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Movie Details:
The definitive call to arms, Laurence Oliviers Henry V is a patriotic saga awash with pageantry, battles, romance and political chicanery. Intended to rally Britain during the darkest days of World War II, the film shows how the star of England sought to stake an ancestral, royal claim on the soil of France. Olivier once said, famously, that it isnt until youre older that you can understand the pictorial beauty of heroism. And at the ripe age of 37, the actor essays an insouciant character endowed with great powers of strength, spirit, and intellect. From the moment Olivier strides on screen, the audience is held both rapt and willingly captive. During his magnificent St. Crispins Day speech, Olivier refuses to indulge in excessive personal close-ups, choosing instead to depict the communal impact of his words on the troops. Though he understands the importance of clear, realistic communication, Olivier the director also displays a penchant for artifice–as exemplified by his decision to open the film in a replica of the Globe Theatre. The plays various diplomatic exchanges–usually of the dull, obligatory variety–are enlivened through touches of light comedy: a sly wind blows court papers over the set as courtiers argue over boundaries and treaties. There is also humour to be found in the Kings taciturn romancing of Princess Katharine (Renee Asherson). But there are also plenty of large-scale events, with Olivier demonstrating the fleetness of Shakespeares world even as he mimics the headlong rush of destruction. A romanticised film of a nation at war, the director leaves no doubt that the British victory over the French at Agincourt (1415) was Medieval Englands and the Kings finest military triumph. The film is rendered complete by William Waltons magnificent score, which pushes all the appropriate patriotic buttons. For his efforts, Olivier received a special Oscar for his outstanding achievement as actor, producer, and director in bringing Henry V to the screen.
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