The Movie:

Henry V is Kenneth Branagh's much-revered directorial debut and perhaps the best of his Shakespeare adaptations. Only 29-years-old when his film was released, Branagh was already tapped by critics and audiences back then as the next Laurence Olivier. The validity of such a prediction is of course up to debate, especially considering the recent string of forgettable genre fare directed by the man in recent years. Does anyone even remember that a Jack Ryan movie helmed by him was released last year?

However, it's also undeniable that Branagh had a unique and rather eclectic take on The Bard. His Shakespeare adaptations cover a wide array of styles, aesthetic and tonal approaches that make them each unique. His lavish and grand vision for his four-hour epic take on Hamlet is very different in tone and visual approach than his loose and colorful take on Much Ado About Nothing.

A solemn affair drenched in dirt and fog, Henry V is more reminiscent of Olivier's black-and-white near-minimalist version of Hamlet than his grander Technicolor Shakespeare adaptations like Richard III. The film is so dour in the way it depicts the horrors of war and sacrifice for the sake of king and country, that it's almost monochromatic in nature, even though it's technically in color. Perhaps depicting the violence and tragedy of war in a brutal and honest fashion was a way for Branagh to deal with the dual moral nature of the play, which is usually criticized for glorifying the supposed heroism of a ruler who was more than likely an aggressor who invaded France.

The play is usually used to as a boisterous and heroic tale to raise the patriotic spirits of the English people, as it propagandizes a clear victory in their past. That's why Olivier chose to adapt it to the screen near the end of World War II in order to remind his people of their once glorious victory. Incidentally, his version of Henry V was also his directorial debut.

Branagh's approach to the material is to keep Shakespeare's deification of his characters with all of the grandiose speeches intact, including the famous "We happy few" speech that Branagh delivers with flying colors, while executing it cinematically as a tragedy full of loss and suffering. A long tracking shot that hovers above the bloody aftermath of a day in battle as the somber score soars, directly communicates the fact that despite the king's rowdy heroism, the war might have been lost on both ends.

The acting is terrific all around, which is a testament to the film's pitch-perfect casting. Unfortunately, Emma Thompson proves to be an odd choice as the French Princess Katherine, who speaks French the entire time except for the occasional broken English. I would bet that there were many French actresses available for the part. Was it because Branagh wanted to blindly give his then wife the only substantial female part in the film? Every time she appears on screen, this dark tale inexplicably turns into a medieval sit-com of sorts.

Branagh's use of Derek Jacobi as the chorus, dressed in contemporary clothing, introducing the "play" while turning on the film equipment that will capture it on celluloid, or popping up in the middle of battle to bring the audience up to speed, incidentally adds a more authentic feel to the project instead of pulling the audience out of the suspension of disbelief.

The Blu-Ray:

Video:

As mentioned above, Henry V is a dark and grainy film, and the 1080p transfer stays loyal to the source. The presentation sports a healthy amount of film-like grain and doesn't really suffer from any video noise, with a couple of scratches and dirt that remain on the master. Overall, this is probably the best home video presentation of this impressive adaptation.

Audio:

Henry V comes to Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 2.0 stereo presentation. This was the first Shakespeare adaptation to use a Dolby Stereo mix, and Branagh takes full advantage of this as he utilizes the capacity of this mix to bring a soaring presentation of Patrick Doyle's sublime score.

Extras:

Alas, we only get a Trailer.

Final Thoughts:

Henry V is one of the more memorable Shakespeare adaptations of the last three decades and solidifies Branagh as a directing and acting force to be reckoned with. It's far from the conventionally attractive and lavish look of 1996's almost equally successful Hamlet, which shows Branagh's range as a director.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com