In the Henriad, Shakespeare elevated Hal from ne’er-do-well to a paragon of a leader. In “The King” he goes in the opposite direction
“HENRY V” HAS for centuries been a patriotic comfort blanket, something to be wrapped around Britain’s shoulders in periods of anxiety and doubt. William Shakespeare’s play was first performed in 1599, in the final years of Elizabeth I’s reign, as the childless queen refused to name a successor. Laurence Olivier’s film adaptation was released in 1944, amid the final bloody period of the second world war.
Yet anyone hoping for a dewy-eyed recreation of former glories—and the usual jibes at the French—will be disappointed. David Michôd, an Australian director, has made a career of examining the more malign uses of power, whether in a criminal family or the American armed forces . A loose adaptation of the Henriad—“Henry IV” parts one and two and “Henry V”—his new film uses Shakespeare as a template, while ditching the iambic pentameter and lengthy monologues.
In the Henriad, Shakespeare elevated Hal from ne’er-do-well to a paragon of a leader. But in “The King” he goes in the opposite direction, starting off as an idealist only to be compromised by the power he must wield. Whether he is witnessing the execution of his traitorous friends or rushing into the field of Agincourt, Mr Chalamet plays a leader whose heart simply isn’t in it.
The Agincourt battle remains the climax of the film, and Mr Michôd delivers a thrilling mix of mud and blood. But it is the duplicity in the cause of nationhood that makes “The King” feel so vital and challenging. Going to war on the basis of falsehoods calls forth the run-up to the second Iraq war, but “The King” goes further in suggesting that power is always based on lies. Henry V may be the poster boy for proud English triumph, but the paper is thin.
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