King and Conqueror is what?
King and Conqueror is a TV series in eight parts on Sundays and Mondays on BBC1 about the conflict between Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy. I expect the final part will cover the Battle of Hastings, but I could be in for a surprise. There are things to like and things that disappoint. There is also something that is good but irritating.
What do I like about it?
Firstly, it begins a few years before Hastings and introduces the two antagonists, their families and their backstories. Usually, accounts of this well-known conflict begin near the end and tend to show it as the Good Guy versus the Bad Guy. This looks like being more thoughtful as well as giving us a couple of exciting and intertwining yarns. I knew hardly anything about the years in question until now and find it refreshing. I have never written about this period in British history. In fact, I covered almost every other era in my collection of short stories, Geoffrey’s Historical Shorts. See my previous post. Perhaps I will do some research and include 1066 in my next collection.
The period covered by King and Conqueror is one of the few omitted.
Secondly, there are some good actors, both familiar and unknown, bringing the story to life. James Norton never disappoints and I expect we will see more of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Thirdly, the women in the story are not passive observers or victims, but active players, often manipulating the men, especially the weak King Edward the Confessor. Was he really so spineless and unprincipled?
I was also pleased to see the horses all looked like big shaggy ponies, which is more realistic than the classy animals we so often see in historical dramas, regardless of the period.
What do I not like?
The production! The producer appears to be of the mud-and-rags school of film-making, where everyone looks like a scarecrow, apart from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has a nice set of bright, clean robes.
The lighting. It is always dark. OK this story took place before someone invented the electric light, but they had invented the candle by then. Even the outdoor scenes are usually in shady woods or on dull days.
There are a lot of characters and it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. This may improve as we get used to them, but it’s a bad start. Whilst I am pleased they are giving unknown actors a chance, I could follow the story more easily if I could see more familiar faces, especially when there are so many. More distinctive clothing would also help.
What was good and irritating at once?
The drama follows both William and Harold. Sometimes they are in the same scene, but mostly not. The story frequently flips between one location and another, mainly, but not only, England and Normandy, It is good to see events unfolding at about the same time in the lives of the two main characters. However, it is confusing, as the scenery, both indoors and outdoors, is rather similar, especially in the dark. Captions sometimes appear on screen to tell us where we are, but not often enough and you can easily miss one if you look away (or blink).
Will I continue watching King and Conqueror?
At present, that is my intention, as I am interested in the story, even though I know how it ends. My overall reaction is of disappointment, because I think the producers have missed an opportunity. A better production could have done justice to the script and the acting.
NB – Warning
There’s some strong language and a few (so far) scenes of extreme violence and torture. I don’t object, because they are probably true to the actual events in a violent time, but you may need to look away at times.