SYNOPSIS:
"Henry V" is based on the Shakespeare play. It covers the political
background to Henry's invasion of France, the siege of Harfleur, the Battle of
Agincourt, and Henry's wooing of the French Princess Katherine.
BACK-STORY: “Henry
V” is a masterpiece acted, directed, and
produced by Laurence Olivier. His work was so amazing he was awarded an Academy
Honor Award at the Oscars. It was nominated for Best Actor, Score, Art
Direction, and Picture. (It lost to another war film – “The Best Years of Our Lives”).
It was designed to be a morale booster for WWII Britain. Mission accomplished.
It was specifically dedicated to England’s
commandoes and airborne troops. What better subject than the battle that is
considered the greatest upset in military history? The story of a small, exhausted
army defeating the cream of French knighthood certainly resonated with a
Britain facing the supposedly all-powerful Wehrmacht. The movie was a box office success and
inspired the British people to carry on. It was the most expensive British film
up to that time. Wartime shortages impacted production. For example, shortages
of metal led to the decision to “make” the chain-mail out of hand-knitted gray wool. Many of the
extras were servicemen. The official title – “The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with his Battell
Fought at Agincourt in France by Will Shakespeare [sic]” – is the longest title to be nominated for Best Picture.
TRIVIA:
1. The sets were inspired by the medieval Book of Hours.
2. It is considered the first Shakespeare movie that was critically and commercially successful.
3. The screenplay omitted the harsher aspects of Henry’s personality (supposedly due to pressure from Churchill). The movie omits the beheading of the traitors, the threat to sack Harfleur, and the murdering of the prisoners in the Battle of Agincourt.
4. Olivier asked William Wyler, Carol Reed, and Ralph Richardson to direct, but they all told him that he was capable of doing it himself. He was only 36 years old at the time.
5. Olivier’s wife Vivien Leigh really wanted to play Katherine, but David O. Selznick refused to let her out of her contract because he felt the role was too small for her. She never forgave him and never worked for him again. Renee Asherson was chosen because she was the same size as Leigh and thus the costumes could be used for her.
6. The model of London that opens the movie was 50’ x 70’. It was made of plaster and took four months to construct.
7. It was filmed mostly in Ireland to be away from the war and because the Irish could provide the necessary extras.
8. There is only one line that is not from Shakespeare. Pistol at the end of the Boar’s Head scene quotes Christopher Marlowe: “Farewell, farewell, divine Zenocrata…”
9. Olivier did his own stunts and also instructed the extras on their stunts. This resulted in numerous injuries for him, including broken shoulders.
10. Olivier agreed not to appear in another movie for eighteen months in order to keep focus on the movie. He was rewarded with 15,000 pounds, tax-free.
11. The battle lasts ten minutes, but it took six weeks to film it.
Belle and Blade = N/A
Brassey’s = 5.0
Video Hound = 5.0
War Movies = N/A
Military History = #75
Channel 4 = #36
Film Site = yes
101 War Movies = no
Rotten Tomatoes = #14
ACCURACY: The movie is very faithful to
the play. Only one line is not from Shakespeare. The movie does not cover the
whole play, by the way. It leaves out some material that tended to show Henry
is less than a saintly light. For example, Olivier omits a scene where Henry
hangs one of his old buddies for violating his ban on looting.
When examining “Henry V”
for accuracy, let’s look at whether Shakespeare got
it right. The background to the invasion is accurate in its portrayal of Henry’s motivation. Even the tennis ball incident apparently
occurred. Shakespeare goes off the historical path a bit when the army reaches
France. The audience is led to believe that “once
more into the breach” resulted in the fall of
Harfleur, when in actuality the next assault failed and the city gave up when
word arrived that a relief army was not coming.
The Battle of Agincourt is significantly different than depicted. The play and
movie make little reference to the really deplorable state of the British
soldiers. They were suffering from dysentery (which we can be thankful is not
graphically depicted) and exhaustion. The battle itself is fairly accurate in a
simplistic way. The first attack was by cavalry, but the subsequent one was by
knights wading through the mud on foot. There is not nearly enough mud in the
movie! The melee aspect is realistic, but clearly there was no duel between
Henry and the Constable (that is pure Hollywood). There was also no ambush of
French cavalry in the woods by archers leaping from trees.
The French attack on the baggage train with its killing of the innocents was
accurate (even though the movie falsely implies that the French leadership was
behind the assault), but Henry’s response
was not. In fact, he did not respond by returning to the battle. Instead, he
gave the infamous order to kill the French prisoners (who were being held for
ransom) out of fear that they might rearm themselves and return to the fight.
You can debate Henry’s decision, but it is no surprise
that Shakespeare (ever the patriot) and Olivier (making an inspirational movie)
chose to omit this facet of the battle.
The aftermath of the battle is pretty spot on. Henry did marry Katherine and
was promised the throne when the king died (which did not happen because the
much younger Henry died first). I find it hard to believe the wooing scene
actually happened, but it’s a play.
OPINION: This is an amazing movie.
Olivier does an amazing job – possibly the
greatest all-around performance in movie history. He justly deserved the
special Oscar. One wonders if the Academy felt guilty for choosing an inferior
film (“The Best Years of Our Lives”) for Best Picture (guess which one was a patriotic American film). He was already a
renowned actor, but this was his first directing job. (He modestly looked for
others to direct it until he was pursuaded he was the best man for the job.)
His decision to start the movie in the Globe, then shift to sets, move on to
the great outdoors for the battle, then back to sets, and end back at the
theater , was nothing short of brilliant. The audience gets a taste of an
Elizabethan play and the action of a movie. The use of The Book of Hours as the
inspiration for the set designs is awesome. But the kicker is Olivier made a
Shakespeare movie that audiences and critics liked. This was a first and is
still a rare accomplishment.
The only flaws are some inaccuracies in the military aspects. However,
Shakespeare did do research for his plays, so any discrepancies are for
entertainment purposes or to advance the theme of the play. Olivier’s decision to downplay the negative aspects of Henry’s personality (he could be a jerk and ruthless) are
understandable given the patriotic purpose of the film. If you want to see the
warts, see Kenneth Branagh’s 1988
version.
Another slight quibble is with the acting. Some of the actors chew the scenery
a bit. I know this will be defended as realistic portrayals of Elizabethan
acting, but it still comes off as over the top.
For those wanting consistent excitement, this movie is not your cup of tea. The
first half hour is mostly expository. The Battle of Agincourt stands out as a
shining diamond in the middle of the movie. Then the last part is a return to
the more languid style of the first part. Blame Shakespeare for that, if you
must. But just like Mel Gibson with “Braveheart”, Olivier might have been wiser to end the movie after the big
battle scene. Oh, and did I mention that
it is not clearly a war movie. It is more accurately described as a Shakespeare
play with a battle in the middle of it.
In conclusion, every cinephile should see this movie because it is a tour de force by a master movie maker. Every cinephile should see this movie and then Branagh’s version to see how movie-making and film attitudes changed from 1944 to 1988. It makes for a perfect comparison because the source material is the same. Every literature lover should see it because it is arguably the best rendering of Shakespeare ever filmed. People who do not like to read books can see it and not have to read “Henry V” (warning to lazy British Literature students – it only covers about half the written play). However, as great as it is as a movie, it is not that great of a war movie. I find it greatly overrated on this list. And, by the way, the Branagh version is better.
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