Henry V (1989)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Kenneth Branagh (adaptation)

Release Date:

8 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

The great adventure of a king who defied the odds to prove himself a man.

Plot:

The gritty adaption of William Shakespeare's play about the English King's bloody conquest of France.

Plot Keywords:

King | France | Battle | England | King Of France

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Derek Jacobi	...	Chorus
Kenneth Branagh	...	Henry V
Simon Shepherd	...	Gloucester
James Larkin	...	Bedford
Brian Blessed	...	Exeter
James Simmons	...	York
Charles Kay	...	Canterbury
Alec McCowen	...	Ely
Fabian Cartwright	...	Cambridge
Stephen Simms	...	Scroop
Jay Villiers	...	Grey
Edward Jewesbury	...	Erpingham
Ian Holm	...	Fluellen
Danny Webb	...	Gower (as Daniel Webb)
Jimmy Yuill	...	Jamy

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a bloody battle.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Crowlink, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Paul Scofield and Ian Holm would appear together again the very next year in _Hamlet (1990)(I)_. Their roles; as the Ghost and Polonius, respectively; would be played in director Kenneth Branagh's version by cast members Brian Blessed and Richard Briers.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the army crosses the river, rain is clearly falling into the water in the foreground but not in the background, which is glassy smooth.

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, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire crouch for employment.

Movie Connections:

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

A Kingly Feast for the Eyes and Ears

"Henry V" marks Kenneth Branagh's greatest achievement to date. Branagh not only directs this rich and visually stunning film, he stars as the title character. The movie opens with Derek Jacobi (Branagh's Shakespearean mentor) in modern garb passionately delivering the prologue. Then we are taken into the dark, dank rooms of Henry's castle. The king makes his dramatic entrance, complete with a Darth Vader style cape.

The entire film is filled with grandeur and pomp, with any faults in the story line being attributable more to Shakespeare himself than Branagh. Henry V as I remember it from my college English class is a decidingly pro-British play (and film). There is little question that France should be conquered, and Henry speaks of his war against France as if it were France that attacked England. Indeed, Henry's famous "St. Chrispin's day speech" is so rousing, that it has been quoted often and inspired the name of the "Band of Brothers" miniseries about World War II. This is no surprise, since Shakespeare's prose is famously beautiful.

There is definitely a difference in the way that both sides of the conflict are presented. The French, at least in Branagh's movie are presented as arrogant (and somewhat effeminate), while on the side of the English, even children are filled with manly courage. Henry is presented as noble, fair, and merciful. True he threatens the mayor of one French town, telling him that if he does not surrender the town, the English will do terrible things to its residents, but does not carry out his threat. He also hangs the one English soldier who steals from a French church, refusing to show favoritism for him just because he was his friend. 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.