Henry V

When Laurence Olivier agreed to star in a motion picture adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Henry V(Full on-screen title: The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with his battle fought at Agincourt in France), he didn’t intend to also serve as the director as well. After all, he had never directed a feature before. His choice for the duties was William Wyler, who was in England at the time serving with the USAAF. The two had collaborated before on the film version of Wuthering Heights, and Olivier trusted in his director friend to make a satisfying and morale-boosting picture during a time when England needed just such a boost. But Wyler turned down the offer. So, too, did Carol Reed. Some sources also list Terrence Young in the director’s chair, but he ultimately had to step down.

Ultimately, Laurence Olivier himself had to step into the director’s chair, making his directorial debut in this feature. You wouldn’t know it by watching this film, though. This is a competently directed film that has a style to it that distinguishes it from other Shakespearian adaptations of the time. A choice was made to open this film as if we, the audience, were entering the Globe Theatre in 1600 London to see a performance of Henry V. But as the play commences, things start to transform before our very eyes. 

First, the actors, who start out a bit shakily and unprofessionally, gradually grow in confidence, the backgrounds become more elaborate, finally the stage is gone altogether, as is the audience watching the proceedings. At last, as things begin to wrap up, we are back in the Globe Theatre again, watching the actors on that stage close out what has been a truly rousing performance. We are told upfront that this story cannot be visualized realistically in a theatre environment and that we will have to use our imagination to embellish what our eyes are seeing. The film will end up doing that for us before too long; it’s a stylistic choice that serves this film well and helps it avoid some of the stodginess that often accompanies British Shakespeare films. 

Henry V tells the story of the title character, Henry V, King of England (Laurence Olivier). He begins the film discussing with his noblemen the conditions of France. Soon afterwards, he receives a gift from the French Dauphin, tennis balls, a jibe at Henry’s youth and inexperience. Offended by this gesture, he sends the French ambassador away and prepares to conquer the French throne, something he believes is rightfully his. 

As the action moves away from the King’s court and into the countryside, so too does the action move out of the Globe Theatre and into the lands, though the visuals still rely heavily on painted backdrops that simulate what we would see on a legitimate theatre stage. Battles happen, men are killed on both sides. At some point, King Henry disguises himself to talk amongst his men, attempting to sound out what those men think of the war and of him. Soon afterwards comes the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. British archers turn the tide against superior numbers. Everything culminates in Henry courting and marrying Princess Katherine (Renée Asherson) of France, a marriage intended, but ultimately failing, to end the Hundred Years’ War. 

Laurence Olivier was no stranger to Shakespeare. In his younger days, he detested how actors would “sing” Shakespeare’s verse and actively toned down his delivery. This put him at odds with the critics of the time, who would decry his delivery. This style of acting would ultimately work in his favor when he brought his interpretations of Shakespeare to the screen in the likes of Henry V and Hamlet. By toning down the flowery delivery that was prevalent at the time, it allowed the words to speak for themselves and add a level of realism to the proceedings. This, in turn, adds gravitas to the speeches and the quiet moments alike, especially when he is sitting with his men, pretending to be one of them, conversing about how the King holds responsibility for the actions of his men when under his command. It’s a quiet, yet powerful bit of conversation that wouldn’t work nearly as well were it delivered in a more elaborate way. Olivier failed to secure a nomination at the Academy Awards for his directing, something he really should have gotten, but he did get one for this performance. 

He is deftly moving back and forth between the dramatic and the comedic, too. Early on, there are peeks behind the proscenium as the performance of Henry V is hitting several bumps in the road. The audience is quite enjoying all the goofs, too, as they laugh uproariously at all the faux pas. But the best comedic moments surround Princess Katherine. When we are introduced to her, she is trying to learn some of the English language by reciting various body parts and getting the words wrong. Much later, when interacting with Henry, she struggles to communicate effectively with him, leading to some cultural and verbal misunderstandings. Renée Asherson has very little screentime in this film, but what she gets is memorable.

Because of the limitations in the screentime, a great deal of the original play had to be removed for time. Much of what is removed involves some questionable behavior on the part of Henry, such as his remorseless beheading of the three Southampton Plot traitors: Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge; Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham; and Sir Thomas Grey. Other things, such as his threat to unleash his troops to rape and pillage Harfleur if the city refused to surrender, were also left out. This was in part because of the time restraints but also because this film was made to uplift the citizens of Britain during the ongoing barrage of World War II. 

Going into this production of Henry V, not knowing anything about it, there is the assumption that it will be a stuffy British Shakespearian film that will only appeal to those who love the Bard. This assumption would be wrong, though. While it does rely heavily on the poetic language of Shakespeare, the actors perform it in such a way as to make it more accessible than the more dry adaptations out there. This helps those unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s works to get into a film such as this. Couple that with the ingenious use of the Globe Theatre setting and how the film expands beyond those walls, and it becomes obvious why this was such a beloved production of the play. 

Laurence Olivier was truly a gifted actor and filmmaker, and his instincts for this production clearly show that. This is an interpretation of Shakespeare that still holds up eighty years later, both in performance and in style. The use of obvious painted backdrops and models gives it a quaint, yet somehow timeless appearance as it takes the limitations of 1940s production values and turns them into stylistic choices representative of the theatre setting. It tells you to use your imagination to see what cannot be shown realistically, and that is exactly what we do as this simple, yet complicated, story unfolds before us. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Motion Picture: Laurence Olivier

Best Actor: Laurence Olivier

Best Art Direction - Color: Paul Sheriff and Carmen Dillon

Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: William Walton

Academy Honorary Award (won)

____________________________________________________

Release Date: November 22, 1944

Running Time: 136 minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Renée Asherson, Robert Newton, and Leslie Banks

Directed by: Laurence Olivier