![Henry V [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FLifFzTdL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
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.
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