A history play as told by the English to the English
Added 7/25/2009
Oh am I glad to have seen this play as done with Laurence Olivier.
In some great battles a general has invaded with a small force and overcome great odds such a Henry V did in France.
He came away with a beautiful Queen and the French won
in peace what they failed to win in war and some power in the future of England.
The French language became the language of diplomats for a reason.
The 17th century praised the 15th in England as it was their 'history'
but we will note that the French were never really subdued by force of arms
by the British.
I love Shakespeare and the death of his clown Falstaff here has almost
the importance of the speeches of kings and princes.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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The first Shakespearean play to be made into a successful movie!!
Added 2/12/2009
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"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that 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 a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap with any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
The above is just one of the speeches you'll hear in this exciting movie based on William Shakespeare's (1564 to 1616) history play "Henry V" (circa 1599).
The actual on-screen title of this movie is "The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France" (which is actually the title of the 1600 quarto edition or small book version of the play).
The movie stars (Sir) Lawrence Olivier. It won Olivier an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding achievement as actor, producer, and director in bringing Henry V to the screen."
"Henry V" is the only history play that doesn't revolve around the seizure of the crown. Hal, the young rebel of "Henry IV" has become the hero of Agincourt (a place in Northern France), where the English, against all odds, defeat the French (France's casualties 10,000; England's, 25).
This play is also a masculine play. It has only four women, and they all have small parts.
Olivier designed this film for people who believed that "Shakespeare was not for the likes of them," and it is said to be one of the most likeable Shakespearean movies ever made. It has a "we can lick 'em" attitude, not surprising, since it was made at the request of then Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a effort to boost British morale in 1943. All the guts and glory, myths, and clichés about patriotism come vividly to life. The English are portrayed as manly and true, the French (read Nazi) as ridiculous.
Since, as has been mentioned, this movie was meant to be a morale booster, Olivier intentionally left out some of Henry's harsher traits as Shakespeare wrote them in the actual play. As a result, the essence of the play is retained but it has been trimmed to nearly half its length. (This is good because the movie would have been far too long.)
The film opens with Olivier as the actor who originally played Henry V in the Globe Theatre (built in 1599 by Shakespeare's theatrical company). Olivier's acting here is intentionally wooden. This part, which has lines not from the play, is brilliant. This introductory part (that lasts about fifteen minutes) provides a transition to the actual play itself (especially helpful for the people not familiar with the plays before this one).
As the play-within-the-movie progresses, something extraordinary happens. The viewer's involvement deepens, the Globe becomes the actual globe itself: the stage disappears, the setting grows increasingly naturalistic, and the actor PLAYING Henry BECOMES Henry. And to show that our imagination need not be confined to reality, the film bursts through the constraints of realism, ending at the French court, seemingly a dream kingdom.
By the end, we are returned to the Globe Theatre (where the movie began), suggesting that our imaginations must inevitably return to Earth.
This movie was filmed in glorious Technicolor (a color film process popular at this time the movie was made). The costumes and music score as well as the fighting scenes are spectacular. (Note that Olivier directly modeled his appearance of Henry V on the portrait of the actual Henry V found in the National Portrait Gallery.)
Finally, the DVD (the one released in 1999) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has five extras with the commentary being excellent.
BOTTOM LINE:
This movie is a worthy addition to the Bard's cinematic canon.
(1944; 2 hr, 15 min; full screen; 42 scenes)
<>
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1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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I love the costumes and scenery taken fron the Tres Riches Heures. This is a beautiful classic. None of the dirt and muck of Branagh's version.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Great film,but poor color.
Added 11/23/2008
I tried three different copies of the Criterion "Henry V." In each one the colors kept fading in and out. This is the fault not of Olivier's film (whose Technicolor was superb) but of Criterion's transfer from film to DVD. Very disappointing!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Highly Subjective Interpretation
Added 9/11/2007
This is a highly subjective, heavily edited version of the Shakespeare play. The playtext was cherry-picked to portray Henry as a pure, virtuous, patriotic leader. However, Shakespeare's Henry was very, very different. In addition to his good qualities, Shakespeare's Henry also made political deals with the clergy, executed enemy prisoners (and his own soldiers), threatened innocent people with rape and plunder, and threw his soldiers headlong into battle for highly questionable reasons--all while neglecting urgent issues at home. (Remind you of a certain US president?) Of course, this film was deliberately made as a WWII propaganda piece, so the English king had to be portrayed in a positive light. However, this film is far from representing the Shakespeare play. The color and inventive staging are pleasant to see. Unfortunately, the extreme departure from Shakespeare's text renders this play extremely dated.
0 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A history play as told by the English to the English
Added 7/25/2009
Oh am I glad to have seen this play as done with Laurence Olivier.
In some great battles a general has invaded with a small force and overcome great odds such a Henry V did in France.
He came away with a beautiful Queen and the French won
in peace what they failed to win in war and some power in the future of England.
The French language became the language of diplomats for a reason.
The 17th century praised the 15th in England as it was their 'history'
but we will note that the French were never really subdued by force of arms
by the British.
I love Shakespeare and the death of his clown Falstaff here has almost
the importance of the speeches of kings and princes.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
The first Shakespearean play to be made into a successful movie!!
Added 2/12/2009
XXXXX
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that 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 a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap with any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
The above is just one of the speeches you'll hear in this exciting movie based on William Shakespeare's (1564 to 1616) history play "Henry V" (circa 1599).
The actual on-screen title of this movie is "The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France" (which is actually the title of the 1600 quarto edition or small book version of the play).
The movie stars (Sir) Lawrence Olivier. It won Olivier an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding achievement as actor, producer, and director in bringing Henry V to the screen."
"Henry V" is the only history play that doesn't revolve around the seizure of the crown. Hal, the young rebel of "Henry IV" has become the hero of Agincourt (a place in Northern France), where the English, against all odds, defeat the French (France's casualties 10,000; England's, 25).
This play is also a masculine play. It has only four women, and they all have small parts.
Olivier designed this film for people who believed that "Shakespeare was not for the likes of them," and it is said to be one of the most likeable Shakespearean movies ever made. It has a "we can lick 'em" attitude, not surprising, since it was made at the request of then Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a effort to boost British morale in 1943. All the guts and glory, myths, and clichés about patriotism come vividly to life. The English are portrayed as manly and true, the French (read Nazi) as ridiculous.
Since, as has been mentioned, this movie was meant to be a morale booster, Olivier intentionally left out some of Henry's harsher traits as Shakespeare wrote them in the actual play. As a result, the essence of the play is retained but it has been trimmed to nearly half its length. (This is good because the movie would have been far too long.)
The film opens with Olivier as the actor who originally played Henry V in the Globe Theatre (built in 1599 by Shakespeare's theatrical company). Olivier's acting here is intentionally wooden. This part, which has lines not from the play, is brilliant. This introductory part (that lasts about fifteen minutes) provides a transition to the actual play itself (especially helpful for the people not familiar with the plays before this one).
As the play-within-the-movie progresses, something extraordinary happens. The viewer's involvement deepens, the Globe becomes the actual globe itself: the stage disappears, the setting grows increasingly naturalistic, and the actor PLAYING Henry BECOMES Henry. And to show that our imagination need not be confined to reality, the film bursts through the constraints of realism, ending at the French court, seemingly a dream kingdom.
By the end, we are returned to the Globe Theatre (where the movie began), suggesting that our imaginations must inevitably return to Earth.
This movie was filmed in glorious Technicolor (a color film process popular at this time the movie was made). The costumes and music score as well as the fighting scenes are spectacular. (Note that Olivier directly modeled his appearance of Henry V on the portrait of the actual Henry V found in the National Portrait Gallery.)
Finally, the DVD (the one released in 1999) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has five extras with the commentary being excellent.
BOTTOM LINE:
This movie is a worthy addition to the Bard's cinematic canon.
(1944; 2 hr, 15 min; full screen; 42 scenes)
<>
XXXXX
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
I love the costumes and scenery taken fron the Tres Riches Heures. This is a beautiful classic. None of the dirt and muck of Branagh's version.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
