Synopsis
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Henry V
1944 ‘The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France’ Directed by Laurence Olivier
Cast
Laurence Olivier Renée Asherson Ralph Truman Ernest Thesiger Frederick Cooper Robert Helpmann Leslie Banks Felix Aylmer Robert Newton Freda Jackson George Cole Leo Genn Russell Thorndike Harcourt Williams Esmond Knight Michael Shepley John Laurie Niall MacGinnis Jimmy Hanley Valentine Dyall Max Adrian Arthur Hambling Brian Nissen Anthony Newley
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Alternative Titles
Henry V - Die Schlacht bei Agincourt, Heinrich V., Enrico V, Henrique V, Enrique V, V. Henrik, Хенри V, 헨리 5세, Король Генрих V, 亨利五世, Henrik V, Ερρίκος ο 5ος
Genres
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Theatrical
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UKU
08 Apr 1946
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SwedenBtl
17 Jun 1946
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USA
Releases by Country
Sweden
08 Apr 1946
- TheatricalBtl Grand, Stockholm
UK
24 Nov 1944
- TheatricalU
USA
17 Jun 1946
- Theatrical
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**Part of the Best Picture Project**
Whether it was done on purpose or not, it is quite fascinating how Lawrence Olivier managed to turn a Shakespeare play not only into a piece of propaganda, but a commentary on the difference between theater and cinema.
The film begins as a play, as we watch a performance of Henry V at the Globe theater. It then slowly begins to peel back those sets and come into the cinematic landscape, and the acting that was once fake, then becomes grand and epic.
The argument here in the propaganda is that the people fighting will obviously be remembered more than the backdoor politics that led to them, but it also seems to parallel how Olivier seems to feel about cinema as well. Cinema is grand and epic. Theater is small and unrealistic. Nobody remembers a single performance of a play. Everyone remembers film.
A very interesting take on the Shakespeare play.
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This Technicolor adaptation of William Shakespeare's history play engages with several layers of stylisation and was the first film which achieved in prevailing simultaneously in being Shakespearean and completely cinematic. It’s directed by Laurence Olivier, who is authoritative in the principal part of the king and expresses strong emotions and sentiments while conveying an enormous amount of glorious and enthusiastic prose.
The film opens as a performance at the Globe Theater in 1600 before the activities onstage transition to the regions of northern France in 1415; with Henry presiding over his soldiers to triumph at The Battle of Agincourt in the time of the One Hundred Years' War. It's a stirring and exciting interpretation of the play and was released to co-occur with the Allied incursion into Normandy in the D-Day landings. It's a harmoniously galvanising film with a stimulating musical score by William Walton.
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Criterion Collection Spine #41
Henry stepped out on stage, he said he was ready to kick ass, he kicked some French ass, and he brought home the motherfucking bacon! .... I am not used to my Shakespearean plays being so victorious!
"We charge you in the name of God, take heed how you awake our sleeping sword of war."
If you have seen Henry V you will surely know I am fluffing up the snooze fest that is the first half of this Laurence Olivier adaption. When it comes to Shakespeare it is best to know the story going in, but in this case I knew zip about old Henry V .... so let's see how that went....
"Self-love, my…
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☆"Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!"☆Laurence Olivier brings the Bard to the big screen in the vibrant and epic Henry V from 1944, a not-so-subtle rendition made to rouse the British during wartime that also takes interesting creative turns while generally staying true to the original play.
Generally regarded as the first commercially successful film adaptation of a William Shakespeare play -- Olivier would follow this in 1948 with the much-lauded Hamlet that has since seen more muted acclaim by contemporary critics -- Henry V is not the most well-known production of Shakespeare (though…
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we open our eyes to toys in a toyshop, men in silly dress-up in a make-believe land etching out the story of a lonesome bard. bright, warm pastel colours are the love language of this retelling of the past, and elongated speeches are the swords and shields (as much as knights here are willing to draw swords at the slightest sign of conflict, there's almost always a cause to use verbal rapiers instead and stick it to the opponent where it hurts). a neverending war between theatre and film, two incarnations of the same drive to express and tell stories, nears its climax as the characters inside the narrative, too, go clash swords. the battlefield, however beautiful to look at…
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The film starts with a stage-play of the stage-play, then turns into a cinematic rendition of the play, only to turn back into a play - Henry V is the original Inception.
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I must admit I didn't see coming the whole opening and final shot. It was very immersive and surreal.
Laurence Olivier has had some bad days at work, but thanks to works like this you can see he was indeed a thespian. It feels a bit too theatrical, though that makes all the sense of the world, not only because its based on a play, but like its established on the film itself, we're kinda watching a "live" version of a play.
The story, I mean, its Shakespeare... so it was pretty interesting and filled with some nice action and great dialogues. Personally I feel this one has the best, most genuine, less poetic dialogue from all the films I've…
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Criterion Collection - #41Review In A Nutshell:
I have never been educated on the works of William Shakespeare, and the things that I do know about him and his works have been achieved through self-learning. Laurence Olivier was my gateway to Shakespeare, showing me marvellous and luscious adaptations of his literature/plays in such a way that feels both faithful and cinematic. Henry V would not be the film that introduced me to both artists; it was actually the Best-Picture winning film, Hamlet that opened my eyes. Before just seeing it, Henry V would be the final film that I have yet seen in Olivier's Shakespeare trilogy. In my opinion, this would be the director's most accessible…
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Winston Churchill asked Olivier for a patriotic wartime Henry V and he delivered. It's the invasion of Normandy, as Henry calls upon his men "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead.", While the enemy insults them, "If the English had any apprehension, they would run away," and that "You may as well say, that’s a valiant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion." But the last word on the subject is Henry V and his St. Crispin's day speech, and I'm sure you've heard the phrase Band of Brothers? That's Shakespeare:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that… -
You could honestly program this with Rohmer's PERCIVAL. What an outlandishly experimental film, even if its cinematic avant-garde-ness seems to be a byproduct of Olivier letting go of its theatricality only under great duress.
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My kingdom for a wig!
You expect old and dusty, and you get full technicolor, playfulness, beautiful pre-Raphaelite paintings suddenly brought to life, cardboard cut-out castles and proudly presented painted backdrops, what could you want more?
As you can gather, I really enjoyed the experience, which started with a panoramic view of London in 1599-1600, at the time when Henry V was first performed. Lots of meadows, and then... there it is: the Globe! Which the audience watching this in 1944 got a tour of (it was not rebuilt in our era before 1993).
Actors are getting ready to perform their play. There is a wonderful game of showing us viewers the tricks of the trade, with onstage/backstage comings and…
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