Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.4 / 5.0

Stunning:

This may be the best Shakespeare film ever made. In 1942, Laurence Olivier delivered a jingoistic, stylized wartime production of "Henry V" that nonetheless stood as the standard interpretation. Nearly fifty years later, Kenneth Branagh's film appeared not only as a powerful and amazingly accessible recasting of the text, but a serious examination of the nature and the costs of the war that was Henry the Fifth's only real achievement.

Although studded with a fine array of subsidiary characters, "Henry V"... more info

Still Among The Finest Film Adaptations of Shakespeare:

Kenneth Branagh's directorial debut is one of my favorite films of the past twenty years. His "Henry V" is a profound, meditative polemic against war, quite unlike the equally acclaimed version with Laurence Olivier. Branagh portrays Henry V as a young, moody king who emerges as a heroic figure while he leads his ragtag English army to victory against the French, only to realize towards the film's end how brutal and horrible his campaign has been. Branagh's brief addition of scenes from "Henry IV" shows us... more info

Oh, for a muse of fire...:

For a first effort at feature-film direction, now-veteran director/writer/actor Kenneth Branagh provided an astonishing introduction to his many talents in filmmaking with his 1989 production, 'Henry V'. There is a gritty realism brought to the screen in this production that combines in dynamic and interesting ways with the Shakespearean dialogue and situations. The battle scenes are some of the best in cinema for depicting the kind of royal and knightly battles. A special commendation goes to... more info