Henry V (1944) -- film adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Duncan Fraser (University of Sussex)

Ed. by William M. Hamlin, Washington State University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Domains

Cinema/ Film/ TV

Dates

Date of occurrence 1944

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

Recommended Reading

Adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V. Directed by Laurence Olivier. Starring Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks, Renée Asherson, Esmond Knight, Felix Aylmer, and Leo Genn. Music by William Walton. Colour. 137 minutes.

Originally proposed by the films division of the Ministry of Information, Laurence Olivier’s production of Shakespeare’s Henry V opened in British cinemas shortly after the D-Day landings of June 1944. Financed by Rank Studios, it had cost £475,000 – twice as much as the most expensive film so far made in Britain.

Filming started in 1943, when Britain and its allies were beginning to see the war turn in their favour. The Ministry’s …

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1180 words

Citation: Fraser, Duncan. "Henry V (1944) -- film adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2016 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19432, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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