066 Henry V

Synopsis: Henry V asserts himself, wins at Agincourt, and marries French princess

Director: Laurence Olivier

Actors: Laurence Olivier, Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer, Robert Newton, George Cole, John Laurie

Date: 1944

How viewed: Lovefilm rental

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:

Olivier plays dress-up in a glistening, happy, artificial universe, making himself more heroic by his accessibility, and giving his audience a genuine escape from the dreary wartime reality waiting outside the theatre.

I say: 

As someone unfamiliar with the play, this comes across as very inconsistent. It's probably not fair to criticise the film which is nearly 70 years old (!) and pretty faithfully follows Shakespeare's text, but the impressive sections (the quiet contemplations the night before the battle at Agincourt, and especially the recreation of the battle itself) are somewhat overshadowed by the ropy sets in most other scenes, the comedy Scotsman, Irishman and Welshman (and vicar!), and the fact that Katherine is the only French person who doesn't speak impeccable English! The film was made during the war and acted as propaganda - the English win at Agincourt against impossible odds by playing by the rules, and then being magnanimous in victory. Quite a hard film to follow, one needs to be more of a Shakespeare buff to get the subtleties, though one's ears automatically prick up when the famous speeches occur ('Once more unto the breech..' and 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..'), but lots of famous faces to look out for: Robert Newton (the definitive Long John Silver), George Cole (aka Arthur Daley), and John Laurie (from Dad's Army).