Shakespeare's Henry V (1990, Michael Bogdanov) pt 1 of 17

Shakespeare's "King Henry V" from "The War of the Roses" (English Shakespeare Company, UK, 1990) is a direct filming, from the stage, of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence based on Shakespeare's history plays.

Chorus - Barry Stanton
Henry Prince of Wales - Michael Pennington
Hugh Sullivan - Canterbury
Ben Bazell - Westmoreland

Director Michael Bogdanov

Commentary By Edward Everett Hale:

Now Henry V is an interesting play to read because it gives us an excellent example of one characteristic of the Elizabethan drama, namely, the rhetorical quality. It gives us this more fully than any other play of Shakespeare's and it gives it to us with less admixture of other things. And this quality is one of which we do not have much on the stage to-day, and which we are therefore likely not to appreciate wholly in reading or seeing an Elizabethan play.

The rhetorical quality of the Elizabethan drama was a result or a necessity of the character of the Elizabethan theatre. Every one knows that the theatre Rhetorical in which the plays of Shakespeare were originally given was very different from the theatres in which we may see them to-day.

The stage was in the midst of the audience; a part of the audience even sat upon the stage itself. Therefore scenery or even any careful grouping of characters was impossible. The actors advanced into the midst of the audience, made their speeches, and retired. There was no front curtain, and the scenes followed each other directly or were separated by music or comic business. Further we may note that these actors on a stage without scenery were not costumed with historic accuracy. There were differences in costume, it is true; different ranks were indicated and some other distinctions, but there was no effort to reproduce the real spectacle of the stirring events that form the subject of the play.

We ourselves might say as much as this from our general knowledge of the Elizabethan stage, but we have it also stated directly by Chorus in the Prologue to Act I. The appeal was not to the eye but to the imagination of the audience; and it was made by stirring and spirited verse, well pronounced by the actor. How important a good elocution and delivery was we may see from Hamlet's speech to the Players: there he is giving advice on the actor's art, but he hardly mentions anything but elocution.

Thus a Shakespearean play was more to be listened to than to be seen. Since realism was impossible, the dramatist was forced to use other means. And the audience, it will be remembered, could not read, as our audiences do to-day. Even among the upper classes reading was not so general as it is now. Probably few of Shakespeare's audience read much poetry. They heard poetry at the theatre, and for many of them that was the only way to get it at all. This was another reason why a declamatory style prevailed. So the Elizabethan stage tended more to poetry than ours does, and particularly to poetry which could be readily and effectually declaimed.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Shakespeare
• King-Henry-V
• Michael-Pennington
• play
• theatre
• English-history
• HenryV

[polymath7]

"Imaginary puissance" indeed. Proof once more (if any were needed) that convincing personages serve as far more persuasive an adumbration than an elaborate painted set and costumes hung on hollow men.

To sketch a scene all that is needed are a few lines in the right place.

[polymath7]

Any chance of uploading all of Olivier's production? I remain puzzled why you upload only certain scenes and acts of most performances.

[363Magi]

Wher's 'ROB HALFORD!' ?? >.>

[banmen0w]

I love Michael Pennington! Yay I can finally see this.

[Cricut99]

THANK YOU for posting this! I saw the whole cycle in York many years ago and was entranced. Now I'm entranced again - without the perils of theatre-seat induced "numb bum"! I heart Michael Pennington in a very big way!!!!!

[thegorn68]

LMAO!  Good eye.

[Petruccibear]

0:31 MY GOD ITS ROB HALFORD!

[GreatGrumbledook]

The costumes look terrible: I want to see medieval plays in medieval outfits, safe when they are done like Richard III with Ian McKellen as Richard of Gloucester! Moreover the acting seem to be lame and uninspired but as it is Shakespeare (though poor France is defeated and Jeanne too small to bar Harry England, that sweeps through our land With pennons painted in the blood of Harfleur) it is brilliant anyway; I am longing for the complete version of the 1989 version by Branagh...