Henry V [Blu-ray]

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Overview

Kenneth Branagh makes his feature-film directorial debut with this adaptation of William Shakespeare's +Henry V. After the Chorus (Derek Jacobi) introduces the play, young king of England Henry V (Kenneth Branagh) begins an angry dialogue with King Charles of France (Paul Scofield). The king's son, Dauphin (Michael Maloney), insults Henry and the argument escalates into war. In flashback, Henry is seen as a young man drinking in a tavern with Falstaff (Robbie Coltrane), Bardolph (Richard Briers), Nym (Geoffrey Hutchings), Pistol (Robert Stephens), and Mistress Quickly (Judi Dench). Meanwhile, Henry and his captain, Fluellen (Ian Holm), assemble an army and invade France. The French greatly outnumber the British troops, yet Henry leads them to victory in the Battle of Agincourt after delivering his famous St. Crispin's Day Speech. Throughout this struggle, Henry also courts Katherine (Emma Thompson) and eventually wins her over.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2015
UPC:	0826663155907
Original Release:	1989
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SHOUT FAC
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	2:18:00
Sales rank:	19,262

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kenneth Branagh	Henry V
Derek Jacobi	Chorus
Brian Blessed	Exeter
Ian Holm	Fluellen
Simon Shepherd	Duke of Gloucester
James Larkin	Bedford
James Simmons	York
Paul Gregory	Earl of Westmoreland
Charles Kay	Archbishop of Canterbury
Alec McCowen	Bishop of Ely
Fabian Cartwright	Cambridge
Stephen Simms	Scroop
Jay Villiers	Grey
Edward Jewesbury	Sir Thomas Erpingham
Daniel Webb	Capt. Gower
Jimmy Yuill	Jamy,Child
John Sessions	Capt. MacMorris
Shaun Prendergast	Bates
Pat Doyle	Court,Court,Composer
Michael Williams	Williams
Richard Briers	Lt. Bardolph
Geoffrey Hutchings	Cpl. Nym
Robert Stephens	Ancient Pistol
Robbie Coltrane	Sir John Falstaff
Christian Bale	Falstaff's Boy
Judi Dench	Mistress Quickly
Paul Scofield	French King
Michael Maloney	Dauphin
Richard Innocent	Duke of Burgundy
Richard Clifford	Duke of Orleans
Colin Hurley	Grandpre
Richard Easton	Constable of France
Christopher Ravenscroft	Mountjoy
Emma Thompson	Princess Katherine
Geraldine McEwan	Alice
David Lloyd Meredith	Governor of Harfleur
David Parfitt	Messenger
Nicholas Ferguson	Warwick
Tom Whitehouse	Talbot
Nigel Greaves	Duke of Berri
Julian Gartside	Bretagne
Mark Inman	Soldier #1
Chris Armstrong	Soldier #2
Simon Rattle	Conductor

Technical Credits

Kenneth Branagh

Vic Armstrong	Stunts
Stephen Evans	Executive Producer
David Crozier	Sound Mixer
Bruce Sharman	Producer
Ian Wingrove	Special Effects
Kenneth Branagh	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A triumphant, audacious film, Henry V marked an auspicious beginning for the career of director and star Kenneth Branagh. Somber, gray, and bearing none of the jingoistic glory of Laurence Olivier's 1944 version, Branagh's Henry is a muddy, bloody affair more interested in the complexities of the king himself than in his historic defeat of the French. As such, the film is largely composed of close-ups of its characters, rather than wide angle shots emphasizing the grandly political scale of the events at hand. The only shot of the latter nature is the remarkable eight-minute tracking sequence that follows a blood- and mud-spattered Henry across the field of Agincourt, carrying a dead boy over his shoulder and picking his way through the countless corpses. Virtuoso tracking shots aside, Henry V's strength rests on Branagh and company's ability to make a much-told Shakespeare story seem fresh and innovative. What impresses above all else are the film's emotional inlets, from Henry's rousing, poignant St. Crispin's Day speech to Mistress Quickly's (the formidable Judi Dench) eulogy for the dead Falstaff. A film endowed with both tremendous soul and Branagh's own assurance, Henry V is an exhilarating, sobering experience from beginning to end.