Henry V

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Very few films come close to the brilliance Kenneth Branagh achieved with his first foray into screenwriting and direction. Henry V qualifies as a masterpiece, the kind of film that comes along once in a decade. He eschews the theatricality of Laurence Olivier's stirring, fondly remembered 1945 adaptation to establish his own rules. Branagh plays it down and dirty, seeing the bard's play through revisionist eyes, framing it as an antiwar story. Branagh gives us harsh close-ups of muddied, bloody men, and close-ups of himself as Henry, his hardened mouth and willful eyes revealing much about this land war. Not that the director-star doesn't provide lighter moments. His scenes introducing the French Princess Katherine (Emma Thompson) are toothsome. Bubbly, funny, enhanced by lovely lighting and Thompson's pale beauty, these glimpses of a princess trying to learn English quickly from her maid are delightful.

What may be the crowning glory of Branagh's adaptation comes when the dazed, shaky leader wanders through battlefields, not even sure who has won. As King Hal carries a dead boy (Empire of the Sun's Christian Bale) over the hacked-up bodies of both the English and French, you realize it is the first time Branagh has opened up the scenes: a panorama of blood and mud and death. It is as strong a statement against warmongering as could ever be made. --Rochelle O'Gorman

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Very few films come close to the brilliance Kenneth Branagh achieved with his first foray into screenwriting and direction. Henry V qualifies as a masterpiece, the kind of film that comes along once in a decade. He eschews the theatricality of Laurence Olivier's stirring, fondly remembered 1945 adaptation to establish his own rules. Branagh plays it down and dirty, seeing the bard's play through revisionist eyes, framing it as an antiwar story. Branagh gives us harsh close-ups of muddied, bloody men, and close-ups of himself as Henry, his hardened mouth and willful eyes revealing much about this land war. Not that the director-star doesn't provide lighter moments. His scenes introducing the French Princess Katherine (Emma Thompson) are toothsome. Bubbly, funny, enhanced by lovely lighting and Thompson's pale beauty, these glimpses of a princess trying to learn English quickly from her maid are delightful.

What may be the crowning glory of Branagh's adaptation comes when the dazed, shaky leader wanders through battlefields, not even sure who has won. As King Hal carries a dead boy (Empire of the Sun's Christian Bale) over the hacked-up bodies of both the English and French, you realize it is the first time Branagh has opened up the scenes: a panorama of blood and mud and death. It is as strong a statement against warmongering as could ever be made. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Henry V of England - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Henry V (16 September 1386 31 August 1422) was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second English monarch who came from ... Henry V: Entire Play - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare ACT I PROLOGUE. Enter Chorus Chorus O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act HENRY V, King of England (1387-1422) - Luminarium: Anthology of ... King Henry V, father to Henry VI, made forever famous as the epitome of a Christian King by William Shakespeare Henry V (1944) - IMDb Director: Laurence Olivier. Actors: Leslie Banks: Chorus Felix Aylmer: Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Helpmann: Bishop of Ely Vernon Greeves: The English ... Henry V: Information from Answers.com Plot Kenneth Branagh makes his feature-film directorial debut with this adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V. After the Chorus (Derek Jacobi) introduces the ... Henry V (play) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the fift (in ... Henry V (1989) - IMDb Director: Kenneth Branagh. Actors: Derek Jacobi: Chorus Kenneth Branagh: King Henry V Simon Shepherd: Duke Humphrey of Gloucester James Larkin: Duke John of ... SparkNotes: Henry V From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Henry V Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and ... Henry V - Britannia.com - British History Travel Henry V, the eldest son of Henry IV and Mary Bohun, was born in 1387. As per arrangement by the Treaty of Troyes, he married Catherine, daughter of the French King ... Amazon.com: Henry V: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed ... Very few films come close to the brilliance Kenneth Branagh achieved with his first foray into screenwriting and direction. Henry V qualifies as a masterpiece, the ...