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Henry V

  • 1989
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 17m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
33K
YOUR RATING
Kenneth Branagh in Henry V (1989)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:15
6 Videos
61 Photos
EpicHistorical EpicPeriod DramaTragedyWar EpicBiographyDramaHistoryWar

In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.

  • Director
    • Kenneth Branagh
  • Writers
    • William Shakespeare
    • Kenneth Branagh
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Branagh
    • Derek Jacobi
    • Simon Shepherd
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    33K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Stars
      • Kenneth Branagh
      • Derek Jacobi
      • Simon Shepherd
    • 142User reviews
    • 50Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 12 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos6

    Henry V
    Trailer 2:15
    Henry V
    Bowl Cuts, Wild Accents, & an Epic Mud Battle: What to Watch After 'The King'
    Clip 4:17
    Bowl Cuts, Wild Accents, & an Epic Mud Battle: What to Watch After 'The King'
    Bowl Cuts, Wild Accents, & an Epic Mud Battle: What to Watch After 'The King'
    Clip 4:17
    Bowl Cuts, Wild Accents, & an Epic Mud Battle: What to Watch After 'The King'
    Henry V: St. Crispin's Day Speech
    Clip 3:23
    Henry V: St. Crispin's Day Speech
    Henry V: Duke Thomas Beaufort's Message
    Clip 3:41
    Henry V: Duke Thomas Beaufort's Message
    Henry V: Once More Unto The Breach
    Clip 2:29
    Henry V: Once More Unto The Breach
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies
    Interview 3:42
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies

    Photos61

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    Top cast50

    Edit
    Kenneth Branagh
    Kenneth Branagh
    • King Henry V
    Derek Jacobi
    Derek Jacobi
    • Chorus
    Simon Shepherd
    Simon Shepherd
    • Duke Humphrey of Gloucester
    James Larkin
    James Larkin
    • Duke John of Bedford
    Brian Blessed
    Brian Blessed
    • Duke Thomas Beaufort of Exeter
    James Simmons
    James Simmons
    • Duke Edward of York
    Paul Gregory
    Paul Gregory
    • Westmoreland
    Charles Kay
    Charles Kay
    • Archbishop of Canterbury
    Alec McCowen
    Alec McCowen
    • Bishop of Ely
    Fabian Cartwright
    • Earl Richard of Cambridge
    Stephen Simms
    • Lord Henry Scroop
    Jay Villiers
    Jay Villiers
    • Sir Thomas Grey
    Edward Jewesbury
    Edward Jewesbury
    • Sir Thomas Erpingham
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Captain Fluellen
    Danny Webb
    Danny Webb
    • Gower
    • (as Daniel Webb)
    Jimmy Yuill
    Jimmy Yuill
    • Jamy
    John Sessions
    John Sessions
    • Macmorris
    Shaun Prendergast
    Shaun Prendergast
    • Bates
    • Director
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews142

    7.532.7K
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    Featured reviews

    bob the moo

    Delivered with class, passion and meaning that makes up for the limits of budget and a bit of a "tv" feel

    With tensions between England and the arrogant French pushed to breaking point, King Henry the Fifth sets out with his armies to conquer and quell the French in their native land. 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. With Branagh's version I was amused by the fact that I got a lot more from it even though it was clearly made with a lot fewer resources to hand. The downside of this is that the film does not have the majesty and the sweep of the dialogue and scenes tend to be smaller and reliant on darkness. 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. Branagh brings out so much more of interest in the material than just national pride. He brings more of the story with the sense of pride countered with the horror of war, the reality of the lower classes and such. The only things I thought he should have dropped were both scenes that involved Katherine, the first was a bit out of step with his vision of the rest of the story, while the final scene makes for a weaker ending than should have been.

    The cast aids him greatly in bringing this approach out to its potential. Branagh himself leads the cast well and gets better as the film goes on and putting as much effort into the smaller moments as he does into the famous scenes. I thought Jacobi was excellent and really sold his narration and made the device of a modern chorus work well. The cast is deep in talent in every area, from characters with big parts to those with only a few moments on screen. Holm, Sessions, Blessed, Coltrane, Scofield, McEwan, Briers, Dench and others are all excellent and a young Christian Bale is good in a minor role.

    Overall then, this may not be considered to be better than Olivier's version but to me it is, thanks to the greater interest it shows in the material. The cast respond well to this and the delivery is with a passion and meaning that makes up for the limits of budget and a bit of a "tv" feel.
    9scotty12

    Once seen never forgotten

    This film surely must be in the frame for a number of best ever categories - best Shakespeare film adaptation, one of the best ever war films AND one of the best ever performances by a male actor. It's truly stunning to see how Shakespeare's words, which seemed dull and difficult to understand at school, can be spoken as passages of such depth, beauty and power. Not one in a thousand actors could do this convincingly - but Kenneth Branagh can.

    I think this far outshines the Olivier version from 1944 (very good though that was). Branagh convinces (where Olivier does not always) as he gives a wider range of emotional responses to Henry - self questioning, compassionate, sad at the harsh realities of life. You can really believe that here is a young man who used to be a playboy now faced with having to grow up and behave as a king of England. As others have said, he gives such fire and charisma to the battle speeches that you want to march straight into battle yourself! 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. Derek Jacobi, particularly, does wonderfully in a difficult role. If I had to give one very slight caveat however, it would be that Emma Thompson (who I love as an actress), does not quite convince as a native French speaker, though she makes a good try at speaking the language rapidly. Perhaps Juliette Binoche would have been better here? But overall the obvious rapport between Branagh and Thompson (who were married at the time) is more important than any slight problems with the accent.

    The only Shakespeare performance that tops this movie is seeing Branagh give a live performance on stage - I was privileged to see him (with Emma Thompson) perform Much Ado About Nothing in the late 1980s, and that's still the best I've ever seen.

    Don't just see this - buy or record a copy. If you see it once, you will most likely want to see it over and over! 10/10
    9jaredpahl

    Straight Shakespeare Has Never Gone Done So Smooth.

    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
    schogger13

    A Worthy Successor After 5 Decades

    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
    Coxer99

    Henry V

    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. Also with Holm, Bannen, the always reliable Brian Blessed and Emma Thompson. The story is better told and moves about at a much better pace than previous Shakespeare films. Branagh started an incredible trend with this film. (Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Othello) He was Oscar nominated as Actor and Director for his work here. The film won for Costuming.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was one of Marlon Brando's and Stanley Kubrick's favorite movies.
    • Goofs
      The Treaty of Troyes (1420) is shown as taking place a week or so after the Battle of Agincourt (1415). This is the result of cuts from William Shakespeare's text. The play does acknowledge that more time has gone by.
    • Quotes

      [Addressing the troops]

      King Henry V: And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by from this day until the ending of the world but we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother, Be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition, and gentlemen in England now abed shall think themselves acursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whilst any speaks, that fought with us upon St. Crispin's day!

    • Crazy credits
      The Chorus starts the film by opening the doors to the English court in the Prologue, and ends the film by closing those doors in the Epilogue.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Back to the Future Part II/All Dogs Go to Heaven/Henry V/Prancer/Sidewalk Stories (1989)

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    FAQ

    • How long is Henry V?
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    • Henry V is based on the Shakespearian play of the same name. What are the play and film about?
    • Is the film a direct adaptation of the play?
    • How historically accurate is the film/play?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 16, 1991 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Enrique V
    • Filming locations
      • Crowlink, East Sussex, England, UK(exteriors: prologue - cliffs)
    • Production companies
      • Renaissance Films
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $9,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,161,099
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $64,933
      • Nov 12, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,161,211
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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