The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (1944)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

17 June 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Laurence Olivier's Presentation in Technicolor of Henry V

Plot:

In the inspired Olivier concept, Shakespeare's play begins as a performance in the Globe Theatre, shifting...

Plot Keywords:

Globe Theatre | France | King | Princess | Henry V

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins

Cast

Leslie Banks	...	Chorus
Felix Aylmer	...	Archbishop of Canterbury
Robert Helpmann	...	Bishop of Ely
Vernon Greeves	...	The English Herald
Gerald Case	...	Earl of Westmoreland
Griffith Jones	...	Earl of Salisbury
Morland Graham	...	Sir Thomas Erpingham
Nicholas Hannen	...	Duke of Exeter
Michael Warre	...	Duke of Gloucester
Laurence Olivier	...	King Henry V of England
Ralph Truman	...	Mountjoy - The French Herald
Ernest Thesiger	...	Duke of Berri - French Ambassador
Frederick Cooper	...	Corporal Nym
Roy Emerton	...	Lieutenant Bardolph
Robert Newton	...	Ancient Pistol

Also Known As:

Henry V (UK) (short title)
Henry the Fift (UK) (short title)
Henry the Fifth (USA) (trailer title)

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #10900) | West Germany:16 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Two Cities Films

Trivia:

The filming of a battle scene was stopped in order for the company to watch while overhead a group of British fighters attacked a formation of German bombers on their way to bomb London. When the real battle passed out of sight, the movie battle resumed filming.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scenes taking place in the Globe Theatre, signboards are used to indicate changes of scene. Shakespeare's theatre wouldn't have used signboards because most of his audience could not read.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chorus: O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention; a kingdom for a stage, princes to act and monarchs to behold the swelling scene. Then should the war-like Harry, like himself, assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, leashed in like hounds...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Agincourt 1415: The Triumph of the Longbow (1993) (V)

Soundtrack:

Agincourt Hymn

Creative Adaptation of the Play

Laurence Olivier's production of Shakespeare's Henry V adds some creative and colorful touches to Olivier's usual fine performance in the lead role. Like the play itself, it's not as deep as the best of Olivier's Shakespeare films, but it works quite well and is an entertaining movie.

In the early scenes, the movie combines the play itself with a very detailed look at how the play would have been staged in Shakespeare's own day. It's very interesting, and is nicely done. It takes advantage of the slower parts in the early scenes to draw attention to the stage, the players, and the crowd, giving you a very good feel for what the theater was like then. Olivier also uses this device to liven up considerably the long historical discourse of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the play's second scene.

After the early scenes, when the real action begins, the movie wisely pulls away from the theater setting and concentrates on the story itself. Olivier is always good in this kind of role, and the photography and settings do a good job of setting off the action. It is noticeable, though, that Olivier chose to omit several scenes or portions of scenes that have some of the commands showing Henry's harsher characteristics, so that the movie concentrates much more on the king's heroic side. What's left still works fine, but it does lose a little depth without this balance. The rest of the cast is certainly adequate, though most of them are overshadowed by Henry. A couple of the exceptions are Robert Newton, very well cast as Pistol, and Esmond Knight, who works well as Fluellen.

Some minor aspects may keep it from being one of the best Shakespeare adaptations, but it's creative, distinctive, and good entertainment. You can rarely go wrong with anything that combines Olivier and Shakespeare.