Henry V.

In America, and probably most of the Western world, we are all introduced to the works of William Shakespeare by force. For reasons unknown to us at the time, we're made to read (or follow along with) these ancient plays as some kind of obligatory checkmark in our school careers. Whether Shakespeare was taught to us by teachers who are passionate fans of the material or, more likely, dutiful nannies, it seems we have all started into the world of Shakespeare from the same point. We take for granted why Shakespeare is considered essential. It always begins, for all of us, as boring, incomprehensible Ye Olde English homework, and nothing more.

And then you see something that convinces you otherwise. For me, it was a field trip to the American Players Theatre for AP English class when I was 16. The play was The Taming of the Shrew. I couldn't tell you what the play was about, I couldn't name to you a single character from memory, but what I do remember is the excitement of watching actors take Shakespeare seriously. Even in a comedy, I could see passion in the performances. This wasn't 14-year-olds reciting "What light through yonder window breaks" in apathetic monotone, this was professionals who made Shakespeare's words sing, almost literally. It was an honest-to-God compelling show, and the first time I remember actually wanting to enjoy Shakespeare. I was with a crowd of people who seemed to get it. They laughed at the right times and they seemed to follow along with the story. If The Taming of the Shrew didn't spark in me a love for Shakespeare, it at least sparked a real interest.

But onto my main point; Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Henry V is the type of thing to spark even more than an interest in Shakespeare for those who were like me. All that business I encountered 9 years ago, the taking it seriously, the passion, the elaborate staging and electricity of a crowd who loved Shakespeare; all those feelings are magnified in Henry V. Here is a movie, Branagh's first ever, that so confidently "gets" Shakespeare, that it ends up an unconditional triumph.

The major achievement of Henry V, the story of the young English King's valiant attempt to lead an outnumbered force into the Battle of Agincourt, is that word; 'unconditional'. Here we have Shakespeare's prose, his setting, his characters. The movie is without modern punch-ups or any attempts to orient us by re-figuring the story. Barring modern-set narration by Derek Jacobi, Henry V is Straight 'Speare. And somehow, there are no excuses you have to make for Henry V. You don't have to put on the qualifiers, "Shakespeare's language is tough to understand", "Knowing English history would make things clearer", "You need to know the context of the era". No, Branagh overcomes these obstacles with three huge elements: knowledge, passion and artistry.

Firstly, his understanding of Henry V does wonders. I've never seen or read the play, I don't know what I'm talking about, but still, I can see that Branagh the actor and Branagh the director believe in what they are saying and showing. Maybe it's just a trick of the performance, but when King Henry bellows out the St. Crispin's Day speech, and Patrick Doyle's music swells, it's an ecstatic moment. I don't need someone to explain to me what every word means because Branagh knows it for me. You follow his performance through the film almost like an emotional translator. That's the passion I mentioned. Kenneth Branagh is wildly excited to share his love for Shakespeare with the audience and the same goes for the supporting cast. The memo got to Emma Thompson, Ian Holm, Brian Blessed and the rest; "This is fun, this is exciting. Play it so."

Then, most importantly, there is Branagh's direction. This is no filmed stage play, and that's a shameful understatement. In fact, Henry V is a stunning piece of cinematic Cin-E-ma. Robust, bold, and gorgeously mounted, Henry V's visual style is in the same league as the very best historical epics. We're talking Braveheart-level artistry from Branagh, who opens the movie on a One Perfect Shot stunner and barely lets up until the final battle. And what a battle his Agincourt is. One does not expect this kind of scope, brutality, and muddy, bloody catharsis out of a Shakespeare adaptation. Doyle's aforementioned music is incredible, marrying so perfectly to the rousing action.

This Henry V is a Movie movie. Not a quiet and respectful "film adaptation" but an engrossing, stand-up-and-cheer prestige action adventure. That it does this with all the Shakespearian elements intact is its greatest feat. No need for samurai stand-ins or translated dialogue or a modern day setting, this is Shakespeare, straight-up, and it rocks! Seeing Kenneth Branagh's enthusiastic debut film is enough to make you rethink those old high school prejudices. How can a movie with so many 'wherefore's and 'thou's be so badass?

92/100

As famous as Olivier's Henry V was, it was sorely outdated and as part of a war effort, it was predictably one-dimensional. 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. Scofield is in his element, playing a distracted French monarch. Ian Holm is an irascible (isn't he always?) Fluellen. Derek Jacobi is a master chorus (you can listen to that voice ALL day). Judi Dench is a soft hearted Nell who's seen better days. Branagh himself puts forward energetic vitality to the lead role. However, it IS rather difficult to look past the very English look Emma Thompson has in her portrayal of a French princess - but that's no fault of hers.

8 out of 10

The unique think about this film is that there aren't any weak performance amongst any of the actors, however small their role.

One actor I feels merits a mention is Christopher Ravenscroft for his portrayal of the French Herald, Mountjoy. 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. I've got on video and watch two or three times a year. My teenage sons were gripped by it. This is the way to introduce teenagers to Shakespeare.

Catherine

When this movie was first released, I was living in Memphis, Tennessee, not exactly the most cine-literate city in the world, and it was only showing at one theatre in town- luckily, it was right next door to where I worked. I decided to see the late show one night after work, and was so totally blown away that I saw it every night for the next four days, in one case even getting off work early to catch it. As the first directorial outing for Kenneth Branagh, it must surely rank among the most impressive directorial debuts in history. I don't feel that I'd be overstating my point to say that not since Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" was a directorial debut so impressive. From Derek Jacobi's brilliant opening soliloquy as The Chorus to the climactic battle sequence and the following sequence of King Henry's surveying of the carnage on the battlefield, this is a film that never lags, owing to Branagh's willingness to excise certain sequences that don't translate well to film- a move that Olivier was unwilling to make for his production of Henry V back in the 40's. This film totally altered the way I thought of Shakespeare- I went from looking at a Shakespearean work as being full of literary merit, but of dubious entertainment value. However, after this film, and followed soon after by "Hamlet" with Mel Gibson and "Prospero's Books" with Sir John Gielgud, I came to realize the full entertainment value of Shakespearean story, long before the recent Shakespeare explosion brought on by the Romeo and Juliet music video with Leonardo DeCaprio.

Let's get one thing straight: It was Olivier who finally cracked the concrete heads of film producers open and proved that it was possible to put the bard of bards on screen without even an American audience falling asleep after 10 minutes. Sure, after all this time his Henry looks ancient, pretentious and artificial, but so will Blade Runner after 50 years, and still both mark a watershed after which none could be done like anything before. Odd comparisons? Maybe. 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. Olivier's is timeless - as well as of its time - as long as we keep an understanding of its time.

Olivier praised the eternal flame, the eternal smell, of Shakesperean theater, as always reaching far beyond the confinds of its subject - beyond the confinds of the wooden circle of 'The Globe'.

Branagh went right for the jugular, without ever loosing grip on what makes this play a play beyond its subject, and THE play about that subject.

Has anyone considered the vital difference between Branagh's and Olivier's versions? I doubt it. 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. But how could it?

Ok, I won't further dwell on it, but for the last time, consider the father to fully understand the son.

Now, having shed the overpowering shadows of the past, Derek Jacoby steps into the dark of the expecting stage - striking a match...,

"Oh, for the muse of fire..." ... 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. This one's flawless, perfectly cast, perfectly executed and perfectly acted by Branagh himself.

From Burbage to Garrick to Keane to Inving to Olivier to Branagh... it is a glorious lineage to follow in love and admiration for the bard of Bard's ambassadors.



Schogger13