And now for dessert after
watching Becket and The Lion in Winter,
Kenneth Branagh as Henry V (1989)
Screenplay by Kenneth Branagh, adapted from the play by William Shakespeare
As a leader of men, only Alexander the Great was equal to Henry V,
who reigned in England from 1413 until he died at age 35 in 1422.
Once your ear becomes accustomed to the Shakespearean English,
this movie is awesome. The music track alone would make it worth
watching, but there’s a whole lot more to this film than music.
Branagh’s cousin, the son of the king of France, insults young King Henry with an impudent gift at the beginning of the film. Henry then leads his rag-tag army to France where he is tremendously outnumbered by a well-equipped French army. A fascinating bit of history. Watch this film and you’ll agree that Branagh was born to play this role.