Henry V

Plot synopsis:
We see a panorama of London in 1600 and travel to the Globe Theatre where the audience is being seated. The Chorus (Leslie Banks) enters and implores the audience to use their imagination to visualise the setting of the play. We then see, up on a balcony, two clergymen, The Archbishop of Canterbury (Felix Aylmer), and the Bishop of Ely (Robert Helpmann) discussing the current affairs of state. Henry (Laurence Olivier) then enters, and discusses with his nobles the state of France. A gift is delivered to Henry from the French Dauphin. The gift turns out to be tennis balls, a jibe at Henry's youth and inexperience. Offended, Henry sends the French ambassador away, and prepares to claim the French throne, a throne that he believes is rightfully his.
We then see characters from Shakespeare's Henry IV plays: Corporal Nym (Frederick Cooper), Bardolph (Roy Emerton), and Pistol (Robert Newton). These characters resolve to join Henry's army, however, before they do, Falstaff (George Robey), another returning character, and one of the King's former mentors, dies. At this point, the film gradually ceases to be located in the Globe Theatre; instead the scenes are performed in stylised film sets reminiscent of a medieval Book of Hours.
At Southampton, the fleet embarks, and lands in France, beginning a campaign that tears through France to Harfleur, where Henry's forces lay siege. At the siege, Henry delivers his first rousing speech to his troops: "Once more... unto the breach! Dear friends, once more!" The troops charge on Harfleur, and take it as their own.
The troops then march to Agincourt, meeting the French forces. Before the impending battle, Henry wanders around the camp in disguise, to find out what the men think of him. The next day, before the battle, Henry delivers his famous Saint Crispin's Day speech. The Battle of Agincourt then commences. This sequence is filmed on location in a realist style, unlike the stylised sets seen previously; however, the Technicolor is still very bright and somewhat larger than life, unlike the same scene in the later Kenneth Branagh version. The English archers let forth a volley of arrows that cuts deeply into the French numbers. The French, weighed down by their heavy armour, are caught in the fresh mud of the field, and are bogged down, which gives the English troops ample opportunity to ride out and fight them on equal terms. The French Dauphin (Max Adrian), seeing this disadvantage, watches as several bodyguards and noblemen including the Constable of France ride toward the English camp and kills all the boys and squires, prompting a tearful Fluellen to state that 'this is expressly against the law of arms'. Henry is angered by this and rides out to meet the French Constable (Leo Genn). Fighting each other, one-on-one, swords in hand, the Constable strikes Henry in the head, shaking him. Henry turns and continues to fight the Constable, who sheaths his sword in favour of a mace. The Constable then strikes Henry's hand, causing him to drop his sword. Henry, now disarmed, lashes out and strikes the Constable in the face with his gauntlet, causing him to fall to the ground and presumably killing him.
The battle is won. Henry then proceeds to court the Princess Katherine (Renée Asherson); the film now returns to the stylised sets. Henry woos Katherine, and France is now under the control of England, as the French King, Charles VI adopts Henry as his successor. In the final moments of the play, we return to the Globe Theatre again, and the actors take their bows.

Tags: realism, violence, flashback, action, tragedy, historical

Review:
But fitting.Branagh's Henry finally set a tone worth to succeed the initial awesome blast unleashed by the most powerful actor for generations, and I'm sure Branagh would be the last to deny Olivier's version the place it deserves in British movie history.
Times were ripe for another tone - but times before had needed Olivier as much as the following ages will need Branagh.I'm an obsessive fan of both versions - both for entirely different reasons - and both merging perfectly what I love most about Shakespeare's eternal works.Branagh's film is timeless - of this time - without ever being trendy.
Where Olivier conjured up the intoxicating smell of fresh 15th century glue from the sets rising into the audience's noses, come here straight from the bear fights, whore houses, sermons of zealots and whatever had to flee London's stern moral walls of those times, Branagh cut right to the bone of any hardened 'modern' movie goer.Behold: Derek Jacoby's prologue is a piece of speech which will forever haunt, enchant and cover me in goosebumps - firing me up to see what comes as well as see what Olivier as well as Branagh had done with the only play ever to merge humanity's lust as well as dread for the subject of war.Of course, Olivier's version couldn't even dream of matching the intimate intensity of Branagh's.
and off we are, lured into the torrent of the bard's unique and eternal magic.I consider Henry V the best of Branagh's Shakespeare adaptations, even though I wouldn't want to be with any of the others on pain of death.
Apparently mercy towards your own countrymen was not a virtue that Henry saw particularly important.The films greatest attribute is its soundtrack, particularly the use of music in the scene following the battle of Agincourt in which the warring parties collect their dead for burial.All in all, a fascinating look inside the mind of a king..
(Is it possible Henry V was written during the time of England's battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588?) Kenneth Branagh has taken Shakespeare's overly patriotic play and forged a piece that combines the stunning visuals of Hollywood film-making with the high-culture of William Shakespeare into a movie of stunning magnitude that seems nearly incomparable, with the possible exception of Zeffirlli's "Romeo and Juliet".
Excellent return to Shakespeare's young King Henry with 28 year old Branagh perfectly filling the shoes Olivier tried so hard to fill 40 plus years before.
Branagh, who also directed, brings the film to life with exciting battle scenes, a first rate supporting cast that features the fine Shakespearean veteran Jacobi as the Chorus.
And importantly, Branagh also convinces utterly in the romantic wooing of the French princess.Naturally enough, the film focuses on the main actor playing Henry, but the supporting actors are also excellent.
The director does an admirable job of making every scene seem plausible - with slight suspension of disbelief - on stage.Kenneth Branagh, while he strikes me as a bit full of himself, is fantastic as the young, vain, ambitious title character, while Paul Scofield, Henry's French counterpart, delivers an equally impressive performance as the king who understands the gravity of Henry's invasion of France.Aside from Shakespeare's obvious bias toward British interests - which have little to do with the big-screen production - this is an amazing film..
Branagh's Henry V does more justice to the many facets of Shakespeare's words and reminds us of how good the Bard was at spinning a good yarn.Some of the best English actors take their turn here.
Clearly this was a watershed in his life as some of the ideas from that production transferred into his own film, five years later.Branagh is a mud-spattered, ordinary Joe, a king who like nothing more than the blood and sweat of battle.
Taking Henry out of the confines of the play within a play (which tended to stagnate the 1944 film) was a good move.This is definitely the best Shakespeare film to involve Branagh, standing head and shoulders above this bloated Hamlet, the crass Love's Labour's Lost, the trite Much Ado. In his cast are Derek Jacobi (a memorable Chorus), Emma Thompson (disappointing as the future Queen), Richard Briers (excellent as Bardolph), Ian Holm (reliable as Fluellen), and (inspired casting) Michael Williams as Williams.A clever Henry V, then, with costumes for the period, but a relevance to the times.
He plays a key part in this ply as the only character who meets both English and French leaders until after the battle.His shock and awe in the tennis balls scene when her realises that Henry isn't a silly young man is terrific.Great film.
While not much of an historical expert on Henry V and not having even personally read Shakespeare's play, I presume this film, from its appearance, to be quite a stellar adaptation.
The scene where the surviving soldiers from each side collect their dead from the battlefield for burial is a vivid depiction of the tragedy of war.This Shakespearean play made for all time, whether accurately or not, a noble and just hero out of the historical figure Henry V (just as Shakespeare firmly established Richard III as a villain).
From my amateur perspective, Kenneth Branagh gives a brilliant performance in all facets of the king's action, whether back in England dealing with political / military issues following an insult by the King of France, eventually at the end wooing the French princess (daughter of said French king), and most especially rallying his weary, demoralized troops at Agincourt.Of course the English victory at the bloody Battle of Agincourt, despite superior numbers of French forces, is legendary.
This soldier was in fact Falstaff, whom I recall vividly as 'Prince Hal's' (later Henry V's) friend from the earlier play, Henry IV, Part I, which I DID read in school, so found the incident particularly touching.However, for me the scenes of Henry hobnobbing incognito with his troops before the battle, his own conflicted emotions about his military decisions, and the subsequent rousing St. Crispian's speech are indeed the definite highlights in this memorable adaptation..
A gritty (in a BBC sense of the word) take on Shakespeare's mostly tedious historical play, "Henry V" gives far too much power to one man in the worst way that Branagh repeated so often to such bewildering acclaim.
(I am a fan of ol' Will, but his history plays are some of the most tedious dramas ever to plague the page.) If you're a fan of the kind of epic battle scenes of films as diverse as "Platoon" and "Gladiator," you'll definitely enjoy that aspect of the movie.
Part of it was the acting, almost no one putting in a worthy performance (Branagh himself much too flat for me to think he was once a misguided prince and is now a noble king) -- though I have to admit I loved the actor who played the chorus.
The scene where Henry walks among his men the night before battle to gage their mood is Branagh at his finest.The St. Crispin's Day speech to rally those same troops the next morning is delivered with the correct pace and vigor.
Much better than the flawed Hamlet Branagh produced later, this epic piece is just right - good Shakespeare faithful to the book, good cinematography, good acting, and a great lead performance.Roman Polanski is said to have told Jack Nicholson on the set of Chinatown that in order to execute the shooting script in a reasonable running time, he had to "talk faster." I wonder if Roman was on the set of Henry V, or every filming of Shakespreare for that matter.
A Good "Televised" Play (i.e. a British film) For a master class on adapting Shakespeare to cinema you need to watch Akira Kurosawa's seminal "Throne of blood".This film is entertaining, but it's not cinema it's a very long TV drama (if you liked the BBC's Robin Hood series you'll love this).For anyone who's coming to Shakespeare for the first time I'd recommend Olivier's version.
Most importantly Olivier brings out the beauty of Shakespears words (the spine tingling soliloquy in Henry's nighttime tour of the camp?).Branagh's version is neither a film or a play.
A bit like being server a steak you really wanted to tuck into, but cant as someone's covered it in tomato sauce and half a pound of salt.Although there are some funny bits e.g.Derek Jacobi doing Marty DiBergi "introduction to Spinal Tap" at the start.It's also very 80's (e.g. Branagh's hair cut) - When he's asked if he's Cornishman I half expected him to answer, "No I am from Hampstead"Derek Jacobi (with thespian scarf) on the White Cliff of Dover doing Michael Palin's Ripping Yarns "You know, I think it was G.K. Chesterton, who once said..." (Tomkinson's schooldays)Required watching I imagine for all those poor high school students who are forced to learn Shakespeare...(I award it 1 only to try and introduce some sanity to the overall rating.
And, naturally enough, Branagh stars as Henry V.This is an excellent version of Shakespeare's most famous history play.
(The film won an Oscar for best costume design.)Branagh's Henry V--unlike Sir Laurence Olivier's--is less about patriotism and more about leadership.
The film builds up to the historic battle of Agincourt with the troops and the king camping together and making progress across the land, with the French armies preparing for battle as King Henry and his men go from battle to camp to battle on the way to right the wrong of offence caused to England by France.When I saw the slightly more famous version of this story from Lawrence Olivier I must admit that I liked it but struggled with simply it was delivered and how the focus was flag-waving.
At times the cinematography looks drab and does seem like it belongs on the television rather than the cinema but, credit where it is due, the Agincourt battle is impressive regardless of the restrains on it.Where the film is better than Olivier's is in the delivery of the language and the direction of the material.
(I couldn't help wondering why Harry is carrying a random corpse -- apparently one of the dead 'boys' -- since if the intent is to suggest that we are equally to mourn the dead French, having him slog across a wasteland of corpses with one of his own men on his back rather nullifies the implication.) I was also confused when the archers are shown firing INTO the mêlée, where they cannot possibly discriminate between friend and foe; either the arrows are going to a completely different destination from the combat between which these scenes are cut, or the director just thought it would look good without realising the lethal effect of such volleys.
In the context of his film as a whole, this final scene appears as a distinctly disjointed coda to an otherwise downbeat production: Branagh's "Henry V" is all about the run-up to the big battle sequences, and there's an almost palpable feeling of "Now, here we are" as the fight is about to begin.
Good quality simple story telling Easy to watch, easy to understand, (just what the original playwright intended...) And by far the best St Crispen's day speech I have ever had the fortune to see/hear (its worth renting the DVD just to hear this speech - the 'Once more into the breech' speech didn't do anything for me) Proof that Shakespeare can be just as an enthralling blockbuster today as it was when it was first performed Also Proof that you don't need a mega-budget to make a fantastic film (including the fantastic battle scene that was apparently filmed on a playing field) (The endings a bit naff, but who cares!) Many thanks to the (well-known) airline that provide a huge archive of old films for in-flight entertainment By far the best film I have ever see Kenneth Branagh in Go see it and ENJOY!!!.
Whilst Branagh's recreation of the hand to hand fighting was vastly more realistic, Olivier's film give a much clearer impression of the vital role played by Henry's archers and is primarily why, from a historical point of view, I prefer his version (even though it shows the English army after the battle looking little more dishevelled than they would be after a parade.).
Wonderful achievement in cinema is Henry V.Just imagine the play of Shakespeare comes to life in front of our eyes with the same dialogs used in the play itself.This is truly a great achievement.The might of the theater comes to us,presented to us in no other better way.Kenneth Branagh,wow what a vision he has.I can't even believe he himself directed this & acted as Henry V himself.His greatest role of his career.Such is his presence that in every scene he adds something new.The motivational speeches that he gives are truly motivating & could encourage anyone to go for battle with fierce force.His speech before the end fight is just so good that it surpasses even Braveheart motivational speech.Henry's fear comes alive as his bloody conquest just destroys many.He cries in few scenes & that brings cinema alive.I still can't get forget his last speech.The way he says "We few,we happy few".Truly emotionally moving.Henry V,most people wont understand due to the use of Shakesperean language & too fast vocabulary usage.But try to feel the movie with a vision of a king.Kenneth Branagh brings to us an incredible cinema..
Fortunately for Kenneth Branagh that's exactly what the role itself calls for, and in his debut as a director the 29-year old actor attempts, like Henry himself, to impress his friends and overwhelm his foes by the sheer regal impact of his personality.
I like Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare films, and Henry V is one of his better ones.
The music fits each scene very well and doesn't fall into the trap of being too melodramatic.The film like the play has a fine, compelling story that makes you feel all sorts of emotions, and the dialogue is wonderful.
Branagh's directorial flair has a lot of vigour to it, and the Battle of Agincourt especially is very evocatively staged.The performances are uniformly good, Branagh is particularly impressive in the title role and the supporting cast are all fine Derek Jacobi coming off best in yet another one of his great performances.
The play does, however, contain some of Shakespeare's most magnificent poetry and some of his greatest set-piece speeches, mostly put into the mouth of Henry himself, and makes a very tempting role for Shakespearean actors.Branagh's film is very different to Olivier's.
Other noteworthy performances come from Derek Jacobi as the Chorus, Branagh's then wife Emma Thompson as Princess Katherine, the larger-than-life Brian Blessed as the Duke of Exeter, Ian Holm as Fluellen, Paul Scofield as King Charles VI of France (not played as mad in this production, although he undoubtedly was in reality), Robbie Coltrane Falstaff (shown here in flashback, although he does not actually appear in the play) and the normally genial Richard Briers, here cast against type, as the rascally Bardolph.
There may be one or two scenes to have to focus on if you're not prepared for the Bard's rapid-fire turns of phrases or delicate touches within a single sentence (or, for that matter, if you haven't simply read the play or even seen Olivier's version as I hadn't), but in general this *is* Shakespeare for an audience that would normally not go much near it.It isn't entirely as "mainstream" as say Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet, but maybe it doesn't need to be all the way.
It's a masterpiece in very sense of the word.Kenneth Branagh plays Henry V, a young king thrown onto the throne.
We never see his face until we see him sitting relaxedly on his throne, "like a scrubbed little boy."  Branagh has interpreted Shakespeare's work VERY VERY well; he understands Henry's spiral into isolation and what it means to be King.
Kenneth Branagh's film of "Henry V" is yet another testament to the timelessness of Shakespeare's verse.
Superb film version of the classic Shakespeare play that stars 28 year old Branaugh as the youthful king.
...and all tales of the Hundred Years' War must be retold in the light of new evidence, because it is now abundantly clear that the true reason that the battle of Agincourt was fought was to allow Kenneth Branagh to play and direct Shakespeare's Henry V.
While the rousing calls to arms, such as in the Crispin's Day speech, make you want to join the battle yourself, Henry's survey of the bloodied battlefield serves as a strong counterpoint in depicting the horrors of war.Some mention has been made of Derek Jacobi as a "contemporary" narrator, although this is no different than would have been the case in Shakespeare's time.
Branagh maintains the King and his subjects in their own time, but his use of a modern chorus is no more anachronistic than one would have been in the Globe, as Shakespeare and Hal were themselves separated by over 100 years.The film makes the opening chorus monologue a miracle of understatement, as we no longer must heed the narrator's plea to "piece out imperfections with (our) thoughts", as the full splendor of the screen takes up where a stage rendition must "into a thousand parts divide one man".
This film is an adaptation of a play written by William Shakespeare, and was the cinematographic debut of Kenneth Branagh.
This is a gritty film adaption of Shakespeare play of the English King Henry V (Kenneth Branagh) and his battles in France.
The gritty adaption of William Shakespeare's play about the English King's bloody conquest of France.Why is Kenneth Branagh so amazing?
A great story, superb cast and flawless direction makes Henry V a film Shakespeare would love..
The film makes the historic battle's outcome entirely believable.The other moving speech King Henry gives is to the French princess, and his future queen, Katherine (played by Emma Thompson).