Rating: 
Summary: Great film, OK format
Review: I think this is a great movie and the casting is wonderful. I was very disappointed to find that although the release was in wide screen, the audio is only in ProLogic. Why go to all the trouble to make the picture wide screen and not do the sound justice?Worst yet, the splash screen for MGM is in Dolby Digital and sounds just great, so you think the whole movie is going to be that way. Not so. It's really too bad. For such a great movie to have such so-so sound is a shame. If the acting were not so great I would return it just on principle
Rating: 
Summary: Superb Shakespearean Movie, so-so DVD
Review: "Henry V" was Kenneth Branagh's first adaptation of a Shakespearean play to screen. In fact, the success of this film led to the increased number of Shakespearean movies that we've seen in the last 10 years. With the exception of perhaps Branagh's own "Hamlet," it remains the best of the lot. The film has a gritty, realistic feel to it and demonstrates very well that Shakespearean films can be much more than just dull, stuffy words delivered with a British accent. The film is exciting and thrilling to watch and is very accessible to even those not familiar with Shakespeare's works. The film, of course, concerns the English King Henry V's struggle to claim his rightful throne in France, leading to the climactic, fateful battle at Agincourt. Those who have seen Braveheart or Gladiator can see the influence of this movie on these latter films. There is plenty of action, and Branagh does a superb job maintaining the suspense and level of anxiety throughout the film. That's all I'll say about the movie because I don't like to give away movie plots. However, I do have a few words about the DVD. While the film merits 5 stars, the DVD is lacking somewhat. The image quality is slightly soft, more like super-VHS rather than DVD. Still, it is in widescreen, and the image is better than regular VHS. Sound quality is on par with any average DVD and nothing spectacular. As for extras...there aren't any, really. There is a trailer and French/Spanish subtitles, but that is it. That is disappointing, as the film certainly deserves more. I would have liked a commentary by Branagh himself or maybe a bio about the real Henry V or Shakespeare. Oh well. Also, there are 2 passages (with Emma Thompson) in the film in which French is predominately spoken. If you can understand French (like me), it is not a problem, but if you don't, it can be a little frustrating (unless you can understand Spanish subtitles). These passages are played for comic effect and are quite amusing, so it is not really a big deal. But the lack of English subtitles is really strange for any Shakespearean movie. On the bright side, if your TV is capable of close-captioning, you *CAN* use this feature for English subtitles; it is not the ideal solution but better than nothing. So, while this film is truly a masterwork, the deficient DVD rates only 4 stars. Nonetheless, the DVD is absolutely worth owning, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Bard's works.
Rating:
Summary: On Your Imarginary Forces Work
Review: Branagh's epic deserves 5 stars but i substracted one because the DVD contains no special features... which really is inexcusable. Olivier's version to present Henry V as a play within a play is wonderfully subtle at times and works on several levels... but the gritty atmosphere of Branagh's version is immediate and gives a stronger suspension of belief. Branagh is at his best in this film and most dynamic, from Henry's low menacing rebuke of the Dauphin's 'treasure', to the fierce assault on those poor half-Fleurs, to the incredible speech to his troops on fields of Agincourt. the entire cast is superb but casting Jacobi as the Chorus is sheer genius. he completely set the tone for the film and watching the film, it's hard to imagine anyone else who could be a better to link between the viewer with the play. this is an exceptional film that really deserves a place in any movie collection.
Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant adaptation of a great play
Review: This may be the finest film adaptation of any Shakespearan play ever made. Stage drama and the screen are often uneasy bedfellows, artificiality clashing with realism. But Branagh's motion picture version of this grand Elizabethan drama perfectly transforms what was written for the stage of the Globe Theatre into an absolutely modern film. The actors carry swords and wear chain mail, but they could just have easily had M-1 rifles slung over their shoulders as they slogged through the mud of France behind their tanks. It is a truly effective war movie, as powerful as "Saving Private Ryan" or "Platoon". I had long considered Olivier's film of "Henry V" to be unequalled, but in my view Branagh's version has surpassed it in effectiveness. If Olivier's Henry was a paragon of heroic traits, Branagh's king is thoroughly human, believable in his uncertainty of coming events and absolutely inspiring when rousing his army. This is Shakespeare even for people who are frightened of Shakespeare.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie-Why aren't there english subtitles! -DVD review
Review: Spanish is my native tongue, but I try to learn as much english as I can, I've been taking classes for about 10 years out of my 15 years of life and I always put the english subtitles while watching a DVD (which has english audio) and I found that this DVD has subtitles in spanish and in french but not in english! I gave it 1 extra star because it has spanish subtitles.
Rating: 
Summary: Would subtitles in *English* be too much to ask for?
Review: I am so angry I am ready to *strangle* whoever produced this DVD! This is, without a doubt, the finest "Henry V" ever made. Superb acting, sound, direction, script... I could go on for an hour. And then some dweeb produces the album with Subtitles in French, and Spanish, but *NOT* English! Don't bother with this one and protest this travesty to the studio!
Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: The best Shakespeare on film, ever. And a great film of any ilk. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: MASTERPIECE
Review: Like the titulat hero, Kenneth Brannaugh was a young, brash, brilliant leader when this film made his name in Hollywood. "Henry V" is a great play and Brannaugh has brought it to the screen with the utmost skill, nuance, and fastidious attention to detail. The battle scenes are as well crafted as the verbal exchanges. This is a great introduction to both Brannaugh and Shakespeare, even if you haven't seen Henry I-IV..
Rating:
Summary: One of the All-Time Greats
Review: This is a sweeping statement, but true nonetheless: I believe that Kenneth Branagh's HENRY V is the greatest screen adaption ever done of Shakespeare. Period. Better than Olivier (although he was great in a very diferent way). Better than any version of Hamlet (even Branagh's, which is the best of the Hamlets). Better than anything else. Why do I say this? Simply because no other film adaptation of Shakespeare has captured the essence of what the Bard was trying to say while adding a modern perspective in the process, all in a manner that is readily accessible to a mass audience. Yet that is precisely what this film does. By sheer genius, Branagh was able to present HENRY V in all of its nationalistic glory, just as Shakespeare wrote it, while at the same time adding an anti-war footnote that serves both as counterpoint and commentary on the Bard's message. The contrast betwen the St. Crispin's Day speech as presented here (in which we are made to feel the real power behind Shakespeare's words) and the gritty, realistic presentation of the battle itself which follows is proof of my assertion. It's all here: Lessons on history, loyalty, and the qualities of leadership, all wrapped in a fiercely entertaining package. Branagh's great accomplishment is to bring the piece to life without the slightest bit of stuffiness or anachronism, and even to add his own touch to an unapproachable masterpiece. This, his first film, remains his crowning achievement. I think the Bard would approve.
Rating:
Summary: Branagh's best. . .
Review: Branagh, a marvelous Shakesperian actor whose voice has been likened to a "silver trumpet", directs and stars in the epic "Henry V", one of the best stories of courage in the face of adversity ever told. The story centers on the young English King on the eve of circumstance that make war with France inevitable. Our hero is untested in this regard, and must lead his troops through enemy territory while maintaining discipline and morale, in an effort here that seems superhuman. The circumstances take their toll however, and the cost of friendship lost, human frailty and treachery, as well as the horror of battle are throughly examined. Branagh is surrounded by a contingent of superior Shakespearean actors (too numerous to name here) whose work lifts this effort to an amazing level. Branagh's interpretation of Henry V is amazing, and he projects regal majesty replete with acute moral authority. Of particular note in Branagh's performance is the King's speech to an exhausted, demoralized, and frightened army minutes before battle with a well rested numerically superior force. Branagh captures the essence of this speech with eyes fixed on capturing his men's hearts in the face of horrific circumstance. Branagh simultaneously shames those who would break and run as he builds in their hearts the resolve to face battle with him. By the time the King reaches the words "We few. We lucky few. This band of brothers. . ." tears are typically coursing down my face. A beautiful film, well acted, with a tremendous story that examines man at his best and worst. Strong buy.
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