Comparing the Presentation of War in the Oliver and Branagh Film Versions of Henry the Fifth

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Comparing the Presentation of War in the Oliver and Branagh Film Versions of Henry the Fifth

Many films have been made of Shakespeare’s play, “Henry V”. The two I

am analysing are by Laurence Olivier (1944) and Kenneth Branagh

(1988). They are made for very different audiences with different

aims. Although they seem very different, in some ways, Branagh’s

version used many techniques of Olivier’s. Both productions were

performed to communicate the director’s feelings on war to the

audience and were performed when war had played a part in recent

history. Olivier’s version is very pro-war in that he glorifies war

but at the same time it lacks realism so that it was not too close to

the reality that people had to endure at the time. The film was

produced in 1944 in the middle of the Second World War so portraying

war very realistically would cause uproar in society. There is no

sense of death in the film. This differs to Branagh’s version which

was produced after the Vietnam War. Branagh’s film is very anti-war in

that it portrays war very realistically. He uses the film to give the

audience an accurate depiction of war. The battles in Branagh’s

version are very graphic and gory whereas Olivier’s is comparatively

light-hearted.

The films were aimed at completely different audiences and had

different purposes altogether. They were set in different eras so the

audience’s response would have been different. Olivier’s’ purpose in

dramatising “Henry V” was to make the English feel good about

themselves. Olivier used this film to form propaganda, creating a

world of pageantry in which England overcame tremendous odds to

gloriously win a ...

... middle of paper ...

...gh used many of Olivier’s techniques and ideas, the purpose of

the film was very different. Both films turned out to be hits even

though Branagh had a restricted budget with few actors and less

advanced sets and costumes than Olivier. The differences in the films

are understandable bearing in mind the difference in the times. If

Branagh’s film had been shown to the 1940’s society, its accurate

depiction of war would have caused uproar. If Olivier’s film was shown

to the 1980’s audience, people would not be shocked by it as it was

too light-hearted for that society who had become more used to seeing

shocking events on the screen.

Both were effective in conveying the desired idea of war relevant to

the times of release and the director’s view. Both were undoubtedly

successful in entertaining their respective audiences.

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