William Shakespeare's Henry V
"No king of England if not king of France!"
An independent and controversial take on Shakespeare's history play about the medieval warrior king. This guerilla-style production portrays King Henry V as a complex and morally ambiguous character, contrary to most popular productions, with a view to exploring the darker side of power.
Read about this film in Screening Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century, a collection of film analysis Edited by Mark Thonrnton Burnett and Ramona Wray, from the University of Edinburgh Press. Extensive analysis of this movie by Sarah Hachuel.
"This bold new collection offers an innovative discussion of Shakespeare on screen after the millennium. Cutting-edge, and fully up-to-date, it surveys the rich field of Bardic film representations, from Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet to the BBC ‘Shakespea(Re)-Told’ season, from Michael Radford’s The Merchant of Venice to Peter Babakitis’ Henry V. In addition to offering in-depth analyses of all the major productions, Screening Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century includes reflections upon the less well-known filmic ‘Shakespeares’, which encompass cinema advertisements, appropriations, post-colonial reinventions and mass media citations, and which move across and between genres and mediums. Arguing that Shakespeare is a magnet for negotiations about style, value and literary authority, the essays contend that screen reinterpretations of England’s most famous dramatist simultaneously address concerns centred upon nationality and ethnicity, gender and romance, and ‘McDonaldisation’ and the political process, thereby constituting an important intervention in the debates of the new century. As a result, through consideration of such offerings as the Derry Film Initiative Hamlet, the New Zealand The Maori Merchant of Venice and the television documentary In Search of Shakespeare, this collection is able to assess as never before the continuing relevance of Shakespeare in his local and global screen incarnations.Features* Only collection like it on the market, bringing the subject up to date.* Twenty-first century focus and international coverage.* Innovative discussion of a wide range of films and television.* Accessibly written for students and general readers."
"This bold new collection offers an innovative discussion of Shakespeare on screen after the millennium. Cutting-edge, and fully up-to-date, it surveys the rich field of Bardic film representations, from Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet to the BBC ‘Shakespea(Re)-Told’ season, from Michael Radford’s The Merchant of Venice to Peter Babakitis’ Henry V. In addition to offering in-depth analyses of all the major productions, Screening Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century includes reflections upon the less well-known filmic ‘Shakespeares’, which encompass cinema advertisements, appropriations, post-colonial reinventions and mass media citations, and which move across and between genres and mediums. Arguing that Shakespeare is a magnet for negotiations about style, value and literary authority, the essays contend that screen reinterpretations of England’s most famous dramatist simultaneously address concerns centred upon nationality and ethnicity, gender and romance, and ‘McDonaldisation’ and the political process, thereby constituting an important intervention in the debates of the new century. As a result, through consideration of such offerings as the Derry Film Initiative Hamlet, the New Zealand The Maori Merchant of Venice and the television documentary In Search of Shakespeare, this collection is able to assess as never before the continuing relevance of Shakespeare in his local and global screen incarnations.Features* Only collection like it on the market, bringing the subject up to date.* Twenty-first century focus and international coverage.* Innovative discussion of a wide range of films and television.* Accessibly written for students and general readers."
"After the French call an official time out (which is technically called a "parley"), Henry stands before the gates of Harfleur and warns the Governor to surrender now or reap the consequences, which will probably involve his soldiers 1) raping the town virgins, 2) impaling infants on spikes, and 3) bashing in the heads of defenseless old men. The Governor of Harfleur surrenders. (By the way, we think the scariest version of this speech is in Peter Babakitis's 2007 film.) "-Shmoop.com
"What has changed over the years are attitudes towards war and heroism. More ill at ease with warlike Harry, Branagh’s 1989 version presents a darker Henry and the play becomes grittier: after Vietnam and the Falklands, war had become politically more questionable. Western Europe had not seen war on its soil since Olivier’s day. The following twenty years only confirmed that trend, and when Peter Babakitis made his version of the film in 2004 wedged between the two Gulf Wars, the play again served as a metaphor for media manipulation. Finally, when the BBC adapted the play as part of the Hollow Crown series in 2012, the version explored the personal toll wars take on people. 2 The various films sum up the prevalent attitudes of the times."
-From CNN to YouTube: Henry V in the Digital Age Francis Steven Mickus
-From CNN to YouTube: Henry V in the Digital Age Francis Steven Mickus
King Henry V of England, with the Archbishop of Canterbury in William Shakespeare's Henry V
Press Archive-Stills From William Shakespeare's Henry V
O, For a muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention...