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Saturday October 8, 2022
The Lost King
I - along with the rest of the world it seems - was fascinated by the discovery of the last resting place of Richard III under a car park in Leicester in 2012. I have to admit that seeing the news footage of Philippa Langley shedding a few tears as they dug made me think she was a bit wet (no pun intended). However, after seeing this film I can see why she would do so.
Having said that, it is certain that she is an unusual woman; apart from anything else, her sheer obsession with the project is a bit weird (as even her imaginary Richard tells her). Although I don't swallow entirely whole the depictions in the film, I think she would definitely have had to put up with a lot of adversity during her single-minded mission - which single-mindedness she managed to sustain over quite a long period of research, which was not really made clear in the film. The Leicester University employees have complained about their characterisations - and I would say probably fairly because there is no doubt that Philippa could not have achieved any of the archaeological side of things without them - but equally, there is no doubt they would not have undertaken the dig without her obsession - and - probably more significantly - the sums of money she raised.
Also, I would comment on the Uni's strenuous denials about misogyny. I'm sure they don't suffer from "institutional misogyny" - and even in the context of the film I did not really see the portrayal of the designated "villain of the piece" as so very bad - neither for him nor the Uni. But I'm afraid that my experience tells me that the attitude of people (not only men) towards strange ladies with obsessions and strong emotional commitment - not to mention illnesses regarded by many as imaginary - are not always kind. I do believe it must have been hard to make academics, who, to be fair, are a bit strange themselves, as well as prone to pomposity (sorry but they are) listen to her. It could only have been improved if she'd lived alone with 27 with cats. [...and I speak as one who quite likes cats myself].
As to the historical makeover of Richard - I think this has long been accepted to one degree or another. I remember an exhibition in the 1970s of Plantagenet portraits where you can clearly see the "enhancements" by the Tudors to emphasise a hunch back for Richard - and when I heard a radio play of Josephine Tey's 1951 novel The Daughter of Time in the 1980s, I was wholly convinced by it. As I've already been inspired to watch the documentary Richard III: the King in the Car Park (narrated by Simon Farnaby), perhaps it's time I actually read Tey's novel itself...
Posted by Christina at 11:35 PM. Category: Art and Culture
