Richard II (2012 film)
Richard II is a 2012 British television film based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first of four television adaptations of Shakespeare's second history tetralogy commissioned by BBC Two under the series title The Hollow Crown. Richard II was directed by Rupert Goold, who adapted the screenplay with Ben Power. Ben Whishaw stars as the titular Richard II of England. It was first broadcast on 30 June 2012 on BBC2.[1]
| Richard II | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Based on | Richard II by William Shakespeare |
| Screenplay by | Rupert Goold Ben Power |
| Directed by | Rupert Goold |
| Starring | Ben Whishaw Rory Kinnear Patrick Stewart David Suchet David Morrissey Tom Hughes James Purefoy Clémence Poésy Lindsay Duncan Ferdinand Kingsley Samuel Roukin Harry Hadden-Paton Finbar Lynch |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Pippa Harris Sam Mendes Gareth Neame Rupert Ryle-Hodges |
| Cinematography | Danny Cohen |
| Running time | 148 minutes |
| Production companies | Neal Street Productions NBCUniversal WNET |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Original release |
|
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Henry IV, Part I |
Whishaw's performance earned him the 2013 British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for Leading Actor. The program was also nominated for the Best Single Drama award.[2]
Cast
- Ben Whishaw as Richard II of England
- Rory Kinnear as Henry Bolingbroke
- Patrick Stewart as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
- David Suchet as the Edmund of Langley, Duke of York
- David Morrissey as Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
- Tom Hughes as Aumerle
- James Purefoy as Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk
- Clémence Poésy as the Queen (a combination of Isabella of Valois and Anne of Bohemia)
- Lindsay Duncan as the Duchess of York
- Ferdinand Kingsley as Bushy
- Samuel Roukin as Bagot
- Harry Hadden-Paton as Green
- Tom Goodman-Hill as Sir Stephen Scroop
- Adrian Schiller as Lord Willoughby
- Peter de Jersey as Lord Ross
- Finbar Lynch as Lord Marshall
- Lucian Msamati as the Bishop of Carlisle
- Richard Bremmer as the Abbot of Westminster
- Rhodri Miles as the Welsh Captain
- David Bradley as the Gardener
- Simon Trinder as the Gardener's Assistant
- Isabella Laughland as the Queen's Lady
- Daniel Boyd as the Groom
Production
The BBC scheduled the screening of Shakespeare's history plays as part of 2012's Cultural Olympiad, a celebration of British culture coinciding with the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3] Sam Mendes signed up as executive producer to adapt all four of Shakespeare's tetralogy (Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V) in September 2010.[4] He is joined as executive producer by Pippa Harris (both representing Neal Street Productions), Gareth Neame (NBCUniversal), and Ben Stephenson (BBC).[5]
Richard II was shot entirely on location, including at St David's Cathedral, Pembroke Castle and Packwood House.[3] It completed filming in July 2011.[5] One of the characters in Richard II, the Duchess of Gloucester, is absent from this film adaptation.
References
- "The Hollow Crown: Richard II". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- "TV Baftas 2013: all the winners". The Guardian. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- "Liverpool actor David Morrissey to star in new BBC production of Richard II". Liverpool Echo. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- "Sam Mendes for BBC Shakespeare season". BBC News. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- "Cast confirmed for BBC Two's cycle of Shakespeare films" (Press release). BBC Drama Publicity. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
External links
- Richard II at IMDb
- Shakespeare's History Plays at the BBC