In 1944, Britain was under constant enemy bombardment and the situation was very bleak. Victory, in the war, seemed like wishful thinking. The government turned to Laurence Olivier to produce a film that could help rally the sagging national resolve. Olivier was given a budget of $2,000,000, which was generous – even enormous – under the circumstances of war austerity or by the standards of previous films, but quite restrictive for the grand epic that was required. Olivier's objectives were twofold: to make an effective piece of propaganda and to make a great film. The result both cheered and excited the beleaguered British people.

Historical Background: Sir Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England on May 22nd, 1907 and died in 1989. Though he was son of an Anglican clergyman, he was encouraged to take up acting while still a schoolboy, playing Brutus in Julius Caesar at the All Saints Choir School in London. At age nineteen, he joined the Birmingham Repertory Theater, made his first appearance on Broadway in 1929, and his film debut in 1930. In the late thirties and early forties, a string of successes (e.g., Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940) and Pride and Prejudice (1940)) established Olivier as one of the most popular young actors.

World War II intervened, however, and Olivier joined the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy after learning how to fly a plane at his own expense. Olivier was twice released from service to direct propaganda films, including the film here under review, Henry V (1944). The film was such a rousing triumph that Olivier was given a special Academy Award for his triple success as producer, director, and star of the film. Olivier repeated that success in his next effort as director, Hamlet (1948), which won the Best Picture and Best Actor awards, the latter going to Olivier himself. Altogether, Oliver was nominated for Oscars nine times and received a special career achievement Oscar in 1979.

The Story: The story opens in 1600 at the Globe Theatre in London, where an eager crowd has gathered for a production of Shakespeare's Henry V. As the crowd jostles about and settles in, a performer called "Chorus" (Leslie Banks) appears, serving as a kind of narrator, providing an historical context for the play. Then, the curtain opens to reveal the Archbishop of Canterbury (Felix Aylmer) and the Bishop of Ely (Robert Helpmann) discussing a bill before Parliament that would divest the church of a large portion of its property. The Archbishop suggests that a distraction is in order and has one in the form of an old claim by the Plantagenets to the throne and certain territories in France. A generous donation from the Church in support of a war with France should be enough to forestall action on Church reform.

Buoyed by the Archbishop's interpretation of the rightfulness of his claims, Henry meets with the French ambassador, who has received his instructions from The Dauphin (Max Adrian) of France, rather than King Charles VI (Harosurt Williams) himself. The Dauphin has sent along a "treasure chest" to appease the young English King, but it is really just a taunt. Henry decides that the French must pay for the insolence of this gesture and prepares for war.

The now serious and resolute King Henry had not always been such a stalwart. He had lived his youth in idle dissipation, carousing with the likes of the infamous Sir John Falstaff (George Robey), a recurrent Shakespearean character. Falstaff has been cast out of the court as evidence of Henry's will to reform. Falstaff dies, in an early scene, at an inn among peasant friends, including Corporal Nym (Frederick Cooper), Lieutenant Bardolph (Roy Emerton), and Ancient Pistol (Robert Newton). This trio of friends provides the play and the film with their main comic relief, both in this early scene and by way of their activities during the invasion of France.

The story's main focus, however, is the young King Henry and his ability to inspire his troops to overcome the 5-to-1 numerical advantage of the French forces, exploiting superior tactics and the English longbows to turn the tide at the crucial Battle of Agincourt. The Englishmen secure the victory and King Henry is rewarded with the hand of the lovely Princess Katherine (Renée Asherson). The scene in which Henry woos the young woman is both amusing and touching because he speaks little French and she little English.

Themes: Clearly the theme and purpose of this film was to lift the spirits of the British people during an exceptionally depressing time. There is a time for frivolity in life and other times when one has to suck it up and undertake the dirty work of survival. As a character, Henry V nicely exemplifies the ability to make that kind of transition, having overcome the dissipation of his youth to become an inspirational monarch. Conservative values tend to come to the fore when a nation is under dire threat, so it is neither surprising nor particularly regrettable that a story like Henry V promotes respect for the monarchy, for authority, for patriotism, and the rigid class-system that still dominated in the U.K. in the forties. King Henry not only depicts the heroism of the protagonist, but also the common soldiers wrestling with the meaning of war and camaraderie. I won't be a spoilsport by mentioning that the British were ultimately driven out of France, despite their victory at Agincourt. Olivier's version of Henry V was for Britain what Alexander Nevsky was for Russia – a bolstering of the will to resist and fight. It is amusing that this King Henry's roman numeral was also Winston Churchill's symbolic rallying gesture throughout World War II.

Production Values: In conceiving his propaganda film, Oliver wisely selected as source material Will Shakespeare's play Henry V, which featured a young English king who overcomes daunting odds by rallying the spirit and determination of his troops, through the sheer power of his own character, courage, and willpower. The subject matter fit the circumstances of the time to a tee. This early Shakespearean play was not one of The Bard's best, however, and Olivier wanted a film that would have mass appeal. Olivier collaborated with movie critic and writer Alan Dent on an adaptation of the play that simplified the most arcane of the language. They also eliminated scenes or portions of scenes that portrayed King Henry's more brutal characteristics, making the protagonist a more wholly heroic but less complex character. From an artistic point of view, the "purification" of Henry is a detriment, but, from a propaganda point of view, a rousing success. The film was a new first, at the time, in advancing the possibility of radical reinterpretation of Shakespeare's work. Those wanting their Henry V with the full complexity of the Shakespearean original will do better choosing Kenneth Branagh's film version from 1989.

One of Olivier's innovations was truly extraordinary. The film begins as though it were a 17th-century staging of the play at the Globe Theatre, complete with audience. Then, slowly the filming of the story opens up into more realistic venues, still retaining, however, a hint of artificiality in the form of painted backdrops. The recreation of the centerpiece Battle of Agincourt especially benefits from this opening up of the settings and style. Then, as the film draws to a close, it once again slowly reverts to the confines of the Globe Theater. Olivier's approach to the film was brilliant and elegant, but also allowed him to make the film within tight budgetary constraints with minimal impact on the grandeur of the most dramatic scenes. Olivier effectively demonstrated how the medium of film could be used to enlarge a Shakespearean drama and how stage conventions could be transformed for the screen. We get both the intimacy of the stage and the scope of an epic production for the big scenes.

The wartime economies posed a genuine challenge. Costumes were constructed from scraps of fabric and pieces of wood sprayed with silver paint. Painted backgrounds and models of castles had to substitute for more elaborate set design. The result is a kind of magical quality more than realism, but it is all in keeping with the notion of a stage production, which Olivier introduced from the very beginning. Thus, Olivier and the film's designers, Carmen Dillon and Paul Sheriff, made a virtue of necessity. Some viewers may be irritated by the fake quality of the backdrops, but others will simply accept the film's conventions for what they are.

The inclusion of the audience of the Globe Theatre was a nice touch, giving modern viewers a sense of the life of the time and how audiences reacted in 1600 to a Shakespearean play. The cinematography for the Battle of Agincourt is superb, though the gore of the battle is suggested more than being rendered explicitly. The opening cavalry charge of the French is especially well done. The score by William Walton is very effective.

Olivier is stirring as the young king and plays up the man's inspirational qualities in order to meet the film's propaganda requirement. Olivier was widely considered the greatest interpreter of Shakespeare of his generation and one of the best classical actors. Here, he is in top form. Among the rest of the cast, those playing the comic roles are the strongest, especially Robert Newton as Ancient Pistol, Roy Emerton as Bardolph, and Frederick Cooper as Nym. Also effective are Esmond Knight, Michael Shepley, John Laurie, and Niall MacGinnis as the four captains, representing the four ethnic groups of the U.K., the Welsh, Irish, Scots, and English. Renée Asherson held her own as Henry's love interest, Princess Katharine, but the rest of the performers playing the French contingent were less impressive, especially Harcourt Williams as King Charles. Robert Helpmann was quite humorous as the Bishop of Ely and Leslie Banks was simply brilliant as Chorus.

Bottom-Line: If one considers this film in the context of its time and purpose and the limitations imposed by wartime conditions, it really is a marvel of brilliant creativity. Separated from its context, it may only be a four-star film, considering that the protagonist has been made shallower than the original Shakespearean version and some of the economies that were required in artistic design. I think, however, that the film deserves to be evaluated in the context of the circumstances under which it was made. Given its context, the film deserves a five-star rating.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older