaction needed to be stronger and stronger;
But Teacher Ben's interpretation is by no means a superposition of expressions in a simple sense, he goes from being silent and pale, to neurotically holding the corner of the turban, to finally completely breaking out to chase York's son and his own entourage, and to show a king who has lost his royal power from expectation, to loneliness, to despair.
Especially in the unexpected tears that flow out of the turning moment, under the close-up shot, the shock of expressions and eyes penetrates the screen and points directly to people's hearts, making the audience feel empathy.
A good performance can play the character charm and brilliance of the character to the fullest, whether the character itself is good or bad, it can affect the emotions of the people.
Although Shakespeare's original intention was to write Richard II as a tyrant, intended to break the aura of "divine right of kings", when the audience could not help but sympathize with him, there was no doubt that more laments about fate and human nature could be unearthed from him.
"Sympathy" is precisely the starting point of Teacher Ben's performance-
"I think Richard II is sympathetic in a way, even though that view is not shared by most people. But I like his experience because it's fun. Some are forced to confront their own vulnerabilities, accept their fears, and shatter unrealistic fantasies. That's why I love this character. ”
So he became Richard II, and his joys and sorrows became our joys and sorrows. There is nothing more magical about drama than this.
But in the face of praise, Ben Wischaux downplayed: "Immersed in the scene, saying those lines about the divine right of kings, everything comes naturally, and I don't need to perform anything at all." ”
Shout weakness with an iron-like voice—
Jeremy Irons/Henry IV
Because of the meaning of the surname, fans like to affectionately call Jeremy Irons "Uncle Iron".
Uncle Tie has a gloomy face, the thin lines are like knives carved into axes, exuding a momentum that people dare not look at directly, and he looks like a king without wearing a crown, not to mention the vicissitudes of iron.
But in "The Empty Crown", he played a "sick king".
Under the strength, I could not hide the weakness of my heart, suddenly fierce, suddenly anxious. Henry IV is divided into two parts, with the plot continuing Richard II.
The duke of Lancaster, who created Richard II in his previous work, is now the dying Henry IV, struggling in the clouds of uneasiness of conscience and rebellion, like a dead tree in the isolated wind.
In fact, whether it is the famous work "After the Storm in the Old Garden" or the Oscar-winning "Reversal of Fate", Jeremy Irons often plays tangled characters with secret hearts, interpreting the irrational madness hidden under the appearance of elegance.
The ill-hearted character of Henry IV in The Empty Crown– the monarch who is wary of anyone, cannot be trusted, but still has a heart of benevolence, and always reveals his true heart with his voice, he is the perfect candidate.
Henry, the usurper, wanted to work hard to prove to his courtiers that he was a ming prince, which was bound to undermine their interests.
As Prince Posey is talking nonsense, Henry teases the boy with a smile, a low laugh emanates from his throat, encourages Posey to continue, and then angrily exposes Posey's true intentions of infidelity.
The precarious rule dragged the spirited Henry into his old age ahead of schedule, accelerating his illness and the guilt of the king.
During the Great War, in front of his courtiers, he imitated Richard's voice and nervous tone with a weak body, recalling that Richard had predicted that Henry would encounter a coup d'état, and at that moment, it was as if Richard's undead had infiltrated the palace that could not sleep at night.
The large dialogues and monologues in Shakespeare's drama can always be controlled by "Uncle Iron" as natural as spoken language, and his eye changes, body movements, sentence pauses, and voice heights all hint at the heart of the characters.
The biggest attraction of the first and second parts of "Henry IV" is the confrontation between henry and Hal, the father and son, "Uncle Iron" and "Jitter Sen".
In the upper part, Henry angrily rebukes Hal, saying that he is as absurd as Richard II of the year, and that the rebellious Posey today is like himself in those days, self-substituted and afraid of the retribution of history's recurrence.
When he rebuked Richard, he must be righteous and stern, praise Percy must be full of respect, after saying "Whoever sees you is disgusted, only me", pausing to avoid choking, the identity of the king immediately returned to the father's instinct -
"Only if I still want to look at you a few more times, I can't control my eyes, because of the stupid tenderness, I have become so blind." 」
Henry, with his hands covering his eyes and his voice full of anxiety, had what a shameful and tangled fatherly love he had.
Henry, who seized power on the left, worried that hereditary blood was not necessarily the advantage of his son's succession, but he did not even trust his son.
Lower, he echoed back to the light and roared at his son who tried on the crown—Henry was still clutching the crown in his dying bed—completely venting his distrust, his back trembling and whimpering, full of despair and love.
Hal tells in a few words about the deep loneliness of his father who has been devastated by the crown for many years, henry has a confidant in his life, and suddenly dies in sorrow and comfort, and the whole play enters the climax.
Jeremy Irons said of his role —
"He was a realist who wanted to take or grant the throne according to the will of the people. The previous king, Richard II, was not much loved, but now that he is on the throne, this hereditary system of succession to the throne has collapsed. He knew that the way he seized power was not very straightforward, so he felt a little guilty. ”
He reminded me of my father—"
Tom Hiddleston/Henry V
The historical Henry V can be described as a young man, but in Shakespeare's plays, Henry has two sides. In Henry IV, the young Prince Hal seems cynical and obsessed, but has another city in mind.
Henry V, on the other hand, focuses on his domineering determination after ascending to the throne.
Looking at the two plays together, it is obvious that the whole process of a young person's gradual growth and maturity can be seen.
This is undoubtedly a test for actors, "Jitter Sen" can not perform the role unchanged, but also can not be too contrasting to produce a personality fault.
What's more difficult is that during the filming process, "Henry V" actually preceded "Henry IV", which means that Jittersen needs to reverse the mental journey of the characters.
But as a big fan of Shakespeare, he blurted out the original lines and gave a qualified answer. And his "problem-solving ideas" can be summed up in one word, that is, father.
"Jitter Sen" once revealed his heart in an interview -
"The character's state of being with his father is familiar to me. To be honest, I also had a strong argument with my father when I was a teenager. Then I realized that Hal's troubles were consistent with my troubles at the time. ”
He believes that "questioning the authority of the father" is a process that every young person encounters.
Because "he's the first male role model in your life, and there's a good chance you'll end up being that kind of man."
Hal's growth is actually a process of accepting responsibility and understanding that responsibility is power, and strength is responsibility. "He transformed, he was renewed, he became mature, and as a mature man and a king, he faced and accepted his own abilities."
And whether it is the original work or "The Empty Crown", it actually hides another father figure - that is, Prince Hal's drinking friend, the wandering skeleton of Falstaff.
When Hal mixed with him, although he maintained the dignity and vigilance of the prince, he also revealed his true feelings for the old man. In a way, Falstaff fills the emotional gap caused by yan father, just like the spiritual dependence of the teenager growing up. But he eventually became a stumbling block on the path of kings and was ruthlessly kicked away.
How to grasp the changes in the relationship between the two is another challenge facing "Jittersen".
Speaking of the scene in Henry V, when The King's Hal banished Falstaff, "Shake sen" said—
"It was my first scene with Simon [Simon Russell Bill, who plays Forstaff]. I would have liked to have filmed the scene with him drinking and reveling before filming this.
But in fact, it is easier to shoot the banishment scene first, because the two of us were not very familiar at the time, and I can understand it from an objective point of view: Prince Hal must do this at the end of the play.
He is the spiritual leader of this nation, he is the newly crowned king, and his country has just recovered from civil strife.
He needed to secure his position so that the world could see him in a strict country. In the eyes of anyone else, Forstav was a thief, a beggar and a liar, a man of no loyalty to speak of, a man of discredit, who even wantonly interrupted prince Hal's coronation.
This was so embarrassing that Prince Hal had no choice but to publicly humiliate him. ”
It was a difficult time and a decisive turning point. "Jitterson" thought this was cruel: "Prince Hal must do this, does he have any other choice?" He is now king of England. ”
From then on, the prince became king, and the children became national heroes, which led to Henry V's classic speech that inspired soldiers before the decisive battle of Agincourt.
It is still difficult to hide his excitement when he recites that line: "Everything makes you shudder." This line spans 410 years, and this war is 200 years earlier, and we are also rooted in the same root and in the same vein as these. ”
How to unleash bestiality —
Benedict Cumberbatch/Richard III
Richard III is Shakespeare's famous work, and he wrote the usurper monarch as a hunchback tyrant, which is somewhat "politically correct".
Because Shakespeare lived in the Tudor dynasty, henry Tudor stepped on the corpse of Richard III to ascend to the throne.
In fact, recent studies have shown that the king had only mild scoliosis, and not all of the legendary evils are true. In 2012, his long-lost remains were rediscovered by archaeologists. The British also held a fairly formal king's funeral for him last year.
Coincidentally, Benedict Cumberbatch was actually of Richard III's blood, and he also attended the funeral and recited a poem.
Playing the "Ancestor" in the second season of "The Empty Crown", Benny borrowed from his previous experience in the theatrical version of "Frankenstein" and made extensive use of body language.
Because Richard III was a character whose appearance was as distorted as his heart.
"In medieval England, if you were born flawed, you would never be able to jump out of this strange circle in your lifetime, which can be said to be a social prejudice." 」 Benny explains, "No one cared about Richard at the time, and it was the anger and pain in his heart that gave him ambitions for the future. ”
Richard first appeared in Henry VI (Part 2) as a disabled man accompanying his mother behind his father and brother who were fighting for power and killing enemies, and his combat effectiveness was completely ignored;
Later, when power first came, he saw pure joy in his eyes; it was not until he witnessed the tragic death of his father and brother and his own ascension to the center of the power stage that he began to release the primitive animal nature step by step on the battlefield.
In "Richard III", he was crowned king, and his bestiality completely overwhelmed human nature, becoming a plague god who killed people with an evil smile.
He hid his ambitions for more than twenty years beneath the appearance of hypocrisy and humility, a man who lacked love and warmth in his heart, who had lived from an early age in a long period of despair and nothingness, and only war and power could make him fanatical.
Benny found the plot of Richard's conspiracy to usurp the throne a lot of fun.
"He's an anti-hero because he's going to seduce us. The audience doesn't have to support him, just indulge in his viciousness! I also want to apply Freud's theories to him and make it easier for him to understand. ”
Therefore, fighting on the battlefield has become the best way to vent animalistic nature. Benny's action scenes are the most important of the main actors in "The Empty Crown".
"The war scene is really cruel." "We sometimes have to fight in the water of the river that floods our chests, and we have to carry iron or aluminum weapons, even if they are props, they can hurt people," he said. The broad-bladed sword can split the skull in one fell swoop. But this brutal approach is needed to seize power. I'm in awe of that. ”
Even so, Richard exuded a hint of humanity when he courted a beautiful woman who had been unattainable.
Breathing, Benny seemed to be trembling every inch of his skin, and the scene was extremely sexy—especially the tears of joy that touched every viewer.
It's a pity that Game of Thrones doesn't tolerate the slightest bit of humanity. Richard III seized the crown, but has lived in fear of losing the throne ever since.
Benny brings the character's inner anxiety and torment to the audience through the constantly agitating physical details. For example, he often kept tapping his fingers on the tabletop – the sound also struck our nerves.
The crown continues to pass, and history continues to reincarnate.
Echoing in the empty crown, it was full of falsehood and sorrow.