The Kings Character in a Cinematic Production of...

Although labeled as a history, the strength of Shakespeares Henry V lies not in the events that occur in the play, but in the delicate portrayal of the characters involved. Shakespeares audience would have already known the story of Henry Vs campaign on France and thus would have had no reason to watch a play that simply re-enacted past events. Therefore, the appeal of such a play, as well as the themes and the content, would have been dependent largely on the characters themselves. It is obvious that the most prominent character is the man whose name the play carries - Henry V. The entire story centers on his deeds. He serves as the catalyst for the action, the driving force behind all that takes place. Without him there is no†¦show more content†¦The subtleties of such ambiguities make any direction a complex task as one tries to reconcile conflicting viewpoints. In doing so, there are two widely respected cinematic versions of Henry V that may be considered: Laurence Oliviers 1944 production and Kenneth Branaghs 1989 version. Oliviers version is pure patriotism, while Branaghs is grittier and much darker. Oliviers is more stylized and innocent, giving it a more chivalric and fairy-tale atmosphere. Branaghs, on the other hand, is more realistic in its portrayal of Henrys invasion of France. However, as Shaw points out, in each case the king emerges as the hero through cinematic and textual editing decisions. The most glaring omission common to both is Henrys order to kill the French prisoners taken at the Battle of Agincourt. This scene is omitted because it is one of those textual ambiguities that may leave an audience of the original play uncertain as to the quality of man that the Henry is. This would have been in opposition to both Branagh and Oliviers heroic depictions. This would not, however, be the route chosen for this production. Henry V, as Norman Rabkin describes it in Shakespeare and the Problem of Meaning, is a work whose ultimate power is precisely the fact that it points in two opposite directions, virtually daring us to chooseShow MoreRelatedA Comparison of Olivier and Branaghs Adaptations of Henry V Essays2716 Words   |  11 PagesBranaghs Adaptations of Henry V Media Comparative Essay: (in the medium of film) concerning the 2 well known film versions of Shakespeare’s Henry V of Olivier (1944) and Branagh (1989) in the specific scenes of â€Å"A Little Touch of Harry in the Night† and â€Å"The Crispin Crispian Speech† A comparison of these scenes in the two film versions of Henry V indicated above in a discussion of all the major cinematic issues in integrating a story like Shakespeare’s and to include some