Shakespeare's Henry V Act IV, Scene III by Lawrence Olivier

[kvarnerinfoTV]

Knights were never lifted to the horse wit crane....such stupid scene!!!

Heaviest armours were 24-27 kilograms (max 80 pounds)

[Willysmb44]

Why do I think of the depiction of the French in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" when I see the French getting ready for battle by drinking?

[MultiAngryguy]

The French descend from a Germanic tribe known as the Franks. Going by your logic Wankawika1 the Hundred years war was a German civil war.

[Wankawika1]

@Play3DS

Rothschild paid for the Napoleon campaigns too.

When the french came in England, they founded a country, when the English came in France, it's only to die for or against the French.

Nobody saved your anglo saxon arses since 1066 (anglo saxons germans were your last master before the French) :)

[codymhill]

@Wankawika1 normans not french conquered england, so the english owe their demi french heritage to a viking tribe that conquered french italian and british lands. That whole french thing doesn't hold so much water when scrutinized. Also, the brits won just about every war they ever fought with the french save the end years of the hundred years war. France has a loong history of failed military campaigns and it's inability to defend it's own soil........viking tribes kicked ur ass then the saxons

[Wankawika1]

@Play3DS

Germans invaded France just for 5 years.

French invaded and conquered England DEFINATELY in 1066, do you see this "little" difference horny?

You are infested with french dna thinse 1000 years! :)

Rothschild conquered the british currency and the bank of England in 1815, English are the slave of the jewish Rothschild mixed with your "french" aritsocraty.

What a nice pool dna do you have.

DIEU ET MON DROIT

HONNI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE

GRAND DIEU SAUVE LE ROY

:)

[codymhill]

@Wankawika1 ha ur a french nutjob, french believe they invented things like the telephone, the blowjob cars and all kinds of crap, I don't know what they teach for history there. Also, england was conqured by the normans, who immediately after the death of Will promptly declared war on France.....hmmm..... the normans were a nation seperate from France really, as you can see from all their foregn conquests apart from the nation of France.

[Wankawika1]

And during the hundred years war, your english nobility was in fact french (Planategenet or plante à genet). Thats why your mottos are french (Dieu et mon droit, Honni soit qui mal y pense, ordre de la jarretière_ordre of the garter). Your anthem is french (Grand Dieu sauve le Roy or Domine salvum fac ragem). Your flag (saint georges) was the french flah during the first cruisade.

Nothing english or british here...

Enjoy your french heritage! :)

No more said! :)

[Wankawika1]

@Play3DS

France dominates Europe during 15 years and fought against Prussia, Austria and Russia on land.

In 1815, the french army, the young "Marie Louise", was only the shadow of the "Grande Armée", and without the Prussians, Wellington lost the battle.

Last thing, the "british" army was in fact composed by the german "king legions", nothing british! lol

Bunch of egglish sissies

[codymhill]

@Wankawika1 oh wow, trying to defend french cowardice in WW2, French military ineptitude (mind u Napoleon was Corsican, practically italian) ever since the Carolingian line colapsed, and the many failures, despite France's many opportunities is like trying to defend china being overpopulated. The claim that France was beaten by non Englishmen at Waterloo works against you, as those men were all inexpeirenced farmers compared to the british regulars who fought in the peninsular war and who,

[codymhill]

@Wankawika1 were fighting the United States in the war of 1812 at the time. the French "Grand Armee" were beaten by a scrapetogether force, of Germans Dutch and Prussians, led by English brains. France has been militarily flacid since then and probably will continue to be for the rest of time.

[Wankawika1]

@Play3DS

Prussians won the waterloo battle, not the british...

[Wankawika1]

Who won the Hundred Years War?

Fraaaaaaaaaaaance! :)

[avlisk]

Rock on, Crispian St. Peter.

[stickwagger]

The music makes it. (Walton)

[tuxguys]

Magnificent.

You all do realize, I trust, that The President's rallying speech in "Independence Day" was a total and complete homage to this one?

[xxneongirskittlesxx]

I watched this in class:D I love it.

[xaxie1]

lol, those pikes, they aint gonna do nothing at that angle :L

[grangeender1]

Branagh took it to a whole other level - which is as it should be. We are supposed to improve through the generations, after all. And boy, is Branagh's version an improvement.

[xaxie1]

There are good things and bad things about both versions.

This one seems more traditionally medieval, I mean they have the tents and the knights on the horses that are very colourful as they would have been, and those men playing the drums are awesome :L

However it is very clean and unbloody, and most wars would have been bloodier than this. And for many other reasons I prefur the moderner one. But I do love this one's use of colours.

[GavenMcEagle]

Shakespeare may not have strapped boots on but THESE words can make a warrior's heart beat hard like a fire fight

[mikestollov]

This film has to be one of the all time classics even if it were only for the charge of the French Cavalry at Agincourt. Don't forget this was filmed with all the impediments the riders faced dressed in armour, which limitted mobility & vision. This ia a tracking shot of unparalleled majesty & I'd like an estimate of the ground covered. Half a mile maybe? The acting is wooden but it attemtps to portray Shakesperean acting not the later Branagh version which is closer to reality.

[mikestollov]

This film has to be one of the all time classics even if it were only for the charge of the French Cavalry at Agincourt. Don't forget this was filmed with all the impediments the riders faced dressed in armour, which limitted mobility & vision. This ia a tracking shot of unparalleled majesty & I'd like an estimate of the ground covered. Half a mile maybe? The acting is wooden but it attemtps to portray Shakesperean acting not the later Branagh version which is closer to reality.

[fritzVirginSteeler]

The armors are of an accuracy I've rarely seen in any other movie about the middle ages.

[transonicbuoy1]

@fritzVirginSteeler Wow. Spot on.

[kopynd1]

class, it should be spoken well,and not as it is today

[centralparocker]

Beautifully filmed....

[ClydeRowing]

I love this film - and this speech - but both have their merits. The reality of the battle was of course different to here - for example, the English moved first, the main French attack was then made on foot. The vanguard of this attack was packed with nobles as they perceived the small number of men at arms the English had as offering easy glory. They ignored the vast numbers of archers. Arrogance is a theme English and French chroniclers emphasise, and Shakespere runs with it!

[SapperK9]

@ClydeRowing Not quite so, notwithstanding the longbowmen. The "sapper" defences of the English are rarely mentioned, and the neither the drowning of many French Knights in the mire, well chosen by Henry. To him as chooses the battlefield, well knowing his enemy, is inevitably the victory, no? Apologies to Sun Tzu...

[ClydeRowing]

@SapperK9 Fair points mate. Didn't know about the sapper defences, although I had heard of knights falling and being pinned under the weight of others / their own armour and drowning. Just horrible to think of it! Good book on the campaign, Agincourt, a new History by Ann Curry. I think she cherry picks sources to estimate army size (ie takes highest estimates for English, lowest for French), but her points on how French politics affected conduct of the battle & aftermath are revealing

[johnsher2]

Olivier is a genius. Branagh a journeyman.

[yvwic50]

@johnsher2 When I first heard this, I would have followed Branagh into France with nothing but my longbow.  I would not follow Olivier back to the salad bar. Branagh's inflection is true, and emotionally charged. Olivier remembers his lines, and that is about it.

[al1936ful]

@yvwic50 Olivier is more subtle than Branagh, that doesn't mean he doesn't show feeling. A lot of people mistake sublety for "no expression". That happens in classical music too.

[polymath7]

@johnsher2 Hear, here.

[tgz11]

How the hell did they know who was who in the fight scene?

[rillar100]

The film was made in technicolour.

Esmond Knight, who plays the patriotic Welsh soldier Fluellen was a wounded veteran of the war. He had been badly injured in 1941 while on active service on board HMS Prince of Wales when she was attacked by the Bismarck, and remained totally blind for two years. He had only just regained some sight in his right eye.

[rillar100]

the film is originally a colour film , and most of the actors had been serving in the war and were injured. For instance the man who plays llewellyn had been blinded by injuries sustained in fighting only a few months before the film was made.

[goodbadanduglypoker]

@rillar100 I also remember seeing a small documentary on it that said the infantrymen with their hats tilted were American soldiers.

[McGrenzer]

Sorry, meant to say "...round shields carried by the French knights and even some of the English." Fakey arrow-shower. but then Olivier didn't have computer graphics. The British audience probably needed this kind of patriotic film in 1944. Thank you for an exciting and entertaining posting.

[McGrenzer]

Everytime I watch this, I marvel at the way Olivier--in at least half-armor-- leaps off the cart and into the saddle. King Harry's horse shakes its head to Herald's offer of ransom, but Sir Laurence gentles him down with a pat. Good coats-of-arms (at least for the English lords), weapons and armor, except for the round shields carried by the French knights and even some of the French. The French knights were so eager to be at the English, they rode their own crossbowmen down.

[MrStarbuck123]

@McGrenzer It was the battle of Crecy, where the French rode down their own crossbowmen, in this battle there wasn't actually many Cavalry or crossbows used. The French started with a cavalry charge, but the majority of the men-at-arms fought on foot.

[McGrenzer]

@MrStarbuck123 Thank you for setting me straight, Starbuck. 

[MatlockJack]

@MrStarbuck123

So broadly then, it would appear that Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of the battle in 1989, was better and more authentic.

[MrStarbuck123]

@MatlockJack Yeah i guess, It's not Hollywood, but it showed the impact of the mud on the battle. I think this version was made during the war as a sort of propaganda stunt

[DeathSlayer2]

He's LOUD! I want to buy this film.

[iamanatullah]

Olivier easily sends Branagh back to clown college--no one speaks the verse better. People who want more emotion and think this is dated should realize that 60 years from now Branagh's version is going to look a good deal more dated.

[selfvirt]

@iamanatullah I couldn't agree more. I saw Kenneth Branagh "do" Hamlet on stage and it was a colossal yawn. On other clips on YT, I see people saying things like "he's more accessible than Olivier, who speaks it more like he was a king". Blimey!

[Feaisian]

@iamanatullah May I ask on what account do you think Oliver delivered this speech better than Branagh?

[iamanatullah]

@Feaisian On account of the reasons I already gave--Olivier is more adept at speaking the verse and avoids Branagh's emotional pandering.

[Feaisian]

@iamanatullah How is he more adept? Apart from him avoiding emotional pandering, how do you tell that Oliver is more adept at speaking the verse?

[iamanatullah]

@Feaisian Branagh tends to treat the verse as prose, whereas Olivier respects the rhythm of the meter while managing to enunciate every word clearly.

[Feaisian]

@iamanatullah I see...thank you for your patience.

[dumasathos]

This is a great film. The battle scenes were shot in Ireland with Irish extras because in 1944 most British men were in the armed forces, and a large number of these were fighting in France - ironic isn't it.

[tmlafrance]

@dumasathos The Irish National Guard was used in Braveheart and saving pvt Ryan as well.

[rlinfinity]

Brannagh was exponentially better

[Elboy75]

Who cares, this was just a war between two royal houses fighting for power. This was never an opposition between french and english nations because they didn't exist at that time.

[Cogniscent1]

There is a very good account and explanation of the battle and why it was won and lost, in John Keegan's excellent 'The Face of Battle: a study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme'.

[EamonnShute]

There were several factors which contributed to the English victory. France was in a state of civil war so its army had internal,and also personal, divisions. Henry was a good leader who maintained tight discipline but the French had no real leader and were undisciplined. As a result the French failed to attack when they should have. Their great numbers meant they were easy targets for the archers and they also got in each others way. The French didn't stand a chance. :-)

[6664818GGG]

The Brannaugh version shows you more what actually happened. The British had light gear the French were dressed in heavy armor that on the muddy battlefield slowed them down and made them very vulnerable to the faster moving, more lightly armed British. I'm sure strategy also had something to do with it but it was not a sunny day and the muddy battlefield gave the British and advantage. Greg G.

[pete44443]

CONTEXT - Made in 1944, when the world was poised on the brink of the greatest seaborne invasion ever, against a strong foe, this was a morale booster. It worked.

Seen as an enjoyable film it works. It contains so much that was good about it's day, let's enjoy it for that. I do!

[TheEnchantressFan]

Branagh used excellemt music to great affect in order to help drive home the emotion of the moment. I must say that if you combine Branaghs' passion and his films music with Oliviers' color, pagentry and glorious battle scenes...WOW! What a film that would be!

[formerprep]

I like Kenneth Branagh's St. Crispin's Day speech better than this one.

[pete44443]

HISTORY - An English army, outnumbered, decimated by illness and tired from long marches, engaged and defeated a greater French army, through simpler weapons & tactics.

[joebstarsurfer]

This is great acting .God be with you all !.

[rachaelha]

i'm not sure why the archers are in such short shorts

[Nelsonhojax15]

...im sorry, im gonna get flack for this, but that was a really dated version of that preformance, branagh's was much better. i understand at the time this was considered brilliant, but now it just doesnt have that spark..

[moleman9000]

Sorry meant to Branagh's isn't very historically accurate.

[medcalf1857]

What would Harry or Shakespere make of the cheap way we have sold our country today. It makes you weep to recount the sacrifices men have made to make this country great and now look at it.

[potterama]

I'm betting you haven't actually read much of that Shakespeare you're waving around. Henry didn't go to war for the rights of the people: he did so to expand his empire. Shakespeare is quite critical of Henry's imperialism and the way in which his ambitions cause him to lose touch with the common people (represented by Falstaff and his tavern cronies). Shakespeare was very much a populist.

[wolfsnackers]

That whole French cavalry charging scene is awesome, they wouldn't even attempt that today with the real thing, just go straight to CGI

[gruffmeister44]

Shakespeare...Olivier...Aginco­urt..Ahhh magnificent,magnificent ENGLAND!!!

[goatshredder]

As was.

[WilfredIvanhoe]

Can't say much about the acting or actors, but I must say that at least the armor and weapons look historically correct, except for the scene where the dauphin is lifted on his horse with a crane - without doubt to make him seem ridiculous compared to the athletic Henry. This whole film came on TV recently, I enjoyed watching it.

[lordflashheart17356]

Brannagh's was better. This seems somewhat posturing.

[Pseudologic]

This scene really reminds me of old Soviet battle scenes.

[moleman9000]

@lordflashheart17356 Branagh's is very historically accurate with the clothing etc. This one is very good given that it was made in the middle of WW2.

[ukculture]

LO speeches SHakespeare superbly...He is the best

[blokey01]

'ave it!

[skip8619]

I like the actor that plays Salisbury, but thats the only think good thing about this scene. Most of the preformances seem rather uninspired, but mabey that was the style of Shakesperian actors in Olivier's day, like you weren't supposed to show alot of emotion. I don't know.

[nimrenouf]

This is simply the most incredible adaptation of Shakespeare ever. The performances, the music, everything is just outstanding.

[peacecanhappen27]

Kenneth Branagh was better. same as in that version, Montjoy is terrible. A girl at Mount Greylock Regional High School played him better. That's a bad sign when a high school student is a better actor than a professional.

[TofiCrisp]

Maybe becuase Brannagh did not make it on a shoestring during WW2.

[peacecanhappen27]

too true:-)

[Nelsonhojax15]

i agree peaccanhappen27

[thedarkarse]

Crispian Day wouldn't have looked out of place in the Inspiral Carpets.

[NoirOrchestre]

i prefere branagh's version

[CyberBarrister]

Branagh's version is my favorite of all time. He is the best Shakespearean actor of modern times.

[wraggem]

Really funny that people criticize this for not being an accurate depiction of war. Firstly, it was made DURING World War II, so people were pretty clear about war was like. Second, its not clear that Shakespeare wanted to portray it as a bloody battle for the English, considering he suggests that the English just suffered 26 or so casualties...

[imnotbuddha]

To see this again after 25 years and after seeing Branagh's version so often, I tell you, it seems, femme. Not as though soldiers preparing for battle, rather like ladies ready to strut their finest. So out of place. So very dated.

[kattrby]

Yes, in fact, war is much more mucky. But in 1943/44, in a rather shabby Britain which was not used to bright colours, this film really was both an expression of hope, and of considering the sacrifice of lives that would still have to come. The Crispin's Day speech is not about being brave, but a consolation that even if you do get wounded, or killed, the cause is just,.

This film is not realism, it is propaganda. But the right propaganda, at the right time, in the right war. Not like now.

[pervious1]

What was really said:

Westmoreland;  "We're fucked."

King Henry V; "Yep!"

[Luquegana]

@pervious1 :D:D :D

[watson800]

That just about sums the whole thing up!

[al1936ful]

@pervious1 :))

[valocilf]

Fantastic cavalry charge, one of the best battle scenes ever, fantatic music. I saw an interview in which Olivier noted that he was greatly influenced by the Russian director Sergei Eisenstein's battle scenes. Thanks for uploading this, by far my favourite version of the play.

[pervious1]

Anyone else notice that the speech is misquoted. " His passport shall be made", not drawn, and "Oh for the best I have..." has disappeared completely.

[Ennio444]

Also, he says: "...for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother, be he ne'er so base. And gentlement in England...", missing the "be he ne'er so vile this day shall gentle his condition".

Besides, the detail of the knights incapable of mounting because of the armor is completely false. Anyone who has studied a little bit weaponry and armour of the XIV-XVth Centuries knows that those armours did not prevent you from moving out.

[pervious1]

Apparrently, that scene was included at Olivier's own insistence.

The actual weight of the armour was somewhat less than the equipment a modern infantryman carries.

I wonder when we'll see a film with a soldier being JCB'ed into an armoured personnel carrier?

[AngelisMortis01]

Completely agree, I am a medieval re-enactor, and one of the things we always have to tell people, is NO they did not have to winched onto horses, and to prove it, one of does a cartwheel in full armour :-) it surprises an awfull lot of people.

[ukculture]

of course its false - its film ! Its called ART!

[lasalleman]

Makes me wish I were in Afghanistan! We few, we happy few!. Oh yeah, nothing like it!

[MStrat1106]

Marvelous battle scene; I still find the optical trick of the arrows remarkable for its time, and the fact that the music track is silent when they fly makes it more thrilling somehow. Olivier was a great innovator for cinematic Shakespeare.

[willfullyobscure]

man, shut up.

[yorksgeezer]

Just love the charge of the french knights, better than braveheart

[bloobear1]

Braveheart was a poorly funded film and was an insult to the memory of true patriot who was up against tyranny with the odds stacked against us.

[crazyedy29]

the colours are brilliant i thought they were part of the original movie, it looks like the pages of a medieval tapestry

[ShakespeareAndMore]

This "Henry V" was the first Technicolor film ever made of a Shakespeare play. This clip I took from the superior Criterion transfer...For stylistic reasons, the brilliant Technicolor is deliberately anti-naturalistic, shallow in perspective, and saturated in color. Cameraman Robert Krasker worked closely with Olivier on these trend setting styles and innovations....Reportedly, the long film used up almost all the Technicolor stock available in wartime Britian.

[ShakespeareAndMore]

And "medieval tapestry" -- you nail it! Olivier and Krasker borrowed many ideas from the Bayeux Tapestry, and you can see direct iimage quotes from "Les Très Riches Heures" du Duc de Berry in the film.....also, some correspondents report the Criterion color isn't so superior a transfer. Anyone seen this film in a significantly better color transfer?

[maureenOWW]

We need both this and the Branagh version on HD/BluRay - english national heritage should fund it, or the lottery. It would cost a few million to do it properly (particularly this verison), but they'd make the money back no problem.

[bloobear1]

Thanks for uploading this. It's equally as good as the Branagh version in a different way. Yeah I think this film was meant to be larger than life as it was to give moral to the English people during the World War

[blueguitarblue]

@crazyedy29 So true! This is Legend!

[maureenOWW]

You're a halfwit. Why on earth would you think it was colourized? I mean when have you ever seen it in black and white? The 1950's?

[clive3262]

Olivers is the better film...and the french are still complaining about the battle....they said we cheated.....the very cheek of it.

[dannidandannikins]

We did cheat... we fought against the French!

Every time I see this speech I want to invade France.

[bwanasan]

I completely agree. I bought Branagh's Henry V, but I regretted I should have bought Olivier's.

Branaugh's version isn't bad, but Olivier's is far more effortless and elegant. It has a great ensemble cast and great score. And Olivier as the director really knows how to handle camera in a movie like this - Branaugh's reliance of closeups seemed to counteract with the style of the movie, which is essentially a stage play.

[spookyben]

Branagh's version is OK but this is in a completely different universe. Love the nod to A Nevsky at 8:19

Incredible!

[crazyedy29]

we few we happy few we band of brothers

[crazyedy29]

now this is england and men like this conqured the world, not like the traiotrs who run brittan today

[MewHamHead]

The English long bow rules the day.

[Hiberniensis]

I'm looking forward to seeing this in full. I saw the Kenneth Branagh version recently but didn't like it. It was too cloying or something. Olivier has more 'edge'.

[chinagrrl]

You're kidding!!! KB's version was "too cloying"? I thought KB's version was very gritty and powerful and showed the horror of war.

[nozar7]

That's Olivier! Dang! He surprises me every time! What a great actor.

[IndiobravoRocket]

Why did Branagh leave out all the lines between "Good God! why should they mock poor fellows thus?" and "Let me speak proudly: tell the Constable?"

[eddiedog123]

this film was actually a propaganda film from world war 2, showing that against all the odds we can still win, Brilliant

[ImparatorEugenius]

It was a good propaganda play when it was writen by Shakespeare too :P

[FergusRaliegh]

He sounds a great deal like Nick Griffin!

[pbuk1]

this film is visually orgasmic,brilliant.

[NonInflatable]

Glorious William Walton music and fabulous acting by Olivier renders this version untouchable....

[wraggem]

The reason why this film looks 'shiny' as one person commented is because the imagery was taken from an illuminated medieval book, the 'Tres riches heures' of the Duc de Berry. The whole concept of the movie is that it starts unrealistically in the theatre, and gets more realistic as we 'imagine' more of the realistic details, as Shakespeare asks us to do in the prologue "Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts." Then at the end, it returns to the theatre. Altogether, very impressive!

[clearly]

Yes Star Tux ,how well I remember and being from Kingston upon Thames not far from Dorking where Olivier hailed I'm a big fan

[thecajuncutthroat]

Come and see my new video called "hundred years war the french victory" !!!

Hope you'll enjoy

[clearly]

I has to be said that it was made cheaply ... good film though

[StarTux]

It was made in 1943 1944 and something rather large was happening then...

[YiddoBobbins]

It cost $9m to make, hardly cheap at the time. It looks amazing for a film made 65 years ago.

[00Indy]

hmm this is good but i dont think the speech shows quite the enotion of branaugh's and the battle isnt as realistic, also everything is a bit to shiny, but it was good for the time i suppose

[orestes99]

You have to remember that this was done in the middle of the 2nd world war, so it was natural that they underplayed the dark side of war.

[jakescuba]

If anyone is doing drama I highly recommend this monologue it got me the best mark in the class of 30

[LadyAethelflaed]

Great D-Day inspiring stuff!

[Anynom]

Keep in mind, a different time and thus approach to speaking by the actors. And Brangh's version had the terrific score for the speech to give it more impact too.

[triumph7775]

There are some well strange comments here. Its Agincourt October 1415 we're talking about, not 2008!! (in reference to the actual speech)

[dainesecowboy]

Henry V in his full plate armour is fucking hot

[homfencing]

I think I figured out why I prefer the Brannaugh version of this speech.

Olivier's preaching at me....Brannaugh speaks TO me.

[liamos85]

the reason most of my words are close is because i couldnt use all of them!!

[liamos85]

if ever a film proved the greatness of olivier its this!what a performance its amazing from start to finish. Im a big fan of kenneth branaghs attempt but it stands a mere shadow to the brilliance of oliviers performance and direction of this!

[crash669]

See I can't ever help but find the performances of this version stayed, mannered and totally lacking in emotion. Obviously Olivier is great, but he was the greatest actor of a great generation. Branaghs version for me had more life, vitality and more of an all round quality, with such great performances from Derek Jacobi, Ian Holme, Paul Schofield (much missed), Bob Stephens and Brian Blessed all giving their best. And also I can't help but see this in the context of war time propoganda.

[liamos85]

i was onboard till you mentioned wartime propanganda lets not forget olivier could of done far more damaging films towards german fascism than this the fact that this is england defeating the french during a war when were allies for me deminshes the propanganda feel to iti admit brannaghs performance has a more cinematic performance about it but lets not forget the time between the films both are superb in there own way but i prefer oliviers it makes me proud to be english w

[crash669]

Well it was wartime propoganda, keep the British spirits up. I only mention it because it stops the film showing some of the more brutal aspects "Your naked infants spitted up on pikes" routine, and also the excecution of the prisoners is conspicuously absent. You can tell it is a state sponsored film because it is in technicolour - only the yanks could provide that and only for propoganda. And we fought the french in WWII, sank there fleet and there were French SS units. Still great film though

[longbow1415]

The French lost because they were out thought and out fought. FOREVER ENGLAND

[kick678]

pure brilliance i must say. both french and english had incredible war tactics although i am surprised that France lost

[harrybrechin]

Have to say although the dramatic effect of brannagh's version is better, who ever was the armourer on Olivier's version was much more accurate in his depiction of early 15th century armour

[panton41]

One thing to give Brannagh credit for is depicting how Henry used the geography of the Agiencourt battlefield to his advantage and the English tactic of fighting a defensive battle and drawing the French into the beaten zone of the longbowmen and the general tactics of the times.

Historical accounts say how the French were so packed they couldn't swing their weapons properly and how the French cavalry most likely trampled many of their unmounted soldiers to death.

[dernwine]

ah but this movie wasn't supposed to do that. Don't forget it was made during the battle of britain, and was simply meant to say: he look we beat the french because we are british, and we will always win, no matter what the odds.

[sirius711]

=p damn straight!

[eoarwyn]

lord olivier's diction and delivery is perfect, but what i prefer in branagh's version is the drama in it. i dunno why, but i'm more carried away by branagh's.

[AnonymousBob08]

I'm partial to Branagh's version, but this is still excellent.

[HSTMAN]

love it! better than branagh

[LadyAmaltheaUnicorn]

Thanks for posting this!

[taesu8]

Even with all the CG available today, I still consider volley of longbow arrows scene to be the awesome scene in all movies.

[luischavezhartley]

Good clip! I've been looking for this for i only knew the Kenneth Brannagh version. But I didn't notice it before. I came here by chance.