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Henry V (1989) Directed by Kenneth Branagh
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Henry V (1989) Directed by Kenneth Branagh
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| Plot Summary: Henry V qualifies as a masterpiece, the kind of film that comes along once in a decade. Director Ken Branagh 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...from Amazon.com |
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| Synopsis of HV:
Convinced by the Archbishop of Canterbury that he has a legal claim to
the throne of France and angered by the contemptuous response to his demands,
King Henry prepares for invasion. As
his forces gather to embark from Southampton, Henry acts decisively to quash a
conspiracy and sends Exeter to the French court where the King sits in council
with his son The Dauphin and The Constable. Henry’s former messmates
Bardolph, Pistol and Nym take a sad leave of
Mistress Quickly from the Boars Head Tavern where Falstaff has just passed away,
leaving his serving-boy free to join the expedition.
The four of them are immediately plunged into the thick of the siege of
Harfleur under the watchful eye of Captain Fluellen.
Henry exhorts his troops to even greater efforts but further bloodshed is
avoided when the Governor of the town gives way to Henry’s threats and opens
the gates. On hearing the news, the
Dauphin determines to crush the invader while his sister Princess Katherine asks
her maid Alice for some necessary tuition in English. Spirits are at rock bottom amongst Henry’s bedraggled and famished army. Despite orders forbidding pillage, Bardolph is caught in the act and he is sentenced to hang. A word from Henry could save his old partner in crime but discipline must prevail and execution is carried out. The two armies clash in a welter of mud and steel. The arrows from the English archers create lethal havoc amongst the French cavalry and Henry claims victory. But joy turns to sadness when the massacre of the boys is discovered and a grieving king carries Falstaff’s boy across the battle-field to the strains of the Non Nobis anthem. While peace terms are negotiated, Henry sets about wooing Princess Katherine, despite the comic confusion caused by the language barrier, the treaty is sealed with a kiss, England and France are united in a tableau and Chorus brings the film to an end. |
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with... Derek Jacobi: Chorus |
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