Directed by Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson
Starring Kenneth Branagh as King Henry V and Emma Thompson as Prinecess Catherine
Reviews:
scotty12 Scotland, Date: 20 February 2001
Summary:Once seen never forgotten This film surely must be in the frame for a number of best ever categories - best Shakespeare film adaptation, one of the best ever war films AND one of the best ever performances by a male actor. It's truly stunning to see how Shakespeare's words, which seemed dull and difficult to understand at school, can be spoken as passages of such depth, beauty and power. Not one in a thousand actors could do this convincingly - but Kenneth Branagh can. I think this far outshines the Olivier version from 1944 (very good though that was). Branagh convinces (where Olivier does not always) as he gives a wider range of emotional responses to Henry - self questioning, compassionate, sad at the harsh realities of life. You can really believe that here is a young man who used to be a playboy now faced with having to grow up and behave as a king of England. As others have said, he gives such fire and charisma to the battle speeches that you want to march straight into battle yourself! And importantly, Branagh also convinces utterly in the romantic wooing of the French princess. Naturally enough, the film focuses on the main actor playing Henry, but the supporting actors are also excellent. Derek Jacobi, particularly, does wonderfully in a difficult role. If I had to give one very slight caveat however, it would be that Emma Thompson (who I love as an actress), does not quite convince as a native French speaker, though she makes a good try at speaking the language rapidly. Perhaps Juliette Binoche would have been better here? But overall the obvious rapport between Branagh and Thompson (who were married at the time) is more important than any slight problems with the accent. The only Shakespeare performance that tops this movie is seeing Branagh give a live performance on stage - I was privileged to see him (with Emma Thompson) perform Much Ado About Nothing in the late 1980s, and that's still the best I've ever seen. Don't just see this - buy or record a copy. If you see it once, you will most likely want to see it over and over!
Quoted from IMDB
Summary:Not as good as Olivier's I prefer Olivier's interpretation of the role. Branagh is very showy actor but his primary method of registering emotional variation is via the volume of his voice. There is a key point in the play when Henry's troops appear vulnerable and his allies begin to desert him that Henry expresses self-doubt. Branagh simply gets louder. While Olivier's interpretation is bit romantic and his clipped English Boarding School accent has nothing to do with Shakespeare he at least possesses the technical facility to explore the subtleties of important scenes.
Quoted from IMDB
Summary:Very Good lesson in history This movie was about the life of king Henry V. It talked about his battles as well as his marriage with the French queen Katherine in order to keep peace between England and France. I loved the acting as well as the costumes. You could tell that most of the movie except for maybe the battles fought were all taken on a stage and this is good sence this is a movie taken from Shakespear. The only part that I did find annoying was the modern day narrator that kept popping up every now and then just to show us his presance and I found that there was no use in him popping up in this movie sence this is an early 1400's movie. Other than that...... this movie is well worth watching as well as learning a lesson is history.
Quoted from IMDB