Henry V [1989 film]

Henry V (1989)

Kenneth Branagh – King Henry V
Ian Holm – Fluellen
Robert Stephens – Ancient Pistol
Emma Thompson – Princess Katherine
Paul Scofield – King Charles VI of France
Michael Maloney – The Dauphin
Richard Easton – Constable Charles Delabreth
Christopher Ravenscroft – Montjoy
Judi Dench – Mistress Quickly
Charles Kay – Archbishop of Canterbury
Derek Jacobi – Chorus
Michael Williams – Michael Williams
Robbie Coltrane – Sir John Falstaff
Christian Bale – Robin the Luggage-Boy

Screenplay by Kenneth Branagh, based on the play (1599) by William Shakespeare
Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Colour. 137 min.

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Two more different movies based on the very same material than Branagh’s and Olivier’s Henry V could hardly be imagined. Their Hamlets (1948, 1996) are similar by comparison. Branagh repeats and even augments some of Olivier’s adaptation errors (e.g. making Falstaff even more prominent, including a flashback from Henry IV, Part 1), but he keeps more of the text. The great change is the tone. If Olivier can be accused of taking the play too lightly, Branagh takes it far too seriously. Even Fluellen and Pistol are devoid of sparkle. Branagh’s Harry unbends only in the French romance, and then not very much. It’s an impressive leading performance, particularly intense in “We happy few”, and there is little to complain in the supporting cast (Christopher Ravenscroft is especially memorable as Montjoy). But the persistently earnest tone is a little oppressive. Visually speaking, this movie is not necessarily more realistic than Olivier’s. It is just a different sort of artificiality. It has its own kind of beauty. Agincourt is a muddy and graphic spectacle, an eloquent anti-war statement, if a little too long and verging on melodrama. On the whole, I wouldn’t want to be without Branagh’s passion, but I do prefer Olivier’s charm. I wouldn’t say one approach is more valid than the other. It is just that I, personally, find the light-hearted version more compelling. (Interestingly, both movies have the same runtime.) It is a tribute to Shakespeare’s genius that he could write a “mere” history play capable of producing such startlingly different artistic responses almost four centuries later. ( )

Enrico V . Regia di Kenneth Branagh. Con Kenneth Branagh, Ian Holm, Paul Scofield.
* L'allora giovane astro nascente del teatro e del cinema britannico, Kenneth Branagh, si confronta qui col mito di Laurence Olivier.
Ha diretto e interpretato questa versione dell' Enrico V di Shakespeare che già aveva "sedotto" il suo illustrissimo predecessore. Lui non arriva alle vette di Olivier, forse perchè il suo sangue irlandese lo fa troppo infervorare, ma lo spettacolo e il buon cinema ci sono.

Drammatico; col; 138; Gran Bretagna 1989, Oscar 1 pr 3 nom.

Fonte: Il Farinotti ( )

Enrico V (Henry V, Gb 1989,col, 136') Kenneth Branagh. Con Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simnon Shepered, James Lardin, Brian Blessed, Jamnes Simmons, Ian Holm, Paul Scofield, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench.
* Enrico V. Plantageneto (Branagh) si lascia alle spalle le gozzoviglie di gioventù e sconfigge i francesi ad Azincourt (1415) . Il dramma di Shakespeare ambientato su un set cinematografico: l'enfant terribile delle scene britanniche trasforma, dove può, la parola poetica in suggestione visiva e soddisfa sia le esigenze linguistiche sia quelle spettacolari. Davvero regale la sua interpretazione dell'incerto e ambiguo sovrano. Oscar ai costumi di Phyllis Dalton. ( )

(Henry V, Gb 1989, col, 136') Kenneth Branagh. Con Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Sheperd, James Larkin, Brian Blessed, James Simmons, Ian Holm, Paul Scofield, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench. * Enrico V Plantageneto (Branagh) si lascia alle spalle le gozzoviglie di gioventù e sconfigge i francesi ad Azincourt (1415) . Il dramma di Shakespeare ambientato su un set cinematografico l'elefante terribile delle scene britanniche trasforma, dove può, la parola poetica in suggestione visiva, e soddisfa sia le esigenze "linguistiche" sia quelle spettacolari rivelandosi più simile a Welles (e al suo Falstaff) che a Olivier. Davvero regale la sua interpretazione dell'incerto e ambiguo sovrano. Oscar ai costumi di Phyllis Dalton. ( )