Review of Shakespeare Collection

Introduction

Nearly every person who has ever dared to walk the halls of an educational establishment within the English-speaking world will be familiar with at least one of the Baird`s works. In fact, those who studied the plays in the past couple of decades will no doubt have memories of being crammed into the classroom and having their eyes directed towards a screen in order to glimpse a cinematic or televisual adaptation of such works.

Now that the BBC have decided to modernise several of these plays in the same way that they reworked Chaucer`s `Canterbury Tales` 2 years ago, Universal Pictures have cleverly used this as an opportunity to bring together five of the big screen adaptations which helped to carry the words of Shakespeare into the age of the silver screen.

The film which Universal have sent to valiantly represent the Box set is none other than Kenneth Branagh`s directorial debut and Oscar winning picture `Henry V`. For those who aren`t aware of the plot of this film, possibly because they didn`t have to read the text aloud whilst their chums threw pieces of chalk in their hair, I`ll summarise; Henry V is, as you might have guessed, the King of Merry old England. When persuaded by the Archbishop of Canterbury that he has a legal right to the whole of France, he goes to battle in their land and, in the process, comes of age as a Monarch.

Ok, so I`ve simplified it quite substantially, but as is the case with anything penned by Billy S, the broad outline of the story is more of a vehicle for the clever intricacies of the plot and prose, and, when the screenplay is delivered from the highly respected and well-polished tongues of Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Briers and Branagh himself (in the title role), you realise that, on paper at least, this is very special indeed.

Video

Whereas the dialogue is adapted Shakespearean, the visual aspects of the movie are Branagh`s, and for that he must be extremely proud. Reflecting not only the horrors of the `hundred year war` but also recalling memories of the trench warfare experienced by millions in WWI , the depiction of warfare of as a messy and terrible thing is executed fantastically. Although the Play is sometimes criticised for being a little too nationalistic and xenophobic, here the balance is just right.

In fact, in overall style and feel, you can`t help but feel that Peter Jackson`s Lord of the Rings trilogy took several cues from this 1989 film. Just as epic, and with the battle of Harfleur scenes reminiscent of the fall of Isengard (complete with burning castle), there are a number of parallels between the two. That Henry V does it with minimal special effects speaks volumes of the quality of its direction.

The transfer has been digitally mastered excellently. The extremely poor-quality trailer included on the disc is indicative of just how well the film that you see on your screen has been `nursed back to health`, as it were.

Audio

Even in Dolby 2.0, whack this through the most average of speaker systems and it will bring the film to life. Whereas the score is entirely predictable — rumbling bass notes and fanfares are all present and correct — you get a feel of being there in the company of King `Arry and his army. In terms of completing the picture and enriching the movie at the same time, the audio aspects of the movie are second to very few.

Features

The DVD`s Achilles heal comes in the guise of the extra features included on the disc— or lack of. Other than the aforementioned cinematic trailer, there is nothing more than the main feature included on the DVD.

However, you have to see the producer`s side of this. Considering that the Box includes 5 films in total, then extra bits and bobs aren`t as essential as they might be elsewhere, what with ten hours of entertainment already. Also, there are the logistics; the films included are from various eras and are directed by different people, with only Universal Pictures binding them. As such, it would be an overly arduous task to attempt to fill each disc with documentaries etc, and so this is one exclusion that can be forgiven. Just don`t let it happen again!

Conclusion

It seems paradoxical to say so, but the traditional elements of `Henry V` make it all the more refreshing. In an age when Shakespeare`s plays are being modernised with increased frequency (with the exception of last year`s disappointing Pacino starring `Merchant of Venice`), it is good to see a Play written about the fifteen century actually set in the fifteenth century. Yet to praise Branagh`s work on only those grounds would do the film, let alone the film industry, a huge disservice; `Henry V` is a bone fide classic in every possible sense.

It is not surprising to see that this particular example was sent as a preview for the set as a whole — it is unlikely that the others, as good as they may be, could ever match the fully realised aspirations of this individual piece. With an all-star cast (that nowadays reserves itself almost solely for the Harry Potter motion pictures) acting out scenes with such brutal honesty and soul, `Plays on film` simply don`t come any better than this.

The questions that spout from every literature-lover`s mouth whenever Shakespeare is mentioned (`was he really just one man or many people? If so, would he have knowledge of all the places he wrote about?`) are likely to continue forever, yet what is never really in question is how he could transform the spoken word into a thing of beauty — an attribute which is on display within this film. With the ability to turn the most lukewarm appreciation into full blown desire for the source material, `Henry V` sees Brannagh`s mission well and truly accomplished.