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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
William Shakespeare (play)
Kenneth Branagh (adaptation)
Release Date:
8 November 1989 (USA) more
Tagline:
The great adventure of a king who defied the odds to prove himself a man.
Plot:
The gritty adaption of William Shakespeare's play about the English King's bloody conquest of France. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(46 articles)
Hopkins Rules As Odin For Marvel's Mighty Thor
(From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 30 October 2009, 8:09 AM, PDT)
Bernard Cornwall's 'Agincourt' To Be Adapted
(From Cinematical. 16 July 2009, 2:15 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Kingly Feast for the Eyes and Ears more (87 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Derek Jacobi | ... | Chorus |
 | Kenneth Branagh | ... | Henry V |
 | Simon Shepherd | ... | Gloucester |
 | James Larkin | ... | Bedford |
| Brian Blessed | ... | Exeter |
| James Simmons | ... | York |
| Charles Kay | ... | Canterbury |
| Alec McCowen | ... | Ely |
| Fabian Cartwright | ... | Cambridge |
| Stephen Simms | ... | Scroop |
| Jay Villiers | ... | Grey |
| Edward Jewesbury | ... | Erpingham |
 | Ian Holm | ... | Fluellen |
 | Danny Webb | ... | Gower (as Daniel Webb) |
| Jimmy Yuill | ... | Jamy |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for a bloody battle.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
137 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Contains a flashback scene to ACT 1, Scene 2: of Shakespeare's "Henry IV, part 1", where Jack Falstaff proclaims "Do not thou, when thou art King, hang a thief." This flashback line is instead given to Bardolph, to make it more poignant when Henry hangs him. more
Goofs:
Continuity: French soldier wearing blue dies twice of an arrow in the back. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Chorus:
O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention; A kingdom for a stage, princes to act and monarchs to behold the swelling scene. Then should the war-like Harry, like himself, assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire crouch for employment.
more
Movie Connections:
References The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (1944) more
FAQ
Henry V is based on the Shakespearian play of the same name. What are the play and film about?Why is Henry treated like a hero if he invades a nonaggressive country for questionable reasons?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
more (87 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Henry V (1989)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| St Crispin's Day | superstu86 |
| British Losses | Pickwick12 |
| Bad acting, and could anyone understand a word they said? | xagent003 |
| Trailer? | borstel-1 |
| PG??? | eamonn_keane |
| Thomas Becket | srtimmons |
Recommendations
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| The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France | Henry V | Henry V | Henry V | The Life of Henry the Fift |
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Related Links
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| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb UK section |
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"Henry V" marks Kenneth Branagh's greatest achievement to date. Branagh not only directs this rich and visually stunning film, he stars as the title character. The movie opens with Derek Jacobi (Branagh's Shakespearean mentor) in modern garb passionately delivering the prologue. Then we are taken into the dark, dank rooms of Henry's castle. The king makes his dramatic entrance, complete with a Darth Vader style cape.
The entire film is filled with grandeur and pomp, with any faults in the story line being attributable more to Shakespeare himself than Branagh. Henry V as I remember it from my college English class is a decidingly pro-British play (and film). There is little question that France should be conquered, and Henry speaks of his war against France as if it were France that attacked England. Indeed, Henry's famous "St. Chrispin's day speech" is so rousing, that it has been quoted often and inspired the name of the "Band of Brothers" miniseries about World War II. This is no surprise, since Shakespeare's prose is famously beautiful.
There is definitely a difference in the way that both sides of the conflict are presented. The French, at least in Branagh's movie are presented as arrogant (and somewhat effeminate), while on the side of the English, even children are filled with manly courage. Henry is presented as noble, fair, and merciful. True he threatens the mayor of one French town, telling him that if he does not surrender the town, the English will do terrible things to its residents, but does not carry out his threat. He also hangs the one English soldier who steals from a French church, refusing to show favoritism for him just because he was his friend. Apparently mercy towards your own countrymen was not a virtue that Henry saw particularly important.
The films greatest attribute is its soundtrack, particularly the use of music in the scene following the battle of Agincourt in which the warring parties collect their dead for burial.
All in all, a fascinating look inside the mind of a king.