Henry V (1989)
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Henry V Movie Review
Henry V is a 1989 historical drama film directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. It truly is one fine piece of Shakespearean cinema.
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“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers“
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As with any Shakespeare work, Henry V features stellar, outstanding dialogue and this movie adapts it really well for the big screen. The problem with most adaptations of his works is that they tend to be too theatrical, but this film is an exception as it’s particularly cinematic and thus an immensely successful experiment.
The story is excellent of course and although the first half was good, to me it wasn’t as involving as the second half and not as powerful. But the second half features a bunch of fantastic scenes such as the one moving sequence where Henry breaks down in tears, one amazing monologue of his, the ending and of course the standout scene where he is among the people disguised and listens to their problems with their king. That was the highlight for me.
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Henry is the standout character and just such a complex, wonderfully realized person. The dukes are also memorable as are the soldiers, but the women I found somewhat forgettable and underutilized. Ian Holm and Derek Jacobi gave strong performances, but this is Kenneth Branagh’s show and he just does such an amazing job in the main role. He is the new Laurence Olivier and he is here theatrical, but still believable and just perfect for the role. Some of his emotional sequences he sold entirely and delivered one truly deserved Oscar nominated work.
But Henry V was also directed by Kenneth Branagh and that should not be forgotten. His direction here is stellar as he somehow makes a two and a half hour Shakespearean movie not only engaging, but also accessible for modern viewers. He should be given much more credit for doing dual roles in his films, both as a director and as the main actor, and he truly is thus the new Chaplin.
Now the movie isn’t as engaging in the first half and it took me a while to get acquainted with the characters personally. I also do think the film has way too many characters and thus some are memorable, but some are not. Of the acts, the first two are good, but not great, the third and the fifth one are very good and the fourth one is simply outstanding and the moment where the film fires on all cylinders.
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Henry V is technically polished across the board, not just in terms of acting or direction. It is so well shot and, as I said above, incredibly cinematic which is a huge accomplishment. The cinematography is terrific and the war scenes are so well shot as are the battlefields and the interiors. The attention to detail is overwhelming. The same goes for the score which is simply amazing. Non nobis is just such a stunning, jaw-dropping composition that is here used to elevate that one scene even more. The film is so emotional and just impressively human, but the score elevates those emotions even further.
Kenneth Branagh’s dual role in Henry V is to be admired. Not only did he direct the movie superbly, but he also gave one outstanding, moving performance in the main role. The film is incredibly cinematic as it’s so well shot, it is greatly scored as well and it’s just such a terrific Shakespearean adaptation across the board with reliably fantastic dialogue and some truly impressive as well as highly emotional sequences.
