MovieChat Forums > The Hollow Crown (2013) Discussion > Missed the mark with Falstaff

Missed the mark with Falstaff

posted 8 years ago by McKealty
5 replies | jump to latest

I'm by no means an expert, I'm more of a casual reader. I've read nearly all the plays and took about 3 semesters of Shakespeare in college.

That being said Falstaff seemed to fall flat for me. There are some really wonderful phrases and word play that Falstaff has in the texts and I think he's one of the richest, most vibrant characters. It seemed like he was played a little too straight and not as witty as I would have liked...or perhaps I don't have as good a grasp on the play as I had thought.

[–] lotte1942 8 years ago

I think they toned down humour of the plays noticeably and went into realistic, grim and very serious presentation of the plays. Went for more drama. But indeed it made Falstaff less funny in some aspects. But I loved the actor who played him.

[–] bazt-93964 8 years ago

Falstaff is a vacuous figure of fun in Shakespeare but in reality was something of a dashing knight.

[–] nephihaha 8 years ago

You're right. Falstaff is one of the most memorable characters in Shakespeare and least memorable here.
--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!

"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker

[–] tomcervo 7 years ago

You might enjoy this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOhq0AyRNjY
There's a new restoration by Criterion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAs2bL4Sasw

[–] the_reminder 7 years ago

Most of the reviews that I've seen agree that this joyless version of Falstaff missed the mark. Sure, the Falstaff character was egotistical, unconscionable, dishonest and opportunistic, as this production emphasizes, but the point of the character is that while being these things, he is ALSO charismatic, charming, funny, life-affirming and witty. Many of his lines that have been played for laughs for centuries are performed in a bizarrely humorless way in this production, in my opinion.

This portrayal also does not make sense psychologically -- why on earth would Prince Hal attach himself to this jerk and make him his surrogate father?