{"id":10337,"date":"2014-06-12T18:09:36","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T22:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/?p=10337"},"modified":"2016-07-05T08:42:04","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T12:42:04","slug":"the-hollow-crown-henry-v","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/the-hollow-crown-henry-v\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hollow Crown: Henry V"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Battle<\/a>As I started to watch the last film in the Hollow Crown series,<\/strong> I wasn’t sure whether Tom Hiddleston was up to playing the iconic role in Shakespeare’s most patriotic (and jingoistic) play.<\/p>\n

I thought Hiddleston’s Prince Hal in Henry IV had just a little too much of Loki – and maybe the bully – in it for me to see him as a majestic king. But I was quickly won over. Whether the movie itself was good Shakespeare is another question.<\/p>\n

First a note on the lighting and sets: in Richard II, it was all light, bright and colour (until the end, where Richard’s fall is marked by darker sets and shadows). Henry IV P1 and P2 were both shot in muted tones: greys, blacks, dark browns, with shadowy sets and little colour outstanding. Henry V is a mix of the two, more conventionally lit.<\/p>\n

The play contains the story of Henry’s challenge to France – claiming he is the true king of France and demanding King Charles hand the crown over. When the French say no, Henry invades with an army of roughly 12,000. He has some initial successes, including the siege of Harfleur. Then the campaign becomes a weary march to safety where soldiers suffered more from illness and dysentery than from the enemy. Henry’s men set out for Calais – at that time an English-held city – with only 9,000 of his original besieging force (some sources say he had fewer men – 7,000). More would be lost on the march.<\/p>\n

The campaign\u00a0culminates in the remarkable victory at Agincourt, where a bedraggled and dispirited English force defeated a much larger French one. It is the highlight of the play. Or should be.<\/p>\n