Rating: 
Summary: This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England....
Review: From various reference sources, in brief, here's the historical background both to Shakespeare's play and to this film. Henry V, the eldest son of Henry IV and Mary Bohun, was born in 1387. An accomplished and experienced soldier, at age fourteen he fought the Welsh forces of Owen Glendower; at age sixteen he commanded his father's forces at the battle of Shrewsbury; and shortly after his accession he put down a major Lollard uprising and an assassination plot by nobles still loyal to Richard II . He proposed to marry Catherine in 1415, demanding the old Plantagenet lands of Normandy and Anjou as his dowry. Charles VI refused and Henry declared war, opening yet another chapter in the Hundred Years' War. His invasion of France served two purposes: to regain lands lost in previous battles and to focus attention away from any of his cousins' royal ambitions. Henry possessed a brilliant, strategic military mind and defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt in October of 1415. By 1419 he had captured Normandy, Picardy, and much of the Capetian stronghold of the Ile-de-France. By the time the Treaty of Troyes was signed in 1420, Charles VI not only accepted Henry as his son-in-law but passed over his own son to name Henry heir to the French crown. Had Henry lived a mere two months longer, he would have been king of both England and France. However, he had prematurely aged because of having lived the hard life of a soldier, became seriously ill, and died after returning from yet another French campaign. Catherine had given birth to his only son while he was away but Henry died without ever seeing the child. The historian Rafael Holinshed, in Chronicles of England, summed up Henry V's reign as follows: "This Henry was a king, of life without spot, a prince whom all men loved, and of none disdained, e captain against whom fortune never frowned, nor mischance once spurned, whose people him so severe a justicer both loved and obeyed (and so humane withal) that he left no offence unpunished, nor friendship unrewarded; a terror to rebels, and suppressor of sedition, his virtues notable, his qualities most praiseworthy." It would be a disservice to compare and contrast this film with the version which Laurence Olivier directed 45 years earlier. Each has its own unique strengths and both are worthy of high regard. When Shakespeare's play and this film begin, newly crowned Henry V (Branagh) attempts to resolve animosities between England and France. When those efforts fail, he and a small army invade France and defeat the French troops at Agincourt. Branagh brings to the role exceptional energy and dramatic impact, most evident in two scenes: when he delivers his St. Crispin's Day speech just before heading into battle and then afterward as he rides amidst the carnage, carrying a dead boy across one shoulder. The resources and technologies for special effects available to Branagh were far more abundant than those available to Olivier. Branagh makes the most of them, recreating the gore and grime of Agincourt with a series of indelible images. (I suspect that Mel Gibson carefully studied the tracking sequence when preparing to film Braveheart.) The acting throughout is first-rate, notably Paul Scofield (King Charles VI), Judi Dench (Mistress Quickly), and Ian Holm (Captain Fluellyn). Sir John Falstaff does not appear in this film version (as he does in Olivier's) and scant attention is paid to the "corrupting influences" in Prince Hal's "decadent" youth. Branagh focuses primarily on the human dimensions prior to and following the magnificent military victory at Agincourt. It is also a pleasure to observe Branagh's interaction with Emma Thompson in her role as Katherine. The "word games" courtship scene is delightful. This is a visually stunning and emotionally stimulating tribute to Henry V and his warriors, of course, but also to the country which produced such men: This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,-
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England. (Richard II, Act II, scene 1)
Rating:
Summary: Learn to love Shakespeare.
Review: It's hard to believe that this is Branagh's first screenwriting and directing effort. Either one would be an immense task, but both is really impressive.
Moving Shakespeare from the stage to the screen while preserving the integrity of the play has become something of a specialty of Branagh's since. Oddly, though, none of his later efforts has had quite the appeal of Henry V. "Othello" is close, but the rest tend to be cumbersome and way too ambitious. See also: "Hamlet"
You're going to have to let go of some cynicism to really enjoy this. His performance of the "Saint Crispin's Day" monologue has become something of a trademark for him, but it is a little overly sincere. Most of the film avoids this kind of forced intensity, but the speech is a notable exception. In fact, Branagh's greatest contribution to the fil is his direction, not his acting.
Even if you don't already enjoy Shakespeare, you should give this film a try. It may change your mind. It's in my top 10.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT Anamorphic?!?!?!
Review: This GREAT film version of Henry V deserves a better video presentation! I love this film, but I will NOT buy a DVD with the degraded image inherent to NON-anamorphic Letterbox formatting. What kind of idiots does MGM take us for??? There is simply no way that I will pay good money for an intentionally defective product.
Rating: 
Summary: NO Subtitles!!!!
Review: Kenneth Branagh is an excellent actor and I absolutely loved this movie, but there was one thing that drove me to the end of my wits. In the middle of the movie there is a scene with the french king's daughter and her hand maid (excuse me if wrong term is used) that is entirely in french and there are no subtitles!!! Sadly, I don't speak french, so I was exteremely upset when there was no way for us non-french speaking people to understand what was being said--except to pull out the story itself and read it while the movie is going on...sigh. Anyway, and excellent movie with that one flaw...
Rating: 
Summary: NO closed-captioning option in ENGLISH!
Review: This *HENRY V* DVD lacks both English closed-captioning -OR- subtitles as a menu option, yet they are offered in French & Spanish! -- Therefore, we whom are disabled by being hard-of-hearing, completely deaf, and others who MUST rely on DVDs or VHS-tapes to *ALWAYS* contain an English-language closed-captioning or a subtitle option: this DVD was a VERY BITTER purchasing disappointment. Moreover, here's yet another *MGM Studio* DVD release -- that's completely lacking any kind of English closed-captioning or subtitles option! ****CAVIAT EMPTOR!******
Rating:
Summary: BRANAGH HAS A WINNER!!!
Review: This Shakespearean tale opens with the English King, Henry V, determining whether he has a just claim to the French crown. During this period, Henry V was a cousin to the French contender for the French crown, and, arguably, both had distant but equal claims. After Henry V takes care of some treachery, his army lands where he comes to terms with not only being a king, but, also the distance between himself and his commoner subjects. In the end, the Battle of Agincourt, vividly portrayed by a narrator in black, shows the strength and majesty of the fictional character (i.e. the real Henry V was different). One last note, some have complained that the action sequences aren't so good. This is b/c they didn't have CGI back then and
the budget was limited. Overall, for what Branagh had, this is one of the finest Shakespearean movies.
Rating:
Summary: a fantastic film
Review: This and Polanski's rendering of "Macbeth" are probably my two favorite Shakespeare screen adaptations. Branagh gives a typically spirited performance, and the sets and costumes look fantastic and only add to the realism. The only thing that could possibly make this better would be remastered sound for the battle scenes to give one the full experience. However, this is only a personal preference. Most would probably no doubt find that the film is based on a stage play and openly presented in the film as one, so over-production is not necessary.
Rating:
Summary: Great Performances Except for One
Review: Kenneth Brannagh in "Henry V" presents a powerful adaptation of the original not seen since Polanski's "MacBeth." Reinforced by a powerful cast including Derek Jakobi and Brian Blessed (who both performed together in the BBC series "I Claudius"), the audience is captured into the political intrigues of Medieval Europe and the Hundred Years War. This adaptation probably has one of the best accurate reenactments of Medieval warfare I've ever seen in its depiction of the battle of Agincourt. The low point would be Emma Thompson's performance of the French princess: pretentious and unimpressive. Her mastery of the language was frankly too poor to be acted upon: sounding more like she was struggling through an introductory French lesson. The role should have been given to a French actress or to an actress who could at least speak the language. Despite this one blemish, there are few other renditions that compare to this suspensful and fast-paced masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: This is War?
Review: The overall acting was as to be expected from a professional English cast - exceptional. However, the nature of my review focuses on the battle scenes. This offering like many others, attempts to portray a battle with realism. But in slow motion? This is where Branagh follows the other cinematic lemmings in the industry. Watching men butchering each other in "$50 Million Dollar Man" fashion, is so comical, it borders on the pathetic. The sights and sounds of men drawing their last breath in slow motion, projecting blood, brandishing swords, howling (can one scream in slow motion?), surely makes a mockery of this art. I'd rather watch paint dry or grass grow. Rating this movie at five stars as many do, clearly illustrates an obsession with Branagh as a media darling and not an accomplished artist.
Rating:
Summary: Awful, just awful
Review: First off, violin music swells in the background when Branagh wants to tell you, the viewer, to feel emotion. Second-my pet peeve-at least one horse in a battle scene (maybe more) falls on its side. Can't they make a battle scene in a movie without causing a horse to fall? Let the actors get tossed in the mud. No problemo. This movie rendition of Shakespeare's play seems to have all the right stuff. The acting is very good, and the sets are boss. But Shakespeare's play is cut into bits, Falstaff makes several on screen appearances (sic), Henry flashbacks to his old drinking days (sic), and that music keeps playing. It is surely obvious that certain types of music are used intending to provoke certain emotions. Yes, war is very, very dirty, and Branagh cakes everything in mud in the battle scenes, but the dirt in Shakespeare is Henry himself. Henry's "Band of Brothers" speech is fake eloquence, as manipulative as the music Branagh makes swell up. A reading of the play reveals the truth of what I'm saying. Before the gates of Harfleur, Henry tells the residents inside to avoid watching their young women raped and their naked infants end up on pikes, and just surrender. The logic is simple. And Henry says to Kate, when you are mine all of France and England is yours. That's a good offer. The play is bitter acid, but the movie makes it out to be something else. Anyone interested should get the text of the play and compare it to the movie and see what was cut. It is true that the movie doesn't neglect Henry's involvement in the death's of Falstaff and Bardolph, and in this respect is true to the play, but the question the movie fudges in favor of box office is whether all the sacking of anything in the way of Henry's ambitions (including Kate, the brunt of some tasty Shakespearean quibbles-cut from the movie) is worth the pain, or even anything at all. By the way, I admire Branagh greatly for producing an entirely uncut Hamlet film. If he'd only been willing to leave his Henry V uncut, and suffer the consequences the play deals out to his leading role.
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