[Tweeters] falconry in "Hamnet" movie

[Charlene via Tweeters]

I thought the exact same thing!  Such an odd choice! They really dropped
the ball.
I also liked the accuracy of the dirt fingernails. 😄
My friend and I thought we heard a red-tailed hawk cry twice in the film
though.

On Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 9:19 PM Nancy Crowell via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> Hi Gary - what a gun bird-geeky film review! Love it!

>

> Nancy

>

> Nancy

> "Images for the imagination."

> www.crowellphotography.com

> ------------------------------

> *From:* Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf

> of Gary Bletsch via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Sent:* Sunday, January 25, 2026 3:25:51 PM

> *To:* Tweeters Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Subject:* [Tweeters] falconry in "Hamnet" movie

>

> Dear Tweeters,

>

> The movie *Hamnet *will presumably win some Oscars this March. I just sat

> through it. It wasn't bad, although I think I still prefer *Shakespeare

> in Love. *

>

> That said, the beginning of the movie had me scratching my head. The

> leading lady, a falconer of sorts, was flying a Harris's Hawk. "Wait," I

> thought, " Harris's Hawk? I thought this was a movie about Shakespeare!"

>

> I went home and checked. Sure enough, there weren't any Harris's Hawks

> being flown in Europe until well over two centuries after Shakespeare's

> death.

>

> This movie was filmed in Britain. The woodland birds that I heard on the

> soundtrack sounded like British birds to me. That was a pleasant surprise,

> since most movies feature Red-tailed Hawks and California Quails

> vocalizing, no matter on what continent the plots transpires.

>

> There were all sorts of other nice details in this film that the producers

> got right--even down to the prevalence of filthy fingernails!

>

> There are lots of falconers in Britain. Certainly, the Harris's Hawk is

> one of the most popular choices for falconers there, but he production team

> could have found any number of birds that would have been available there

> in Shakespeare's time, so  Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Eurasian

> Goshawk, Saker, Peregrine, Eurasian Kestrel, and so forth.

>

> Sheesh, Mr. Spielberg!

>

> Yours truly,

>

> Gary Bletsch

>

>

>

>

>

>

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