It’s amazing how musical language can be- Olivier understands this as Shakespeare likewise understood it . There’s something about the ‘singing’ of the poetry found in these lines that rouses anyone who listens to it . How could they resist the battle charge after such a speech ?
I requested this scene on my smartphone today and was appalled that the speech was buried under Hollywood-type music which imposed on and therefore overwhelmed the stirring nature of the words. The drama of the speech as shown here, on the other hand, is in its unfolding of sentence after sentence touching emotion and inspiring listeners. The film music for Henry V was done by Sir William Walton, no mean composer of music, who judged where the film needed a little musical interlude here and there.
This is the speech of a King who, whilst rousing his men, is of a higher class - so it's more restrained and regal. Brannagh plays Henry far more as a man of the people, so his version is very chummy and informal. Both are great in their own way, though I would imagine the real Henry was closer to Olivier's aloof depiction.
@@bernardoschmidt I have to agree. I am sure some people like Brannagh, but I watched his Macbeth and many lines were simply shouted. Olivier had such a calm command of his voice by comparison.
I don't mind a restrained and regal interpretation of this speech. Mark Rylance does a great restrained and regal version. I don't care for Olivier's version because the dialogue is delivered at a fast pace that is jarring and unnatural.
I truly believe Henry thought himself entitled to the crown of France. He was a young man, still consumed by Zeal, by the time Edward pressed his claim he was much older, and saw it as a smart political justification for war with France. I think Henry really did think that he was the rightful heir to Charles IV
There are some discrepancies from the text I'm familiar with. Instead of "no stomach to this fight", Olivier says "no stomach to this feast." Instead of "his passport shall be made", he says "his passport shall be drawn." Instead of "be he ne'er so vile", he says "be he ne'er so base." How did these changes come about? Are they historical, or were they made for the film?
Some are his own, but mostly they are from different editions, like the quarto, folio, first edition of all the plays, and so fourth. They all differ in some way.
Saint Crispin's Day, or the Feast of Saint Crispin, falls on 25 October and is the feast day of the Christian saints Crispin and Crispinian. They were, according to tradition, two Roman nobles, probably brothers, who were martyred. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286.
Tastes change. I admit I prefer Branagh to Olivier. But one can understand why Olivier had such enormous success back in 1944. It was a war-triumph of Shakespeare, that is, of English language itself. The public would have adored the text even if it was "The Battle of Brunnanburgh".
No other actor ( Great Respect to them all!) has been able to covey the greatness of this speech Oliver cannot be surpassed... It must be so intimidating trying to take on this role with this looking down on you...
King Charles could be such a leader, I think, if put to the test. He is a thoughtful man, but no weakling, I believe. For the sake of the nation, I hope he is never tested, for that would mean trying times for us all.
I find it interesting that Olivier did both "Henry V" and "Richard III." And I feel that Richard's speech to his troops at Bosworth Field is the polar opposite of this St. Crispin's Day speech. Richard sees that his soldiers are lacking confidence, and so he stirs their hearts with thoughts of great glory. On the other hand, Richard tries to stoke terror in his troops, with thoughts of French soldiers raping their wives and daughters. And I think that Henry's sincerely means what he says, while Richard couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks. (He murdered his whole family to get the English crown, and has no intention of losing it.)
Shakespeare wrote marvellous plays for great actors like Laurence Olivier. If you want historical accuracy re Richard III and his times then The Richard III Society is a good place to begin.
Kenneth Branagh was so much better in this scene. He was outdoors so he didn't have the acoustic problem of a stage. But his timing was so much better.
No, Branagh got it right too. In a different way, but both Olivier and Branagh brought tears to my eyes.So they both did something right in their own eras.
For comparison purposes, just as this sequence plays out so effectively without music in the background, Master Branagh's might also be played without Patrick Doyle's contribution.
@@mauricioduron3193 To each their own but I don't think it really plays out effectively. I'm not a fan of the fast pace at which the dialogue is delivered and the way the speech peaks at just a middling level of enthusiasm. For a more reserved delivery, I prefer Mark Rylance's version.
@@therevolvingmonk True, we may each choose to our liking. Yet Masters Branagh's and Rylance's intimacy, subdued whether on the screen or stage, might not project adequately the regal character called for motivation of their forces on the battlefield.
At last, the Olivier speech without the music! Thank you very much
amen
Olivier didn't need the music. Because the music flew from his mouth.
@@Moigospodinn Yes, there was more steal in our back born then
A breathtaking performance of a difficult piece to pull off
That's how leader must speak to his men!
It’s amazing how musical language can be- Olivier understands this as Shakespeare likewise understood it . There’s something about the ‘singing’ of the poetry found in these lines that rouses anyone who listens to it . How could they resist the battle charge after such a speech ?
Better than Branagh's performance but then Branagh had to make his different.
Truly Beautiful. It’s elegance is beyond me.
Incomprehensible to the modern mind in its complexity and power.
I watch this every St. Crispins day.
Good ! 😉
Haute contre...the cadence, the projection, the music. Amazing.
I requested this scene on my smartphone today and was appalled that the speech was buried under Hollywood-type music which imposed on and therefore overwhelmed the stirring nature of the words. The drama of the speech as shown here, on the other hand, is in its unfolding of sentence after sentence touching emotion and inspiring listeners. The film music for Henry V was done by Sir William Walton, no mean composer of music, who judged where the film needed a little musical interlude here and there.
What an oration of this monologue!!
Oliviers' master class.
No one does this speech better!
They have been trying for 90 years almost!
The entire speech without a single cut, if made today there were be 50 during the speech.
All things are ready, if our mind be so!
Thank you so much! This is perfect-I'm looking for some nice things to put up on my social media page for Saint Crispin's Day on Tuesday...
Simply the best it will ever be done
indeed
Lyricism belonged to Olivier..as well as matinee idol looks....
I prefer Brannagh’s interpretation.
Zounds, I love that speech!
Even better restored and in HD.
4 people hold their manhood cheap
Remember with advantages ...
This is the speech of a King who, whilst rousing his men, is of a higher class - so it's more restrained and regal. Brannagh plays Henry far more as a man of the people, so his version is very chummy and informal. Both are great in their own way, though I would imagine the real Henry was closer to Olivier's aloof depiction.
There's also the theatrical element. Olivier's voice - far superior than Brannagh's - gives the speech its natural regal component.
@@bernardoschmidt I have to agree. I am sure some people like Brannagh, but I watched his Macbeth and many lines were simply shouted. Olivier had such a calm command of his voice by comparison.
@@louthegiantcookie Absolutely. Felt the exact same way about Brannagh's Macbeth.
I don't mind a restrained and regal interpretation of this speech. Mark Rylance does a great restrained and regal version. I don't care for Olivier's version because the dialogue is delivered at a fast pace that is jarring and unnatural.
I dunno, Henry "saw the chimes at midnight" with Falstaff, so he was a man of the people.
And gentlemen in England , now abed ....
We might just need a bit of help from dear old Henry
I truly believe Henry thought himself entitled to the crown of France. He was a young man, still consumed by Zeal, by the time Edward pressed his claim he was much older, and saw it as a smart political justification for war with France. I think Henry really did think that he was the rightful heir to Charles IV
Love the costumes.
Bloody marvelous ;)
He skips a line . . . . . .
"Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;"
Depends upon which edition of the play you have. In addition, Olivier adapted the play for film...lots of cuts to the text.
@@largeadam The problem is that the "...shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile..." doesn't make sense without the subsequent line.
There are some discrepancies from the text I'm familiar with.
Instead of "no stomach to this fight", Olivier says "no stomach to this feast."
Instead of "his passport shall be made", he says "his passport shall be drawn."
Instead of "be he ne'er so vile", he says "be he ne'er so base."
How did these changes come about? Are they historical, or were they made for the film?
Some are his own, but mostly they are from different editions, like the quarto, folio, first edition of all the plays, and so fourth. They all differ in some way.
Happy Feast of Crispin!
Saint Crispin's Day, or the Feast of Saint Crispin, falls on 25 October and is the feast day of the Christian saints Crispin and Crispinian. They were, according to tradition, two Roman nobles, probably brothers, who were martyred. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286.
Thank you for the historical references.
At :42 you can see a vehicle passing down a road between the pointy tents.
Maybe it was a very fast chariot😅
maybe you enjoy winding up decent people . tool.
What a chad, even the way he slaps the horse!..
If only we had done Henry V at school rather than Henry IV Part 1!
Tastes change. I admit I prefer Branagh to Olivier. But one can understand why Olivier had such enormous success back in 1944. It was a war-triumph of Shakespeare, that is, of English language itself. The public would have adored the text even if it was "The Battle of Brunnanburgh".
I also prefer Branagh but it seems his delivery owes a lot to Olivier.
1:55
No other actor ( Great Respect to them all!)
has been able to covey the greatness of this speech
Oliver cannot be surpassed... It must be so intimidating trying to take on this role with this looking down on you...
Oh for a leader as such today
King Charles could be such a leader, I think, if put to the test. He is a thoughtful man, but no weakling, I believe. For the sake of the nation, I hope he is never tested, for that would mean trying times for us all.
0:12 Oliver slap that horse hard! Poor horse :(
Not at all.
Its kind of ironic that while these guys were acting in this their fellow countrymen were fighting in ww2. Who are the gentlemen abed now?
why is his voice intonated so oddly, and so fast?
I find it interesting that Olivier did both "Henry V" and "Richard III." And I feel that Richard's speech to his troops at Bosworth Field is the polar opposite of this St. Crispin's Day speech. Richard sees that his soldiers are lacking confidence, and so he stirs their hearts with thoughts of great glory. On the other hand, Richard tries to stoke terror in his troops, with thoughts of French soldiers raping their wives and daughters. And I think that Henry's sincerely means what he says, while Richard couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks. (He murdered his whole family to get the English crown, and has no intention of losing it.)
Shakespeare wrote marvellous plays for great actors like Laurence Olivier. If you want historical accuracy re Richard III and his times then The Richard III Society is a good place to begin.
Kenneth Branagh was so much better in this scene. He was outdoors so he didn't have the acoustic problem of a stage. But his timing was so much better.
Yes, far better
It always bothers me that 1/10,000 of all "those men that do not work today" would probably only be a couple of hundred. Not that much help!
Didn’t he said “one ten thousand” as in “a unit of 10,000”?
heheh a mockery we shall make
Olivier was the best of all in Henry V. The modern actors have not the voice or plausibility.
I could not agree more.
No, Branagh got it right too. In a different way, but both Olivier and Branagh brought tears to my eyes.So they both did something right in their own eras.
Patrick Doyle's contribution to Branagh's speech played a significant rôle in making it so effective.
@@ZebradeenSame here. Both versions are rousing and enjoyable.
As awesome as Olivier is. I much prefer Brannah's version.
I have to say that I prefer Kenneth Branagh's version.
For comparison purposes, just as this sequence plays out so effectively without music in the background, Master Branagh's might also be played without Patrick Doyle's contribution.
@@mauricioduron3193 To each their own but I don't think it really plays out effectively. I'm not a fan of the fast pace at which the dialogue is delivered and the way the speech peaks at just a middling level of enthusiasm. For a more reserved delivery, I prefer Mark Rylance's version.
@@therevolvingmonk True, we may each choose to our liking. Yet Masters Branagh's and Rylance's intimacy, subdued whether on the screen or stage, might not project adequately the regal character called for motivation of their forces on the battlefield.
This is the yardstick that all other performances of this speech will be emasured against until the end of the world.
A yard is only 3 feet and Branagh pole vaulted over this.
You could see why his men would follow an Olivier-Harry to the ends of the earth. I doubt if they'd follow a Branagh-Harry to the corner shop.
November 3, 2020 -- America's St. Crispin's Day -- when the Orange Evil is vanquished forever.
It must be painful to carry such hate in your soul.
Well, that was premature.