Henry V

This was Branagh's directorial debut, and it was extremely well done. Branagh brings Shakespeare's text to life with a cast of experienced Shakspearean actors.I've always found the Elizabethan English difficult to follow on the page, but when properly acted, it becomes much more accessible. You may not understand everything said, but you can easily follow the plot when it's properly acted. This is where many productions fall flat: the actors in many other productions don't truly understand the lines they are speaking (the Baz Luhrmann Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a prime example of this - DiCaprio came off as a kid who hadn't done his homework and didn't know what the lines he was speaking meant). Branagh's cast has no trouble here conveying the meaning.The cast is an all-star who's who of Shakesperean actors. Branagh himself playing the lead, Brian Blessed's imposing size and booming voice brings to life the King's uncle, the Duke of Exeter, Emma Thompson as princess Katherine of France, Ian Holm as Captain Fluellen, Judi Dench as Mistress Quickly, and a very young Christian Bale as the boy. But the most masterful performance, methinks, is that of Derek Jacobi in the role of the Chorus, who, dressed in modern clothing, flits in and out of the play, almost like an historian narrating the story.The story, of course, is that of the key events in the reign of Henry V, one of the greatest heroes in English history, generally as Shakespeare pulled it from the Chronicles of Holinshed. The story takes place during the Hundred Years War. Henry is fighting to reclaim the throne of France, which should belong to the king of England by inheritance. The play opens with the Bishop of Canterbury explaining to the king how he has true claim to the crown. This is immediately followed by the French Ambassador who brings to the king a present from the Dauphin, the French prince who is first in line to the throne, who mocks Henry's youth and reputation as an undisciplined youth. The king resolves to bring the fight back to France, and begins the preparations. This leads first to the siege of Harfleur, in which the English captured the port city after a protracted battle. History tells us the siege ended in late September, which left little remaining time to campaign in France before winter. Henry chooses to march his troops to the English stronghold at Calais.The climactic scene comes in the fourth act, as Henry's forces are blocked outside the village of Azincourt. There, outnumbered five to one, Henry's exhausted troops, weary from sickness and a long march, fight against a numerically far superior French force made up of largely well-rested and fresh troops. Expecting to be thoroughly defeated, the English set up their defenses and await the French attack. The French, in their arrogance, expect to crush the English forces and capture the king. But , as is attested by history, the French ended up thoroughly routed, losing several thousand in the battle, many of which were nobility of high rank, while the English lose around 29 troops, four of which were nobility (history suggests the English losses were somewhat higher, but historians still put the number far lower than the French, around 600). The play ends with the negotiation of the Treaty of Troyes, whereby the crown of France is passed to the English monarchy upon the death of King Charles VI, and is marked with the giving of the hand of the King's daughter Katherine of Valois to Henry to become his queen.Mixed in with the main story is the story of some of Henry's former compatriots in his days before his ascent to the throne. These provide some comic relief along with the perspective of the lower-classes.There has been much discussion of the nature of king Henry V. Some consider him a war criminal, willing to shed blood to satisfy his greed. Others view him as an honest King with good intentions. I believe it is useless to apply this sort of interpretation to Shakespeare's play, which without question portrays Henry as a great hero of England. Whether or not he was, this is definitely Shakespeare's interpretation and it is a disservice to the text to portray it any other way.My only criticisms of the production are in the editing necessary to fit the play into a running time that fits a cinematic release. Branagh's editing is generally well done, but I feel some key lines are cut, as well as too much of the Chorus. Branagh also finds it necessary to graft in some lines from Henry IV to explain Henry's past. These are short passages, presented as flashbacks, and help provide some needed back story.On a more amusing note, the presentation of the St. Crispin's Day speech, one of Shakespeare's most often quoted, is done from the back of a cart, looking out over his troops as he delivers a rousing pep-talk immediately before a battle many of them expect to loose. If you fast-forward a few years, you will find the presentation of the President's speech before the climatic battle in Independence day done almost identically... though far less elegantly. Obviously the writer and/or director were inspired by Branagh's work.In the end, this is among the best cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare ever done, and is something anyone with an interest in Shakespeare should see.

For a first effort at feature-film direction, now-veteran director/writer/actor Kenneth Branagh provided an astonishing introduction to his many talents in filmmaking with his 1989 production, 'Henry V'. There is a gritty realism brought to the screen in this production that combines in dynamic and interesting ways with the Shakespearean dialogue and situations. The battle scenes are some of the best in cinema for depicting the kind of royal and knightly battles. A special commendation goes to cinematographer Kenneth MacMillan, art directors Martin Childs, Norman Dorme, John King, and costume designer Phyllis Dalton for combining elements of stage and screen together to complement the story perfectly without overpowering it. Indeed, the picture won the Oscar for Best Costumes; Branagh was nominated for Best Leading Actor and Best Director. The film and crew were nominated for and won many other awards as well.One of the problems of Shakespeare on the silver screen is that the situations, settings, and acting often ends up somewhat contrived. That rarely happens here, because of this remarkable team.The principle writing credit of course goes to William Shakespeare, but as is always the case, the play is recast to make the film medium more natural for the story. Kenneth Branagh is the one credited here, and has shown himself several times after this film as a master of adapting Shakespeare faithfully to the screen.The play itself is one of Shakespeare's history plays -- remember the broad three categories of Shakespeare: history, drama (some say tragedy), and comedy. Like most of the history plays, there is creative license taken with the actual history, as it is invariably adapted to make the present regime look good, credible and more legitimate. This explains why Richard III in Shakespeare is far more villainous than in actual life; in Henry V, the country had a great and (for the period) uncontroversial hero - the last king of England to be acknowledged the dominant power in Britain and in France, succeeding in unwinnable situations, and, as befits a good historical hero, dies young before he has the chance to destroy his image. The play has always been popular in times of national crisis - see Olivier's production of Henry V during World War II depicting the king as a national saviour against continental foes.The action of the play and film turns on the legitimacy of Henry's rule in France (an issue still for Elizabethan audiences, as Elizabeth was crowned with supposed rights to France). The French are depicted as haughty and disdainful of the young king (interesting how some things don't change), and the battle lines are drawn. The film here sets the stage for a far more ambiguous justification for war than is often depicted in the play, leaving the viewer wondering if, for all the glory of the battles, was there a real point, or was it legalistic/diplomatic trickery?There is also the interesting scene with the conspirators against the king, unmasked as the forces are about to depart for France. Cambridge, Scrope and Grey are exposed, but the dialogue and acting hints as a more intimate relationship with Henry V - possibly this references obliquely the rumours of homosexuality, or at least bisexuality, in the historical Henry.The players are excellent here, from Branagh himself as Henry V, and Brian Blessed his strong right arm Exeter. Paul Scofield (Thomas More in 'A Man for All Seasons') plays the ancient French king, Charles VI, and his son the Dauphin is played by Michael Maloney. This is, on the whole, a rather 'young' film, as Branagh himself was not yet 30 at the time of production, and most of his aides and friends in the play are similarly young, save for a few senior advisors. Emma Thompson, a staple in Branagh's films, plays the only significant female role, the princess Katherine, to whom Henry will be wed. Her part is almost entirely in French. Her maid, Alice, is played by Geraldine McEwan (perhaps best known from 'Mapp & Lucia').The famous speeches here are preserved; Branagh does a fantastic job with his spirit-raising monologue for the troops prior to the battle of Agincourt, on Crispin Crispian day. The speech on horseback in the early seige of Harfleur, 'once more into the breech!' is also remarkable. The lines delivered by all the actors are done with care and precision - Exeter's report to Henry at the opening ('tennis balls', said with great sneer) and to the French party ('scorn', said with so much scorn the word need not be spoken) are but a few examples of this.The film expands upon the play's use of Falstaff's companions as a comic relief, by incorporating what would be flash-back scenes from events in the Henry IV play cycle, premonitions of events currently in the play. Robbie Coltrane turns in a good performance as Falstaff; look for Judi Dench in a minor role as the Mistress, and a very young Christian Bale as the boy.The music for the film is triumphant, foreboding and dark. This is a wonderful score produced by Patrick Doyle, known for work on other Branagh films such as 'Dead Again' and 'Much Ado about Nothing', as well as other films such as 'Indochine' and literature-based films like 'Gosford Park' and 'Great Expectations'.Derek Jacobi, veteran Shakespearean, portrays 'Chorus', the narrator of the action, one who casts the right spirit from beginning to end, and appears throughout. There are few Shakespearean asides done by the actors here (a few under-the-breath comments that might qualify), but Jacobi's role is always directly to camera, directly to us as the spectators. The ending portrayed by Chorus is both victorious and tragic, much as the cycle of history must be.This is a glorious film.

Delivered on time and in like new condition.

Well done movie, brings Shakespeare to life

Everything by KB is bound to be excellent.

Due to incomplete product info, only after buying this bluray I found out that this is a region 1 disc. I live in Europa, so it is useless. Too bad such vital info is missing.

Je donne une très bonne évaluation à ce film, car je l'ai trouvé incroyable entre autres pour les scènes de bataille.Je l'ai acheté, même sachant qu'il n'y avait pas d'audio en français car je suis une fan d'histoire et je me débrouille assez bien dans la langue de Shakespeare !L'ambiance du film et l'interprétation des acteurs est incroyable, on plonge tout de suite dans l'action et on se croirait vraiment au XIVème siècle, pendant la guerre de Cent Ans.Je l'ai visionné deux fois car je ne comprenais pas tout la première fois, mais j'adore ce film, pour moi un chef-d'oeuvre.

比較的、英語の勉強になります。