Review of Henry V

The beginning of Henry V is actually pretty cool. 1500s England is shown in an aerial view-using an extensive, carefully created model set-and the audience is brought back to Shakespeare's time. The production of Henry V is being shown in the Globe Theatre, and audience members saunter inside, make small talk, buy snacks, and spit on those in the lower levels. Then, the play starts, and the audience is treated to a view of the actors getting ready for their entrances backstage. Young boys are getting prepared to play women, actors rush through costume changes, and Laurence Olivier stands in the wings, coughing, until he steps onstage. After that sequence finishes and all that's left is the dry, boring play, the movie goes downhill.

Laurence Olivier tries to punch up the story by taking the audience away from the Globe and out onto the battlefield or inside a castle, but I just can't pay attention to Shakespeare, so it didn't really help me. My favorite actor among the cast was Leslie Banks, who seemed so authentic it was as if he'd really lived in the 1500s, even though I'd already seen him in several other films.

Miraculously, I made it all the way through this Laurence Olivier Shakespearean drama. His Hamlet put me into a deep sleep. Unless you love the main actor and the original playwright, I wouldn't watch this one. The famous "Saint Crispin's Day" speech wasn't even very exciting. It seemed like it was the tenth take and Laurence Olivier was a little tired.