Henry V (1989 film)

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Henry V
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKenneth Branagh
Written byKenneth Branagh
Produced byBruce Sharman
StarringKenneth Branagh
Paul Scofield
Ian Holm
Emma Thompson
Alec McCowen
Judi Dench
Christian Bale
Narrated byDerek Jacobi
Edited byMichael Bradsell
Release date
  • 8 November 1989 (1989-11-08)
Running time
137 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film UK
LanguageEnglish

Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare's play The Life of Henry the Fifth about the famous English king. Branagh stars in the title role, and wrote the screenplay. The film was highly acclaimed on its release.

Style

Branagh's film is frequently compared with the 1944 film of the play directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. The visual style of Branagh's film is grittier and more realistic than that of Olivier's. For example, his film avoids Olivier's use of stylized sets, and, where Olivier staged the Battle of Agincourt on a sunlit field, Branagh's takes place amid rain-drenched mud and gore.

Adaptation

The text of the play is heavily cut. In addition, Branagh incorporated flashbacks using extracts from Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 in which Henry interacts with the character of Falstaff, who, in Shakespeare's Henry V, is never seen, merely announced to be deathly ill in Act 2 Scene 1, and dead in Act 2 scene 3. The scenes involve a brief summary of Henry's denouncement of Falstaff primarily with lines from Act 2, Scene 4 of Henry IV part 1 and a brief though important utterance of Henry's final repudiation of Falstaff in Part 2, "I know thee not, old man." The movie also uses Falstaff's line "do not, when thou art King, hang a thief" from Henry IV Part 1 but gives it to Bardolph, in order to highlight the poignancy when Henry later has Bardolph executed.

While the text of the Chorus' monologues are the same, the setting for them has been adapted to reflect the nature of the motion picture adaptation of the play. Unlike the other performers, who are dressed in clothing contemporary to the actual Henry V to reflect their characters, the Chorus is dressed in modern 20th century clothing. The opening monologue, originally written to compensate for the limitations of on stage theater to represent the historical scenes presented, is delivered on an empty motion picture sound stage with unfinished sets. The other chorus monologues are delivered on location where the relevant action is taking place. In all cases, the chorus speaks directly to the camera, addressing the audience.

Nearly all of the scenes involving the comic characters were staged as drama, rather than in the broad, almost slapstick way in which Olivier staged them, because Branagh felt that modern audiences would not see the humor in these scenes.

Casting

The cast includes many well-known actors: Derek Jacobi as the Chorus, Brian Blessed as Exeter, Ian Holm as Fluellen, Christian Bale as the Boy, Paul Scofield as the King of France, Judi Dench as Mistress Quickly, Richard Briers as Bardolph, Robert Stephens as Pistol and Emma Thompson as Princess Katherine. The actor Michael Williams plays the character "Michael Williams". Robbie Coltrane appears in a cameo performance as Falstaff.

Production

The film was produced by Bruce Sharman with the British Broadcasting Corporation and Branagh's company Renaissance Films. The film's budget was an estimated $9 million.[1]

Soundtrack

Untitled

The score to Henry V was written by first-time composer Patrick Doyle. It was performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Simon Rattle. The soundtrack was released 8 November 1989 through EMI Classics and features fifteen tracks of score at a running time just under an hour.[2]

  1. "Opening Title/'O! for a Muse of Fire'" (3:34)
  2. "King Henry V Theme/The Boar's Head" (2:46)
  3. "The Three Traitors" (2:03)
  4. "'Now, Lords, for France!'" (2:40)
  5. "The Death of Falstaff" (1:54)
  6. "'Once More Unto the Breach'" (3:45)
  7. "The Threat to the Governor of Harfleur/Katherine of France/The March to Calais" (5:51)
  8. "The Death of Bardolph" (2:22)
  9. "'Upon the King'" (4:50)
  10. "St. Crispin's Day/The Battle of Agincourt" (14:13)
  11. "'The Day is Yours'" (2:34)
  12. "'Non Nobis, Domine'" (4:09)
  13. "The Wooing of Katherine" (2:24)
  14. "'Let This Acceptance Take'" (2:50)
  15. "End Title" (2:35)

Patrick Doyle also appeared in Henry V as Court (credited as Pat Doyle), who is the first soldier to begin singing "Non Nobis, Domine" following the conflict at Agincourt.[3]

Reception

Henry V received near-universal critical acclaim for Branagh's Oscar-nominated performance and direction, for the accessibility of its Shakespearean language and for its music. [4]

The film grossed $10 million in the U.S. and at the time of its widest release played on 134 U.S. screens.

Phyllis Dalton won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and Kenneth Branagh, in his directorial debut, was nominated for Best Director as well as Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In popular culture

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Defector", aired on New Years' Day 1990, when the film was still in theaters, the character of Data performs a sequence from Act 4, Scene 1, as Henry, and subsequently cites Branagh's performance as one of those he wishes to study closely. Interestingly, the Williams character in this scene is played by Shakespearean Patrick Stewart, who also played Capt. Picard.

In the Simpsons episode, "Boy Meets Curl", Homer gives a speech about curling similar to Henry V's St Crispin's Day speech. [citation needed]

References

  1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097499/business
  2. ^ Henry V soundtrack review at Filmtracks.com
  3. ^ Patrick Doyle Biography (1953-) at Filmreference.com
  4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097499/externalreviews

See also

External links

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