I, too, watched The Hollow Crown's
Richard II. While I had watched the movie before, I tried to watch it now in the context of a stage interpretation of familiar events. Comparing
Richard to the onslaught of historical biopics made this viewing so much more fun.
As with recent films like
J. Edgar,
JKF,
The King's Speech,
Frost/Nixon,
Lincoln, and
The Iron Lady, rumors fill the gaps of the story in, adding color and speculation to a framework of facts. Ben Whishaw plays an effeminate Richard, and the first half of the movie is charged with looks and silences that lead us to conclude that Richard has relationships with most of the young pretty men at court.
 |
| Look at those lingering eyes. |
Whishaw's gentle performance through the end of the play maintains an intimate dynamic with his followers and his captors. It helps to maintain a sympathetic air around a man who, in the harsh light of text, is a clear cut bad king.
Wow, I never even considered that possibility, like you said, of Richard having 'relationships with most of the young pretty men at court.' Interesting idea, definitely has potential.
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