The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses: Richard III

"And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days."

A few years after Edward IV (Streatfeild) became the King of England, his younger brother Richard (Cumberbatch) is scheming to take the throne.  King Edward prefers their other brother, George, Duke of Clarence (Troughton), so Richard pays a soothsayer to convince the king that George is a threat.  George is imprisioned in the tower and murdered by Richard's assassins.  Richard blames Queen Elizabeth (Hawes) and her social-climnbing family and King Edward dies.

Richard is the Lord Protector for his young nephews: Prince Edward (Morley) and Prince Richard (Andrews).  As they prepare to crown Edward as the next king, Richard plots with his cousin, the Duke of Buckingham (Daniels).  They send the boys to the tower and remove/kill the opposition.  They also convince the other nobles that the boys are not legitimate heirs to the throne.  The nobility call for Richard to assume the throne and he is crowned King Richard III.  But the women in his life are not happy.  Queen Margaret (Okonedo), the widow of King Henry VI, wants revenge for the murders of her husband and son by Richard's hands, and she curses him.  Queen Elizabeth does not trust him and fears for her sons.  Her fears are shared by Richard's mother, Cecily (Dench), who despises her son.  And his wife, Queen Anne (Fox) wants no part in his life, as Richard killed her father, father-in-law, and first husband.  He also faces opposition from another claim to the throne, Richmond (Treadway), who is bringing an army.  Can Richard keep his throne?


This is the final film in the second series of the BBC's The Hollow Crown.  The first series is 4 films, based on the first 4 plays of William Shakespeare's the Henriad: Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V.  The second series of three films is based on Shakespeare's 4 plays about the war of the roses: Henry VI Part 1 (which is "Henry VI, Part 1" and the first half of "Henry VI, Part 2"), Henry VI Part 2 (the second part of "Henry VI, Part 2" and all of "Henry VI, Part 3"), and Richard III.

This film is Benedict Cumberbatch in all of his glory.  From the opening moments of the film, Cumberbatch directly addresses the camera/audience and reveals his plans.  His Richard is a master manipulator, always "on" and always playing a part.  As he dresses in the opening scene, he reveals his intentions to be the villain (in the quote above), and even as you watch him plan terrible things, you can't hep but be captivated by him.  He was the best part of the previous film and does not disappoint here.  He schemes and destroys, but not by his own hand (unlike the previous film).

He is joined by an excellent cast.  Once again Sophie Okonedo is strong and captivating as Queen Margaret.  Keeley Hawes gets to do a little more in this film, and holds her own.  Judi Dench is always excellent and is wonderful as Cecily, especially as she matches barbs with Cumberbatch.

Despite the high death count, we only see one murder (although there is some blood).  It is still a fascinating story and the perfect way to end the series.

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses: Richard III (2016) 130 minutes
Director: Dominic Cooke
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III
Judi Dench as Cecily, Duchess of York
Sophie Okonedo as Queen Margaret
Keeley Hawes as Queen Elizabeth
Geoffrey Streatfeild as Edward IV
Sam Troughton as George, Duke of Clarence
Ben Daniels as Duke of Buckingham
James Fleet as Lord Hastings
Phoebe Fox as Queen Anne
Luke Treadway as Richmond
Caspar Morley as Prince Edward
Isaac Andrews as Prince Richard
Paul Bazely as Catesby
Alan David as Bishop of Ely
Jo Stone-Fewings as Lord Stanley