Back to Henry V - Film Adaptations

In today's post, I'm getting back to the discussion of the play Henry V and its film adaptations (from earlier posts on January 29 , February 11 and the 16).

The 1944 film, Henry V, based on the play by William Shakespeare, with Laurence Olivier stands apart from the 1996 Branagh version in many ways. Concentrating on the mis-en-scene--what is photographed inside the frame, working from the back forward, we have the set of the scene. It is Disney like in appearance, the green, rolling hills leading back to the pristine village buildings that are all set underneath a willowy blue sky and puffy white clouds. There are brown, tan and gray cliffs in the foreground through which we see soldiers running away from the fighting behind them. The King rides from behind the cliffs into the frame on a white stallion with red trimmings, carrying a sword. He is the only one on a horse and appears above everyone else. The props and costume are obvious with a medium shot cut to Henry with his blue, red, and yellow dress and gray silver armor surrounding his arms and his neck and up to his head. He removes his helmet in grand gesture with both arms moving up, his elbows extended out with his hands at his chin to push up the front of his face plate. He then brings the whole of it off of his head and as he does so his sword remains in his right hand swinging across his chest, so large that it moves half out of the frame. Olivier’s movement’s as the King are controlled, precise, and deliberate. He is on show, at play in the play, not in a real fight for life and death. The one time anything appears blocking him it is one of his minions carrying the flag. Enhancing these scene elements, is the orchestral score with the omission of any battle sounds and the absence of any explosions or cries from men whose flesh has been torn by blades. This film is a representation of the so called glory of war; with the noble untouchable king leading those lesser into the fight. Violence and death are hidden. It is the Poster child of the United Kingdom’s war offices to fight the good fight for mother, honor, and country. There is no realism, no blood, no suffering, so the film could be used as a marketing tool for the country’s people to join the fight against the Nazi’s and to feel good about it.

The 1989 film of Henry V directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh contains vastly more realism than Olivier's production. Again, the historical factors are significant at the time the film was made. We have defeated the Nazi’s, experienced the further atrocity of the war in Vietnam and the U.S. revolution of the 60’s where revolt against war became popular. We are at the end of the cold war and at the brink of the Eastern Bloc’s Wall come tumbling down. Smartly, Branagh still maintains his respect and admiration as the noble King Henry V, but he does so while showing the destruction that war causes. Scenes begin with all the grittiness of battle, the light of fire, dirty, bloodied faces, and chaotic raging movement leading into the sounds of massive explosion. Henry here, played by Branagh, is a tiger. His speech is guttural, fraught, and fiery. Branagh’s sword is raised straight up and then swings wildly side to side then towards us while he spews the words of once more onto the breech as if he were mad, his lips are wet and his eyes excited, it is dark and he atop a horse who becomes blocked by a mass the men’s helmet’s shining helmets so that it almost looks like Henry is carried by these men. Then there is a cut to a close up of one of these men whose intensity of concentration and arousal for king and war is clear in his eyes. Branagh puts the violence and death right in our faces. He doesn’t sugar coat it. He’s telling us it’s a necessary evil and that to run away is to dishonor ourselves and be left to a worse condition, perhaps spared certain death, but to live in disgrace to your dying day, your dying breath.

The Fiction of Film

Are you ever disappointed when you read a great book and then see a film that is in some way based upon that writing? There are several ways of looking at what is often referred to as the secondary work, the film, adaptation of a story. First, pay attention to the two words "secondary" and "adaptation." Secondary implies just that--a film based in any part on some written work is often deemed secondary, second best, a poor imitation. On the other hand, anyone who has ever worked in the art of film knows that a work of literature is an inspiration for a new work of art which may be a literal, traditional or radical translation of that piece of literature. Adaptation or translation? Isn't language, language, whether translated into words, fine art (drawing, painting, sculpture, etc.), music, dance (movement), photography or film (a combination of many forms-audio-visual, including dialogue and sometimes words as in print whether in subtitle form or cuts with straight printed words).

Naoomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsen)

Even though I wish I could relive the great feeling I get from reading a book the first time, I know that I cannot. You can never produce the exact same experience from your first reading of a piece of literature. You can read it again and relish the flavor from your first reading of the work, but it will never exactly replicate itself. You have a built in spoiler alert.

Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

So I would suggest that when you see a film after reading it's afore-produced printed version that you consider it as an independent piece of work, whether or not it is supposed to be a literal, traditional or radical translation because film is a different medium.

Sean Connery and Christian Slater in The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)

Each one is a piece of art.

Henry V - Laurence Olivier's

Now watch the Olivier deliver the same speech. You will see that it is extremely different from the Branagh version. 

We'll talk about these two versions in more depth in our next post, but consider some obvious points of contrasts in:

1. Acting
2. Blocking
3. Costumes
4. Lighting
5. Music
6. Props
7. Scenery

HENRY V - Adaptions - Kenneth Branagh's

This is a continuing look at Henry V from my introduction.

There have been several films made of Henry V, two most notable are—the 1944 version with Sir Lawrence Olivier (Sir because he was knighted) and the 1989 version directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh.

I've posted a clip here from Branagh's film, Henry V. I would highly recommend seeing the entire film to better understand the context and get the full effect of the emotional plea by the King to rally the troops.

A Letter To My Readers: Regarding Film and Literature--(two of my loves, besides my sons and dog, of course!)

I love film and I love literature. Movies and books contribute to the richness of my life in a way that is unique and unending. They bring me joy. On the days that I have something good to read or I've seen a great film, I am stronger, I feel better.

The ability to use my imagination when I read a book is very fulfilling to me. I like discovering what will happen and how the characters will live in the story. I like reading prose that makes me feel like I'm reading poetry, but I am not. The words float in sentences and then dissipate into an angel of feeling. There is no interruption, chunkiness, falseness--the flow is superb, the emotion and intellect are undisturbed by the words when an author has her Mojo on. I like when characters are developed so that I can visualize not just a face, but a personality that goes with it. I often create a cast in my mind of who shall play the parts in the novel if it is adapted into a film.

A good written story or a film can be close to an orgasm in the mental sense. It can be a release from the worries of day to day life, film sometimes even more so than a book because of the added qualities of the visual and the sound. Films can provide a window of time into other worlds. I can be a different person, sex, age, live in a different century, be wealthy, be poor, be hungry, be loved or not, but it doesn't hurt because it's not real. I can learn without having the true life experience. Films allow me to venture outside -- to "take a trip on the wild side" or to live with the imprisoned quality of a Victorian era female in another country or as a young academy boy who has been accused of stealing and expelled. The study of film has such breadth too, it doesn't limit me. The expanse includes the visual which includes the cinematography and editing; the sound including the music, the spoken voice or sounds from the actors, or background; the actors; scenery; props; locations; directing; and producing. When I was a young girl and I needed to be freed of the boredom, fear, or other uncomfortable feelings, I could turn to a film to be lifted outside of myself. I can still do that today.

I am a senior at Fordham University and have chosen film and literature to be my individualized major. Completing my bachelor's degree at my age while working what I feel is a full-time in a stressful, high-demand job, it is not easy at the end of the day to then go to class, write a paper or read a text. Choosing film and literature was a way to encompass the maximum enjoyment out of the process. Working towards completing the degree there is pressure with the pursuit, studying film and literature opens the valve and let's out the hot air.

I hope that you will enjoy reading my blog and that you will be inspired--to come back, to comment, and to  to create (in your world).

The first work of literature and its adaptions that this blog will explore in depth will be Henry V by William Shakespeare. In between these more in depth studies, I will intersperse various reads and views, vibes and jive. Again, I hope you like what you find here and that you will send me feedback when you like.