Henry V [Criterion Collection]

Director: Laurence Olivier, Reginald Beck Laurence Olivier

Overview

"Presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the DVD version is derived from a 35 mm internegative made from masters in England. Film historian Bruce Eder provides a detailed and extensive commentary on the history and making of the film. Other special features include a piece on the costumes of the period, a chronology of the history plays -- ""Shakespeare's Royalty,"" 11 black-and-white production photos, the theatrical trailer, and color bars, presumably for making color adjustments. The audio is monaural and sounds it, and the colorization is rather obvious."

Product Details

Release Date:	03/21/2010
UPC:	0037429128527
Original Release:	1944
Source:	CRITERION COLLECTION
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	2:17:00

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder; Theatrical trailer; "Shakespearean Royalty," a chronology of England's rulers; Stills galleries: the "Book of Hours" and production photos; Subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired; Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Laurence Olivier	King Henry V
Harcourt Williams	King Charles VI
Renee Asherson	Princess Katherine
Janet Burnell	Queen Isabel of France
Robert Newton	Ancient Pistol
Leslie Banks	Chorus
Griffith Jones	Earl of Salisbury
Esmond Knight	Fluellen
Leo Genn	Constable of France
Felix Aylmer	Archbishop of Canterbury
Ralph Truman	Mountjoy
Ivy St. Helier	Alice. Lady in Waiting
Ernest Thesiger	Duke of Berri,Duke of Berri
Max Adrian	The Dauphin
Francis Lister	Duke of Orleans
Valentine Dyall	Duke of Burgundy
Russell Thorndike	Duke of Bourbon
Michael Shepley	Capt. Gower
Morland Graham	Sir Thomas Erpingham
Gerald Case	Earl of Westmoreland
Nicholas Hannen	Duke of Exeter
Robert Helpmann	Bishop of Ely
Freda Jackson	Mistress Quickly
Jimmy Hanley	Williams
John Laurie	Capt. Jamie
Niall MacGinnis	Capt. MacMorris
George Robey	Sir John Falstaff
Roy Emerton	Lt. Bardolph
Arthur Hambling	Bates
Frederick Cooper	Cpl. Nym
Michael Warre	Duke of Gloucester
Brian Nissen	Court
Frank Tickle	Governor of Harfleur
George Cole	Boy
Jonathan Field	French Messenger
Vernon Greeves	English Herald
Ernest Hare	Priest
Renée Ashershon	Princess Katharine
Ken Richmond	Actor
William Walton	Composer

Technical Credits

Laurence Olivier

Alan Dent

Dallas Bower

Laurence Olivier	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Reginald Beck	Director
Alan Dent	Screenwriter
Dallas Bower	Screenwriter
William Shakespeare	Playwright
Filippo Del Giudice	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Laurence Olivier's Henry V confounded almost every assumption about bringing Shakespeare's work to the screen. In contrast to previous Shakespeare adaptations, it was fresh and lively -- even challenging and daring -- in its presentation and structure; it had fun with its subject, while other versions had been reverent and respectful; and it delighted audiences, scholars, and critics alike, becoming the first screen adaptation of a Shakespeare play to receive mostly enthusiastic reviews and turn a profit. Olivier made his movie in the middle of World War II, convincing the British government of the morale-boosting potential and propaganda uses of a good adaptation of the original play, about an English invasion of France in the 15th century; he then took off for the neutral wide-open spaces of Ireland with the best cast he could assemble from actors too old to be in uniform, a handful of actors borrowed from the armed services, highly sought-after Technicolor cameras, and a script that kept intact the core of Shakespeare's play. The movie earned him a special Academy Award. Equally important in broader historical terms, Henry V paved the way for all other Shakespeare films, from Olivier's versions of Hamlet, Richard III, and Othello through to Kenneth Branagh's more contemporary adaptations.