Henry V is an adaptation of the original Shakespeare play of the same name, done by the infamous adaptor of all things Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh. After much research I have discovered his last name is pronounced "BRA-nah".
For those of you who don't know (I sure didn't), Henry V was the King of England from 1413-1422. Smack in the middle of the Hundred Years' War, Henry led a now-legendary military campaign into France. His most famous battle was at Agincourt. He led his army into battle personally, and with fewer numbers than his French foes. Some say the English were outnumbered as much as six to one.
I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't understand anything anyone said in this movie. It's over two hours long, and there was one line I was able to entirely decipher through words alone. Just one.
"Bear them hence"
Every single other line of dialogue was entirely useless to me in communicating what was going on. I had to rely on other means.
This is a good time to talk about Kenneth Branagh. The man is a Shakespeare adaptation machine. He hasn't stopped yet and this movie was released in 1989. He's also an incredibly competent director. Even though I had no idea what anybody ever said in this movie, I almost always knew what was going on. One scene was entirely in French (without subtitles), but I understood what was happening in the scene, and what the scene was for. I don't speak French. That is maybe the best compliment I could give Mr. Branagh on his direction (he was nominated for Best Director for Henry V). Through the performances, the inflections of the lines, the costumes and the settings, the body language, and also the music, I was able to not only understand the story, but also all the character and interpersonal dynamics.
The cast is loaded. Headliners include Kenneth Branagh himself, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Ian Holm, and an early role from Christian Bale. And Brian Blessed was born to wear the armor he wears in this movie (Henry V won the Oscar for costume design).
The version of Henry V that Branagh portrays here is basically the English version of President Whitmore from Independence Day. He's this über inspirational leader who inspires soldier and audience member alike. Even though I had no idea what he was talking about, his speech to his soldiers before the battle was still awe-inspiring, and for me it rivaled President Whitmore's speech from Independence Day. I'm not kidding. That's a lot of praise for Branagh's performance right there (he was also nominated for Best Actor for Henry V). I freaking love the speech from Independence Day, and this one might have been better.
Even though I had no idea what the heck anyone was talking about, I still recommend Henry V for your viewing pleasure. I'm not some cretin, it's just that Shakespeare is Shakespeare. I use context clues to understand it when I read it, and they proved enough for watching it too.
Henry V is rated PG-13 for a bloody battle. They aren't wrong, it is bloody.
Now a small housekeeping item. Some exciting times are coming soon for Big Shot Critic. So stay tuned.
Big Shot Critic
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