Trailer—Henry V

Henry V

The unique think about this film is that there aren't any weak performance amongst any of the actors, however small their role. One actor I feels merits a mention is Christopher Ravenscroft for his portrayal of the French Herald, Mountjoy. He plays a key part in this ply as the only character who meets both English and French leaders until after the battle. His shock and awe in the tennis balls scene when her realises that Henry isn't a silly young man is terrific. Great film. I've got on video and watch two or three times a year. My teenage sons were gripped by it. This is the way to introduce teenagers to Shakespeare. Catherine

As famous as Olivier's Henry V was, it was sorely outdated and as part of a war effort, it was predictably one-dimensional. Branagh's Henry V does more justice to the many facets of Shakespeare's words and reminds us of how good the Bard was at spinning a good yarn. Some of the best English actors take their turn here. Scofield is in his element, playing a distracted French monarch. Ian Holm is an irascible (isn't he always?) Fluellen. Derek Jacobi is a master chorus (you can listen to that voice ALL day). Judi Dench is a soft hearted Nell who's seen better days. Branagh himself puts forward energetic vitality to the lead role. However, it IS rather difficult to look past the very English look Emma Thompson has in her portrayal of a French princess - but that's no fault of hers. 8 out of 10

'Henry V' is not my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, but it is my favorite film adaptation of a Shakespeare play. Henry's may not have been the noblest of causes, but you'd be hard pressed to feel it anything but righteous thanks to his stirring battlefield speeches and the clear-eyed moral certitude of Branagh's tour de force performance. The supporting cast is first rate, led by an Oscar-worth performance by Ian Holm, and Patrick Doyle delivers the first of his many wonderful scores. If you have a teen who you'd like to introduce to The Bard, this is a perfect gateway.

Solid drama of maestro Shakespeare put into motion pictures and spiced up by some fine performance by (young) Kenneth Branagh and the rest of the cast. One of those movies of (it seems) long gone times, where Hollywood was not on its crusade of reeducation and destroying great storytelling material with unnecessary agenda changes but making great and entertaining movies. But still, there is the version of Laurence Olivier from 1944, that I like a little better.

I'm often amused by the ruling classes of these times and their belief in their genetic right to conquer overseas territories, using soldiers whose family history is as distant from their own, as the void between Shakespearian preachers and the unconverted. Being an unconverted I find that history has been adjusted or important elements omitted, the translation from stage to screen leaves me wanting to watch it in a theatre and that interpretation and translation, or perhaps misinterpretation and mistranslation can lead to fascinating new perspectives or calamitous and catastrophic conclusions - in all walks of life, regardless of your lineage or aspirations.

I like Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare films, and Henry V is one of his better ones. The play is a very good one, and this film does it justice. Visually, it is very beautiful to look at, with interesting camera angles and great scenery and costumes. The music fits each scene very well and doesn't fall into the trap of being too melodramatic. The film like the play has a fine, compelling story that makes you feel all sorts of emotions, and the dialogue is wonderful. Branagh's directorial flair has a lot of vigour to it, and the Battle of Agincourt especially is very evocatively staged. The performances are uniformly good, Branagh is particularly impressive in the title role and the supporting cast are all fine Derek Jacobi coming off best in yet another one of his great performances. Overall, very well crafted. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Excellent return to Shakespeare's young King Henry with 28 year old Branagh perfectly filling the shoes Olivier tried so hard to fill 40 plus years before. Branagh, who also directed, brings the film to life with exciting battle scenes, a first rate supporting cast that features the fine Shakespearean veteran Jacobi as the Chorus. Also with Holm, Bannen, the always reliable Brian Blessed and Emma Thompson. The story is better told and moves about at a much better pace than previous Shakespeare films. Branagh started an incredible trend with this film. (Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Othello) He was Oscar nominated as Actor and Director for his work here. The film won for Costuming.