Jacobi as King -- Long Live the Queen!
Tom O'Bedlam | Jersey City, NJ | 09/24/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this set to see Richard II for the first time in almost 30 years. I am a great fan of Derek Jacobi from "I, Claudius" to "Cadfael" and beyond, and his Hamlet is the best I have ever seen.
The history plays, for this 21st century American, simply aren't as compelling as the major tragedies. Anthony Quayle makes a fine Falstaff in Henrys 1 & 2, and I haven't watched Richard III yet, suspecting that Olivier's film cannot be surpassed.
Jacobi is at his bardic best as Richard II, but he is not a likable character. He is actually quite annoying -- a prissy poppinjay and fey fop. When he died, I cried, "The King is dead, long live the Queen!" Not that there's anything wrong with being a queenly king, of course."
Great Shakerspeare all in one
Randy O. Wright | Near San Francisco, CA USA | 02/03/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Great product. Well acted. Gives you the main Shakespeare historical plays all in one. Highly recommend for the Shakespeare fan."
High caliber
Marcia | 05/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This set of plays is well worth the price. Top notch actors make Shakespeare accessible and ever more fascinating in this set. Particularly nice is the continuity of characters/actors in the second tetralogy (Richard II, Henry IV part one, Henry IV part two, and Henry V). The actor playing Falstaff is fantastic! He alone is worth buying the set. I will say, however, that the BBC shied away from producing Henry V in its entirety, and therefore -- as usual with the production of this play -- made the play more patriotic than Shakespeare's in-tact play. If that were not the norm, it might be worth taking away half a star from the overall review.
Overall, well worth watching! And also a gem to show students!"
Great gift
T. Arbolaez | Lakeland, FL United States | 12/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This turned out to be a great gift for the Shakespeare Histories lover in the family. I like the comedies and, after her rave reviews of the histories, am thinking about purchasing the Shakespeare Comedies set for myself. The plastic was a little ripped when it arrived, but otherwise it looked great and arrived in plenty of time for the holidays."