Shakespeare Marathon, Part VIII: Henry IV, Part One

Witnessing the evolution from rogue to man of distinction is a pleasurable experience.  Nowhere is this more evident than in a re-reading of Henry IV, Part One. Hal, the young wastrel and disappointment to his father, is, along with Falstaff, the most distinct element of the play. Henry IV, Part One is yet another work completed in my quest to read and see performed all of Shakespeare's 37 plays. The only options I have for witnessing a performance of the text will be through the BBC series. One somewhat unorthodox alternative will be, of course, a viewing of Falstaff , or Chimes at Midnight (1966) by Orson Welles. One film that borrows much from the saga of young Prince Hal is My Own Private Idaho (1991), an updating of sorts set in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This filmconcerns a youth born into distinction who surrounds himself with Falstaffian elements that make up the world of male hustling. For now, I have had the pleasure of either watching or reading All's Well that Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Henry IV, Part One, Henry IV, Part Two and Henry V. As film adaptations go, I have not had the opportunity to move beyond the offerings of the BBC, although a viewing of As You Like It (1936) is in the works.