The Wars of the Roses

Made over fifty years ago and (at last) available on DVD. Three discs,a lot of playing time and not a dull minute. Makers of the series did not have a huge budget to play with. And yet, they produced a masterpiece - possibly the finest televised version of any of Shakespeare's plays.

The series is an adaptation of the three Henry VI plays plus Richard III. One of the beauties of the production is the clarity of diction offered by the actors,combined with emotional intensity and intimacy in various soliloquies.

There are some wonderful character studies. A previous reviewer has already referred to David Warner's spellbinding performance as Henry VI. Peggy Ashcroft is superb as the vulnerable yet heroic and ferociously determined Queen Margaret. Ian Holm gave a master class in acting as Richard III. In truth there is not a dud performance in the series. As the accompanying booklet states the ensemble offers "some of the most glorious, focused, intelligent and moving Shakespearean acting that is available on screen".

Peter Hall really has worked these four plays together well and building on a really convincing performance from David Warner offers us a grand amalgam of Shakespeare's Henry VI and Richard III plays. There's history, tragedy, and comedy a-plenty as the tale starts amidst the Hundred Years War between England and France. Ostensibly, Henry VI (Warner) was king of both territories but that did little for the unity or stability of either. It is fair to say that the bard made the King into something a little lacking in politics or sharpness and with his increasingly conniving and vengeful wife Margaret of Anjou (Peggy Ashcroft) at his side we follow a story of manipulation, intrigue, betrayal, murder - indeed just about every vice known to humankind - all elements for which the King was ill-equipped to adequately or forcefully deal... Thus the white rose and the white rose vie for the throne creating a marvellously turbulent setting for the remainder of this drama to play out. Yes, it is presented in a very theatrical style with little by way of outdoor photography, but that dimly lit intensity coupled with plenty of tightly close photography delivers the story compellingly pretty much from the start. The abridgement misses little of substance as the scenario unfolds and the assembled ensemble of experienced and versatile RSC thespians delivers the gist of the dialogue passionately throughout. The visual standard of the production was never going to be great - but the quality of the acting delivery and the sheer vibrancy of the whole enterprise makes it a surprisingly easy compendium of human nature and nurture to watch.

David Warner and Dame Peggy Ashcroft are mesmerising as, respectively, King Henry VI, and his wife Margaret of Anjou, the She-Wolf of France in Peter Hall's legendary production of Shakespeare's cycle of plays about The Wars of the Roses.

Warner gives a performance that is indescribably sad as the saintly, depressed and mad king, (Shakespeare puts pearls of poetry into the mouth of a man who was effectively an imbecile) and equally, if not more memorable, is Ashcroft's depiction of the way Margaret descends from a figure of courage and steadfastness, into a monster of vengeance and terrifying cruelty. The brilliant decision of Ashcroft to give her Margaret a stutter adds tremendous poignancy to the character.

I haven't seen this monumental production of the complete Wars of the Roses cycle for many years ... it still haunts my memory, and I would give anything to see it again.