Thoughts on Henry V

via IMDB

"Herald, are the dead numbered?"

"Here is the number of the slaughtered French."

*a weary Henry views the information as his soldiers listen*

"This note doth tell me of ... 10,000 French that in the field lie slain. Of princes in this number, 126. Added to these, of knights, esquires and gallant gentlemen, 8,400, of the which 500 were but yesterday dubbed knights. Here was a royal fellowship of death."

Walking in a gentle rain is nice. Eating a well-prepared meal is nice. Having a moment where you understand what's Shakespeare's wrote is really, really nice.

Kenneth Branagh flashed his hyphens at Hollywood in 1989, starring in, directing and writing the screenplay for Henry V. It's a movie that's unashamed of being a movie, from its witty prologue depicting the Chorus (Derek Jacobi) alone on a soundstage, to the liberties taken with text to the simultaneously excessive and bold use of Patrick Doyle's "feel roused, damn it!" score. I'm surprised Doyle didn't score an Oscar nomination, but perhaps Doyle struck a few choice chords.

Branagh leads an ensemble ranging from good old reliables (Paul Scofield as King Charles VI of France; Ian Holm as Fluellen, BRIAN BLESSED! as the Duke of Exeter, etc.) to up-and-comers. Everyone looks so young here, from Emma Thompson as Katharine to teenage Christian Bale as Robin the luggage boy. Despite her indeterminate age, even Mistress Quickly (Judi Dench) has a certain glow to her. It's aided by the interpolations from Henry IV, which Vincent Canby panned along with the depiction of Falstaff (Robbie Coltrane). "(He) is not on screen long enough to create any true idea of Falstaff's magnificence. Instead, he simply looks like a woozy Santa Claus."

*after considering the number of deceased French soldiers*

"Where is the number of our English dead?"

*Henry receives the information as the soldiers continue to listen.*

"Edward, the Duke of York. The Earl of Suffolk. Sir Richard Kitely. Davy Gam, esquire. ... None else of name and of all other men ... but five-and-twenty."

*the soldiers are in awe*

"'Tis wonderful."

"Come. Go we in procession to the village and be it death proclaimed through our host to boast of this or take that praise from God which is his only."

"Is it not lawful an't please your majesty, to tell how many is killed?"

"Aye, captain, but with this acknowledgement: that God ... fought ... for us."

Scholars will hardly find it an example of providence, but I believe I was meant to see Henry V at this particular point in history. The film (and play) includes the excellent and justifiably moving St. Crispin's Day speech, but it also allows Henry to consider what it means to go to war. I doubt President Trump has seen this film lately (but in 1989?) and perhaps it would be a foolish exercise, but I do wonder what he'd make of it.

"Yes, my conscience. (God) did us great good."

"Do we all holy rites. Let there be sung non nobisandte deum. The dead with charity enclosed in clay. And then to Calais, and to England then, where ne'er from France arrived ... more happy men."

*Henry hands over a pair of gloves, the soldiers begin doing as they're told and one damned amazing sequence begins*

What else is there to say, but ... Recommended.

Thoughts:

-- Box Office: Grossing over $10 million in America on a $9 million budget, this came in at No. 85 for 1989.

-- Critic's Corner: "Branagh the director is not yet as good as Branagh the actor," Roger Ebert wrote. Peter Travers wrote another of his raves in Rolling Stone. "Branagh is a marvel. You can't take your eyes off him. ... His film is more than a promising first try: It's thrilling." "There's a boldness ... which shows off the cinematic possibilities of Shakespeare without a lot of distracting razzle-dazzle," Noel Murray wrote for the A.V. Club.

-- Awards Watch: Oscar-nominated for his acting and direction, Branagh struck out in both categories. Nevertheless, according to IMDB, Branagh holds the distinction for being the last actor to date to receive an Oscar nomination for playing a Shakespearean role. BAFTA-nominated for his acting and direction, Branagh won for the latter. His wins for direction also came from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle (in the Best New Director category). Like I mentioned, Doyle's score was snubbed by the Oscars, although "Non Nobis, Domine" won a Novello for Best Film Theme or Song. Phyllis Dalton's costume design earned the film its only Oscar. The soldiers' outfits appearing in a production number choreographed by, of all people, Paula Abdul.

-- Branagh was setting a trend, Murray wrote. It would be followed by Mel Gibson with Braveheart and David Benioff and D.B. Weiss with Game of Thrones: "combining high-minded political intrigue with blood-splattered cheap thrills." Gibson starred in the next high profile Shakespeare film adaptation after Henry V, playing Hamlet. Branagh, meanwhile, kept a promise reported by Desson Howe of the Washington Post and waited a while before his next adaptation. 

-- However, as early as 1989, Branagh was hoping to make a movie out of Much Ado About Nothing. And as of 2020, he's appeared in, wrote, directed, produced or otherwise contributed to 10 Shakespeare productions for film and TV, in addition to separately playing both Laurence Olivier and the Bard himself.

-- Next: My Left Foot. On Deck: Mystery Train