User Comments: Date: 8 February 2001
Summary: World, Meet Kenneth Branagh!
For actor/director Kenneth Branagh, 1989's "Henry V" was his calling card
into the big leagues of moviemaking, and at the same time it pronounced the
then 27 year-old British wonderboy the new Laurence Olivier of his
generation. And why not---like the great Olivier before him, Branagh is a
brilliantly talented English actor, strikingly handsome, is quite skillful
at film direction, and MAN, does he know how to speak Shakespeare. With this
astounding film version of "Henry V," the world had a brand new
Shakespearean actor to take VERY serious notice of.
What can I say about Branagh's amazing achievement with "Henry V" that
hasn't already been said? Branagh himself is phenomenal in the title role.
Let me put it to you this way: when Branagh launches into the famous "We
few, we happy few" speech, you're ready to charge into battle with this man!
From the first frame to the last, Branagh simply amazes with his richly
passionate performance as Henry.
Also, Branagh surrounds himself with some of Britain's finest actors to
round out the cast, and they all get their respective great moments to
shine, too: Derek Jacobi, Paul Scofield, Brian Blessed, Judi Dench, Ian
Holm, & Emma Thompson, to name but a few. You couldn't have asked for a
better ensemble cast than this! The photography is lush, the Oscar-winning
costumes are extraordinary, the score by Patrick Doyle is memorable, the
battle scenes are brilliantly staged, and Branagh's direction of it all is
superb.
Only Branagh's 1996 masterwork treatment of "Hamlet" tops this film as the
best thing the man has ever done, but what a brilliant way to make an
entrance. "Henry V" is a true cinematic work of genius, one that should be
mandatory viewing for anyone even *remotely* interested in the Bard, and in
seeing how to translate a Shakespeare work onto the big screen with great
fire. With "Henry V," Kenneth Branagh shows you how it's done.
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