Henry V - Tennis Balls

[youtubingperson5686]

Frenchman is worried bc he doesn't know how hes going to remember that whole thing

[daubnsplatter]

Henry V for President!

[Anonrouge]

I´m having problem with this scene.Since the battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France and Tennis was invented 1873 by the brittish major  Walter Clopton Wingfield. ??? Does anybody has an input to this.

LOVE the film.

[NickinFilm]

@Anonrouge Porbably a referene to 'Real Tennis' Dunno about Henry V, but Henry VIII was a big fan, and his Real Tennis court still stands in Hampton Court. The Medieval form of tennis is termed real tennis. Real tennis evolved over three centuries from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France. This had some similarities to palla, fives, pelota, or handball, involving hitting a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove.

[CrAZychicke]

LMAO laughed my head of at this description. shakespeare had a sense of humour!

[altosax1st]

"hath turned his balls to gunstones" best. line. ever.

[ambrose741]

Ah, Will. Ken. Well done!

"When we have matched our rackets to these balls--"

[TheAffyman]

I didn't know they had tennis balls all the way back then ... I've learned something today.

[BlueScarecrow]

mock....mock....mock mock mock mock MOCK MOCK MOCK MOCK!!

[Zypher77777]

God Kenneth Branagh is a badass

[godbluffvdgg]

And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his

Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones; and his soul

Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance

That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows

Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands;

Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down;

And some are yet ungotten and unborn

That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn... His jest will savour but of shallow wit,

When thousands weep more than did laugh at it.

[ela1191]

French Messenger "Thats not all the Dauphin has to say King Henry, he would also like to add that your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

[acechadwick]

A beautiful acting masterclass. How acting is not acting, but reacting.

Look at Montjoy at 1.59 the side glance at 2.26. Look at his lips at 2.37.

Says everything without one word spoken.

[generalcircle]

In summary the Dauphin's message is this:

Suck my tennis balls, bitch.

[thomassmith1313]

Stick your tennis balls up your arse, Dauphin,dosn`t sound right???

[nismojutsu]

England, We lay clame to North West France." France, "King Henry, hey buddy, here take some tennis balls." England, "Shove em up your ass."

[jmarshallslion]

LOL! "dolphin" with a deathwish! :D

[Setebos]

@jmarshallslion ---the "dolphin" did it on porpoise.

[artroflmao]

The French guy wasn't writing anything the King said down. It's not likely he'll remember all of it when he gets back home. :P

[Friendo1231]

@artroflmao "What message didst Henry give you?

Well... he really didn't like the tennis balls...

"He didn't?"

Yeah... he REALLY didn't like the tennis balls...

"And?"

He's going to declare war.

"WAR?"

Yep... I told you not to send him the balls, but you fucking did anyway.

[cerberus144]

Like my High School Shakespearian Instructor said. "The French king is basically saying 'Balls to you.' which is just as rude then as it is now."

[valensmann]

Probably the most powerful retort I've ever seen or heard.

[abridgedfanboy]

@fiachramac Actually, you'd be surprised how many great actors and actresses that work best under certain conditions. Perfect example, Jim Carrey: he has some of the best comedic timing of any actor out of the 90's, but stick him in a darkly dramatic or black comedic role and we get The Cable Guy and The Number 23. Also, look at Nicholas Cage: amazing work in Raising Arizona and Kickass, but put him in a mainstream piece and we get the source of comedic gold we all know and loathe. XD

[BlackCountryPuddler]

@abridgedfanboy You put that post below this...... the best Henry V ever to grace a stage? ......Jim Carry ? Raising Arizona. ? Have you lost what remains of your tiny mind ? LOL

[abridgedfanboy]

@BlackCountryPuddler I take it the concept of following a thread and the point behind it is beyond YOUR tiny mind? If anything, I was defending the performance from a guy who very DIRECTLY called Branagh a bad actor, whereas I sought to counter by indicating that many actors have a special area of expertise. Methinks you've been on Twitter too much, young man. XD

[Hal09i]

Exactly Feaisian. You see it in his eyes-- he comes before Harry expecting a vain, callow youth-- someone who can be easily handled. The transformation in the Heralds attitude is amazing-- both in this scenbe and throughout the film. He actually comes to admire and respect Harry-- and also to feat him. However, in this scene you can see it very clearly-- when Harry comments on the tennis balls the herald KNOWS France and his masters have made a HUGE mistake. You see it in his eyes.

[tranurse]

@Hal09i i have loved this movie since i was 18. especially this scene. the herald agrees with the dauphin, harry is silly boy that hangs out and drinks with falstaff and pistol. not worth much. the fear in the heralds eyes during this speech, just gets me. later on in the play, herald tells the french nobles to not take the english army lightly. brannagh just did an amazing job with this one. take care

[103Uke]

Lord knows how King Henry would have reacted if they offered him balley slippers.

[Feaisian]

The herald is also played very well. You can clearly see how his attitude and emotion turn from arrogance and disrespect to fear and amazement.

[TheLeilisa]

will i grow taller if i play tennis regularly ?

[willobi]

"the frogs was taking the piss...taking liberties they was ..it was bang out of order..the slags had it coming big time!!"

they deserved a proper slaping fucking slags.

[cynthia381995]

it's guilderoy lockhart!

[sidwills]

Look carefully and you can pinpoint the precise moment after Henry's speech when the Frenchman shits himself.

[EverymanMeets]

1:35- Kings just don't wear eyeshadow like they used to.

[Gaaminator]

tennis balls my liege....

[tranurse]

i have always liked the smirk on brian blessed's face.

[thechaos44]

1:26 I shall lol. Oh yes, i shall lol...

[TheLegolasguy]

Why is the screen red? When i saw this movie it was normal.

[ss3cleric]

I wll keep my state be like a king and showl my sail of greatness when I do rouse me in my throne of France! ... Tell the Dauphin his jest will savor but a shallow wit when thousands weep more than did laugh at it.

The is the great glory of the heritage of my forebears and I weep that we are breading a genaration that will know nought of it; a generation that believes literature is what you can punch into a phone!

[DeathSlayer2]

@ss3cleric

Far more people appreciate Shakespeare now than ever before.

The school system should be ashamed of the way they destroy Shakespeare and treat his plays as just another bunch of text books. They should be acted out on stage, not read out loud in turn by people who are embarrassed to read aloud and don't understand what they are reading. All this does is turn kids away from Shakespeare who would otherwise enjoy it. It's a script not a novel!

[gillan5]

Brannagh at his best. His latest performance in Valkyrie was a big let down - he played so badly I was surprised. Maybe he he did not like to play a Nazi.

[Setebos]

@gillan5 you should see Branagh playing Heydrich in the 2001 film "Conspiracy". He puts a particular spin on Nazi evil, presenting it with all the charm of a polished cobra poised to strike.

[ironknight5990]

Quite a family, the Plantagenets... Ave Regnum Anglia!

[ratnick]

Anyone for Tennis ?

[DeathSlayer2]

@ratnick

FUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOUUUU!!! :P

[Kokopnyama]

"This was a merry message."

"We hope to make the sender blush at it."

Shakespeare: ruler of words!

[lorin80]

Have mercy people, the term is not Dolphin but Dauphin. It was/is the title accorded to son or heir appsrent to the French liege. So Henry could really have said, had France spoken English, "tell the Prince". But instead he used the correct term in reference to this person and note the spelling- Dauphin.

[alcockell]

@lorin80 Blessed's character addressed the Dauphin as the "Dolphin" when he returned the message...

[ballynafeighbluedog]

is this were you get the saying" your talking balls" from?

[mackler]

love it.

[ss3cleric]

His jest will savour but a shallow wit when thousands weep then did laught at it.

I will rouse my Throne of France

Hell yeah. I absolutely love this adaptation.

[skip8619]

How can seem serious when your name is "The Dolphin"?

[LexPhilogus]

You kidding me? Dolphins are kick ass. They're the third most intelligent species on the planet. They can actually hold thier own against sharks.

Dauphin is actually a title, btw , not a name.

[peacecanhappen27]

yeah CountArtha, the fight wasn't over tennis balls, the fight was over other stuff, the tennis balls episode was just the last straw.

[tranurse]

the tennis balls were a horrible insult. the king and the dauphin were basically attempting to bitch slap henry. henry at that moment proved he was a king, and the herald recognized this.  the dauphin underestimated henry, much to his loss.

[peacecanhappen27]

yes, it was a horrible insult, but it wasn't really what the fight was about. However to tell you or anyone else for that matter, what it was actually about would take hours and about fifty of these comment boxes.

[tranurse]

lol, they had been fighting since 1066 about who owned what.

[peacecanhappen27]

true that!

[MaddieFWall]

Blahhh I love this play!

[greenalkalinerain]

Love it!

[balrogthane]

I love the quick cuts to all the nobles' faces after Exeter proclaims what the 'treasure' is. It's like "what-- do we laugh? How will Henry answer? Bad move, Dolphin..."

[tranurse]

this is when the harald begins to respect him, even if the french prince thinks henry is a punk. because later in the play, before agincourt, when the french royals are talking smack, the harald tells them to not underestimate the british. i love this play.

[CountArtha]

Remember when the English were badass enough to kill thousands of people over a box of tennis balls?

[jzippo]

England invaded france in response to the french slaughter of soissons where hundreds of english archers had there fingers and eyes cut out and were burned on fires and thousands of women including nuns were raped then had their breasts cut up then they too wre slaughtered.

[handsomechuck1]

Now they ban Piglet, lest they offend Muslims.

[WOLF333999]

@handsomechuck1: :-)

[tranurse]

it wasn't tennis balls. they were just an insult.

[maureenOWW]

@CountArtha They should do that at Wimbledon.

[skydark]

@CountArtha That made my day. Thanks.

[pancakesgoKABOOOM]

@CountArtha the tennis balls had a deeper meaning.. the dauphin was saying that he treated being king like a game

[progressiverebel]

@CountArtha Airborne

[omgitsmikegravel]

@CountArtha In spite of Henry's speech, Shakespeare makes it clear that the war is not over tennis balls. The decision to invade France is clearly and explicitly made before the French Ambassador is received.

[fangznclaws]

@CountArtha Happily is that a mere memory in a time where cities may be crushed by nuclear fire at the press of a button. Enough of proud men and their thin skins; we can no longer afford them, and afford them the less over time.

[jbali44]

@CountArtha : Not actually, there had been intense rivalry between England and French. Tennis ball is just a reason in disguise.....

[pervious1]

I always want to go out and beat the shit out of a Frenchman whenever I watch this.

[ddigwell]

Always loved his performance however, sad to see thst the text was edited.

[hpa2005]

"What treasure, uncle?", the way Branagh delivers that line, its enough to make you shake in your boots

[sil80tt]

whats the name of this Particular Movie? i know its henry V but which one! i need 2 watch it for class

[StarTux]

Kenneth Branagh Henry V that is all.

[abridgedfanboy]

Laurence Olivier's delivery is like a man who opens his coat to scare off a bear; he makes himself look big and scary with his puffed-up speech when in reality you can tell that he's just being loud.

Kenneth Branagh's delivery is that of a man who can scare the same bear away with just a glance. You can hear the enraged confidence and restraint shaking in his voice and you can tell he is deadly serious; he doesn't need to shout to strike fear, when he knows a simple declaration will suffice.

[DeathSlayer2]

@abridgedfanboy

I think the main difference is Olivier gives a stage performance and Branagh gives a film performance. They are both brilliant, I wouldn't say Olivier was "just being loud" at all, but Branagh is more subtle and highlights the difference between the two generations of actors. Technically I think Olivier's is the better performance, but you could argue that Branagh shows more emotion.

[abridgedfanboy]

@DeathSlayer2 I suppose it helps that I grew up during Branagh's half of the gap, lol. XD

Now, when you say Olivier's performance is the technically superior of the two, do you mean in terms of his specific media of performance (i.e., stage vs film), or in general performance terms?

[DeathSlayer2]

@abridgedfanboy

Olivier has a better flow to his delivery, in my opinion, that seems truer to the text. Branagh seems to have a more interpretive performance.

[abridgedfanboy]

@DeathSlayer2 Branagh seems to specialize in interpretive performances, I noticed. *nod*

[Setebos]

@abridgedfanboy --- would've loved to have known what Olivier would've thought of this production.

[abridgedfanboy]

@Setebos That would be kind of interesting, actually! See if he can appreciate a performance so totally different from his own.

[Setebos]

@abridgedfanboy --- I suspect that he could. Olivier was certainly aware of his own worth as an actor, but all the interviews and such I've seen and heard regarding him indicate (at least to me) that he was capable of appreciating an excellent performance on its own merits.

[JunkyardGlory]

I love this scene. And seeing it acted out really brings it into perspective. On a side note, Kenneth Branagh is a babe-- in this role and as Benedick in Much Adu.... he reminds me of Keifer Sutherland.

[Grimmest117]

Thanks for the kind words MaureenOWW, and mosetheboweryboy , LOL. Really I don't care what you think. I believe Britain's biggest problem isn't the ever increasing muslim population. Britain's main problem is that She seems to be producing an entire generation of Neville Chamberlains, and not enough Churchills. The 7/7 bombers drank alchohol, had british accents, followed british football teams. wore western clothes, and were under 30. How many Britains did they murder?

[Strompy82]

The Daily Mail and the like are the refuge of the scoundrel. Religion is nothing to do with patriotism. The media is our real enemy!

[DrZin]

Best Speech In Shakespeare, criminal that it was abridged.

I like his reading very much, but I thought it was a little bit too understated; the power of that speech demands a little bit more animation from the actor methinks.

[phantomerik295]

i love when he says "mock", how it sounds like the tennis balls against the rackets

[JDEL123]

he didnt actually say the whole speech, there were parts skipped out!!

[Qwcasd]

the movie was abridged to be shorter, and easier to understand, though I believe they never changed the actual words they just take some out.

[alcockell]

@Qwcasd Bear in mind that on-stage, you need a lot more verbal exposition, whereas on film you can visually express stuff. So - you can reduce the dialogue a bit. Consider Baz Luhrman shooting R&J's first meeting in those pools. no need to have the speech about water when you show it.

Same in Henry V during the Harfleur assault - no need to explain artillery when you can see the effects of the "fire for effect" request.

[maureenOWW]

I'll just paraphrase this scene for the youth of today:

'you're gay, suck my balls!'

'I'll fucking rip them off! And your dads!'

Hopefully that isn't too complex for you 'peeps'.

[Grimmest117]

HMMM How can one be a total halfwit? Seems to be a contridiction of terms. Never the less, I suggest it is you that are living in a fantasy land maureenOWW. The facts are, native British peoples are being outbred by the Islamic Immigrants you have let into your country. It is simply a matter of time before there are enough Muslims of voting age to form an extremely powerful voting block in your country. Britain's position is made worse by scoundrels like the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. Cheers

[maureenOWW]

Firstly, I'm not british.

Secondly, have you ever met any british 'muslims'? Most under the age of 30 drink alcohol, wear western clothes, have british accents, support british football teams, and so on.

YOU are living in the fantasy world; perhaps you should experience a group of several million people before you dismiss them as worthless.

[Max3851]

Sory but islamic terrorism is a global problem any country where muslims have emigrated there are problems, Germany, China, England, America, France Belgium, the Netherlands all experience extreme violence from muslims. They are not worthless, but they are a cancer on whatever native population. Turky in the EU!! thats like inviting Hitler to live with you.

[mosetheboweryboy]

I believe "maureenOWW" was, by saying "total halfwit", marking you as the sum and whole of all halfwits. That no finer example of halfwit could be found. I am inclined to agree.

[NAVC130VET]

now that is how you tell someone off!!!

[cullen212121]

he is so like a king!!! i love him! This is some of the most intelligent language ever written. Truely, it almost brings tears to my eyes!!! Kick ASS!

[shivanmonkey]

SO DOMINANT

[prismacolored]

"His jest will savor but of shallow wit/When thousands weep more than did laugh at it."

[StandTogetherForever]

I fucking love it when he rises and his men all stand, great stuff

[mcginter]

Judging by your website link, I think I can work out exactly why you get people to agree with you by the time you "finnish with people" (Are you Scandinavian?).

Have a nice day.

[mcginter]

Brian Blessed is great in this scene.

[Grimmest117]

Englishman have greater concerns to fight over than which actor gives the best Shakespearian performance. The loss of your own country comes to mind.

While you squabble over performances that took place over a decade ago, Britain just had several aspects of Sharia Civil Law shoved down her throat. More will come, unless Britains pull their collective heads out of the sand, and stand and defend the country they love.

[maureenOWW]

'Britain just had several aspects of Sharia Civil Law shoved down her throat. '

You are living in a fantasy land, there is not a SINGLE piece of sharia law that is legal in the UK, and there never can be unless english common law is replaced, which will never happen.

You are a total halfwit.

[MassCityGent]

You are the one living in a fantasy land, because you don't understand the concept of choice of law. Civil courts all over the world routinely enforce contracts applying the law of other jurisdictions. Likewise, arbitration agreements and other alternative dispute resolution routinely adopts foreign law. The Lord Chief Justice gave a speech a month or two ago talking about how sharia civil judgments can and should be enforceable by English courts applying the UK's arbitration statutes.

[pvuf431]

tennis balls!

[talkape]

come back in 2 months time and read the comments you've made. don't be so foolish people, and stop fighting please.

[sakuraba216]

I have to agree with the post that says Branagh's version is superior to Olivier's. This Henry is more reserved and intimidating. Ive watched this clip about a hundred times just because Henry is such a badass. Mountjoy is also much better here and he probably gives the second best performance of the film. The Mountjoy in Olivier's version is an effete twat!

[Forteverum]

And yet not only does Brannagh appear intimidating, but unnervingly so because it's unexpected. There's also a greater depth of character - you can still see traces of the "wild youth" he once was.

[tranurse]

and the herald begins to respect and see that he isn't some young punk, but a king. and later on in the play, he tells the french generals that they shouldn't discount how strong he is, and how powerful his small army is. i love this play.

[Forteverum]

Jimmyster, you're out of your mind. I wonder if in fact you aren't just trolling. Olivier's speech is nothing but bravado - there is no sincerity in his invocation of the awful calamities he vows to bring on account of the Dauphin's action. It's blustery and bold and empty - Brannagh's is downright frightening, especially because he seems to be holding back.

[AntinoosTheos]

I'm not sure I want a debate - you seem to be too well informed. I could (+/- truthfully) claim I haven't got the time, but to be honest, I probably haven't got the knowledge, either. An obvious argument against your point about Henry IV would be that Shakespeare couldn't assume that his audience was familiar with that play.

Branagh's rendering of the scene is evidently of the quiet = dangerous variety, which fits in rather well with his lack of lips, I think.

Is the Olivier version on YouTube?

[AntinoosTheos]

Concerning your former comment, jimmyster: I think the Bard meant to show a developement - from a rather irresponsible youth ("greener days") to the warrior king you're talking about - and I think Branagh did that quite convincingly. As for Olivier - well, maybe our taste has changed towards the more spectacular since his day, but don't you think he's a bit wooden at times? I'm thinking especially of the Crispin's day speech. Anyway, you're too hard on Branagh by far, even if you prefer Olivier.

[Mauricebear]

well thats your view. To me this so is far above Olivier's version its like bows and arrows against the lighting

[Guedingen]

Great - many thanks

[myvizslas]

I love the "oh crap" look on Herald's face

[momo261086]

im learnin this for my uni audition, its dead hard for some reaosn. daaayum