Henry V - Criterion Collection
by Laurence Olivier
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Laurence OlivierDirector: Laurence Olivier
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 137 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-06-22
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Henry V - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: The first Shakespearean play to be made into a successful movie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
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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 clich?s 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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Summary of Henry V - Criterion Collection
Olivier mustered out of the navy to film this adaptation of Shakespeare's history. Embroiled in World War II, Britons took courage from this tale of a king who surmounts overwhelming odds and emerges victorious. This sumptuous Technicolor? rendering features a thrilling recreation of the battle of Agincourt, and Sir Laurence in his prime as director and actor.If Kenneth Branagh's 1989 version of Shakespeare's tale of conquering greed reflects the post-Vietnam era, Laurence Olivier's version very much mirrored his time. When Olivier gave us his colorful adaptation in 1945, it was vivid, full of pageantry, and most definitely geared toward war. Pretty flags and white steeds, shining armor and theatrical emphasis figure into Olivier's attractive but decorous version, liberally adapted for a pro-war stance. He used the French as comic relief; they appeared foppish and foolish. Their presence implied no threat. If you had not read the play, you would not have to wonder who was going to win. Of course, Olivier wanted England to believe in the justness of war--his country was in the midst of one. The propaganda gets in the way only because it has been filtered through so many decades. His Henry remains, however, a handsome cinematic spectacle. Olivier's performance is gentle and elegant, his imagery rich and colorful. It was considered such a superb film he was awarded an honorary Oscar. He followed this with adaptations of Hamlet and Richard III. --Rochelle O'Gorman
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