The Third Part of Henry the Sixth (1983) Online
- Original Title :
- The Third Part of Henry the Sixth
- Genre :
- Movie
- Year :
- 1983
- Directror :
- Jane Howell
- Cast :
- John Benfield,Peter Benson,Gerald Blackmore
- Writer :
- William Shakespeare
- Type :
- Movie
- Time :
- 3h 31min
- Rating :
- 8.2/10
Following his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagent of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor, Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
John Benfield | - | Earl of Northumberland / 2nd Keeper / Huntsman | |
Peter Benson | - | Henry VI | |
Gerald Blackmore | - | Second Company | |
Antony Brown | - | Lewis, King of France / Sir John Montgomery | |
Michael Byrne | - | Marquess of Montague / Father that killed his son | |
Paul Chapman | - | Earl Rivers | |
Ron Cook | - | Richard, Duke of Gloucester | |
Rowena Cooper | - | Lady Elizabeth Grey, later Queen | |
Arthur Cox | - | Duke of Somerset | |
David Daker | - | Lord Hastings | |
Mathew David | - | Edmund, Earl of Rutland | |
Brian Deacon | - | Earl of Oxford | |
Tenniel Evans | - | Messenger to York / First Keeper / First Watchman | |
Derek Farr | - | Duke of Exeter / Mayor of York | |
Julia Foster | - | Queen Margaret |
This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983) and The Second Part of Henry the Sixth (1983). However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be completely falling apart, as England descended into an even worse state of chaos. In the same vein, the costumes became more and more monotone as the four plays went on - The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983) features brightly coloured costumes which clearly distinguish the various combatants from one another, but by The Tragedy of Richard III (1983), everyone fights in similarly coloured dark costumes, with little to differentiate one army from another.
The scene where Richard kills Henry has three biblical references carefully worked out by Jane Howell; as Richard drags Henry away, his arms spread out into a crucified position; on the table at which he sat are seen bread and wine, and in the background, an iron crossbar is faintly illuminated against the black stone wall.
Part of the long running BBC Television Shakespeare project which ran between 1978 and 1985.
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