Malia wrote:Oh man am I late to the party on this one! I am a HUGE Ben Whishaw fan and have been for a while now. Living in America, I was not able to see the Hollow Crown series on BBC and I see that it can only be purchased in a Britain-only DVD format online (SO not fair!). Thank God for Youtube--I have been able to see snapshots of the series (up to 15 minute segments) and, unsurprisingly, I was transported by Ben's performance as Richard II. I mean TRANSPORTED. He is definitely one of the best of the new generation of actors. What I would give to see him acting Shakespeare on stage! (What I'd give to get The Hollow Crown series in a format I can view! LOL) I read recently that one of his goals is to play a female in a Shakespearean play on stage. I expect, given his current trajectory, he will achieve that goal before long.
Have you all heard about Alice and Peter yet? Dame Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw on stage together. I think my knees are getting weak. If any of you Brits get to see them in London please write a review. These are two of my most favorite actors ever on stage together. If only we had such talent in America. Aside from Meryl Streep, I can hardly think of an American that has those kinds of chops.
Malia wrote:Thank you so much for giving me a way to see the entire Richard II, Ennis! I had no idea it was available in its full form. I can't wait to sit down to it and just drink it all in. I have been able to see the abdication scene on line--and the death scene--both were riveting. I cajoled my mom and dad into watching the abdication scene last night and my dad (who is not familiar with Ben or much Shakespeare) said he wished there were more. Of course, I sent them the link to the entire production.
In looking into this production a little further, I learned that part of the inspiration for this particular interpretation of Richard II was--of all people--Michael Jackson. It makes perfect sense in that both Jackson and Richard came to power as children. Being thrust into an adult world at a young age, one is bound to be psychologically stunted--creating, in effect, a kind of "man-child" who doesn't know himself enough to live much beyond the surface and "entertainment."
I was interested to read that, while Whishaw often says that once he's finished a character he quickly forgets him and moves on to the next role, he didn't quite forget Keats. I am not at all surprised by this, as he seems to have a similar artistic philosophy as Keats--esp. when it comes to "Negative Capability"--a quality that is absolutely necessary in the best of actors, in my opinion. I see in Keats's letters the thoughts of a man who would have absolutely become a great playwright, if he'd been given the chance. I think Keats had an actor's spirit in him and that reaches out over time to actors today.
Saturn wrote:Benedict Cumberbatch reading Ode to a nightingale, for those interested [and apologies to Ben obsessives for hijacking his thread]
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A ... ET2rSK&s=1
Malia wrote:I am crushed. The full version of Richard II you linked to on Youtube, Ennis, has been removed from Youtube due to copyright infringement! I just started watching it last night and was all prepared to finish it today. Now I'm gritting my teeth in frustration. It's like having two bites of the most fabulous cake in the world only to have someone snatch the fork from your mouth and cry, "no more cake for you!" Why in Hades can't we get this thing in the US??
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