Counting down the last 10 of 100 Consecutive Movie Nights…
Last night I watched this epic, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, backed up by a cast of thousands. This lavish production was made while Britain was still at war, in fact it was partly financed by the British government as a morale booster, and Churchill himself had input in the script revisions. (Besides shortening the play for time, several instances were cut in which the King does some extremely not-nice things. Apparently they wanted to keep the film as uplifting as possible.) Henry V was a good choice for a rousing, patriotic picture, with Henry’s memorable pre-battle speeches (“Once more unto the breach! Dear friends, once more…” and “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”), not to mention a plucky British army beating all the odds to win a decisive victory over a foreign foe.
The film opens with an impressive model of London as it looked in 1600, and the first scenes are shown performed inside the Globe Theatre, complete with unruly audience, backstage chaos, and rain (remember: open roof!). The scenes slowly progress away from the stage setting, however, moving first to fanciful backdrops and sets based upon medieval paintings, and finally to the open air of the battlefield. It’s the kind of concept that shouldn’t work as well as it does, but thanks to the pacing and design of the changes it’s all rather seamless. The Escher-esque architecture of the French castle is particularly fascinating. Even the obviously painted scenery is easily forgiven, it’s not fooling anyone but it doesn’t matter by this point, as the story is still bookended as taking place on a stage. The artifice simply fits the overall aesthetic.
The exterior battle scenes were shot in Ireland – Ireland was neutral in the war, so there was less chance of being bombed there. The Battle of Agincourt did have to halt one day, as fighter planes roared overhead. There is one claim that the actors paused their battle to witness an actual dogfight over their heads, but the alternate version claims it was a flyover by the RAF on their way to Germany. Ireland was also chosen because there was a serious manpower shortage in England. In Ireland they were able to populate the field with civil servants, who were given time off work to participate. They were also paid an extra pound if they brought their own horse. Because of a shortage of metals due to wartime rationing, metal props and armour were constructed with other materials and metallic paint. The chain mail of the soldiers was actually knitted grey wool.
Beyond the impressive feats of art direction and production, this is a marvellously acted film, predictably. Olivier was at the height of his fame and is a stirring King Hal. He is surrounded by a large and capable cast. The part of the french princess was to be played by Olivier’s wife, Vivien Leigh (still flush from Gone With the Wind success), but she was on contract and David O. Selznick would not lend her out for such a small part. Since her costume had already been made, the role had to go to an actress who was the same size – Renée Asherson.
The film served its patriotic purpose admirably, boosting morale in the final year of the war and enjoyed great box office success in both Britain and the U.S. Previous movie versions of Shakespeare plays had tanked with audiences; at the time the bard was considered to be ‘box office poison’. Henry V changed that perception, thanks to the historical moment and public mood, and the outstanding quality of the production and players. Another significant factor was the decision by Olivier to stay wide for speeches, and not adhere so slavishly to Hollywood-style closeups. (Closeups require the actor to lower his/her voice, which would have killed the many excitable, rather shouty speeches of Henry V.) Part of the film’s impact, too, was due to being an early Technicolor film. It was shot with the one and only Technicolor camera in the UK at the time, and the colour looks terrific. (Currently available for viewing on the Criterion Channel.)
