The Enemy in "Henry V" Films Comparison Essay by bigbug

The paper argues that the marked disparity between the directors' representations of the enemy in "Henry V" highlights and epitomizes the different socio-political perspectives of the two films. The paper discusses how Olivier's film delineates a historical epic and patriotic propaganda film, while Branagh's film captures a realistic and alleged anti war viewpoint. The paper goes on to show how the directors' manipulation of the French enemy shapes not only how the audience views and interprets Henry's project but also his character. The paper illustrates how to achieve their contrary visions, both directors altered Shakespeare's text, deleting or reassigning lines and characters whilst skilfully exploiting the resource of the camera to evoke the desired audience response.