I'll admit I wasn't exactly looking forward to watching the remake of Henry V. I managed to stay awake during the 1944 version, but I was bored to tears. How much Shakespeare can a person who doesn't like Shakespeare stand?
I guess I should have had a little more faith, since I adored Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. This movie actually captured my attention, while Branagh was speaking anyway. Everyone else seemed to be talking in a foreign language, but the lead actor (who also adapted the screenplay and made his directorial debut) brought his own subtitles along. While I won't be so disrespectful as to say, "Laurence who?" this is certainly an impressive feat. It's no wonder young Branagh was immediately catapulted to the Olivier pedestal and made it his mission to remake all the classics.
The beginning of the movie is very exciting and paid a little tribute to the 1944 version in its way. Remember the opening of the original that showed the audience gathering in the Globe Theatre before the play started? In this version, Derek Jacobi talks directly into the camera (he plays the chorus) and introduces the play while walking through an empty film set. During his final line, he opens up a door leading to the rest of the actors in Shakespeare Land.
A compliment might not mean anything coming from me, since I'm not a connoisseur. But for the fellow non-connoisseurs out there, if you want to watch a Shakespeare movie and actually understand what's going on, rent a Kenneth Branagh movie. Compared to hearing dry monologues on a stage with painted sets, watching an actual battle on a battlefield is very engrossing. I couldn't believe it was actually exciting to see him waving his sword, as his white horse reared up on his back legs, commanding, "Once more onto the breach!" And during his rousing St. Crispin's Day speech, he was actually rousing. Remember how boring the original was? Let's all forget about it and stick with 1989.
I guess I should have had a little more faith, since I adored Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. This movie actually captured my attention, while Branagh was speaking anyway. Everyone else seemed to be talking in a foreign language, but the lead actor (who also adapted the screenplay and made his directorial debut) brought his own subtitles along. While I won't be so disrespectful as to say, "Laurence who?" this is certainly an impressive feat. It's no wonder young Branagh was immediately catapulted to the Olivier pedestal and made it his mission to remake all the classics.
The beginning of the movie is very exciting and paid a little tribute to the 1944 version in its way. Remember the opening of the original that showed the audience gathering in the Globe Theatre before the play started? In this version, Derek Jacobi talks directly into the camera (he plays the chorus) and introduces the play while walking through an empty film set. During his final line, he opens up a door leading to the rest of the actors in Shakespeare Land.
A compliment might not mean anything coming from me, since I'm not a connoisseur. But for the fellow non-connoisseurs out there, if you want to watch a Shakespeare movie and actually understand what's going on, rent a Kenneth Branagh movie. Compared to hearing dry monologues on a stage with painted sets, watching an actual battle on a battlefield is very engrossing. I couldn't believe it was actually exciting to see him waving his sword, as his white horse reared up on his back legs, commanding, "Once more onto the breach!" And during his rousing St. Crispin's Day speech, he was actually rousing. Remember how boring the original was? Let's all forget about it and stick with 1989.