Talk:Henry V (1989 film)

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BetacommandBot (talk) 17:20, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Length

This article's plot summary is absurdly long, more than 1,900 words, far in excess of the 400-700 word length dictated by WP:MOSFILM. The summary needs to be completely rewritten. ---The Old Jacobite_{The '45} 14:32, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

As I said at WT:FILM, it's been a while since I saw the film, but I've taken a quick pass at condensing the plot summary. It's still long, but it's a start. Cliff Smith 18:29, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

I suggest a dialectic approach. The author provided a lot of very interesting information. I plead to keep all the content but I also agree that the section "Plot" is truly too long. There are certain elements of this "Plot" I like a lot and, as a matter of fact, exactly those elements should have their own section(s) such as "Background" or "Quotes". NordhornerII_The man from Nordhorn 19:31, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't think that developing a section about the cinematic technique of the film would be a bad idea, so long as it is properly sourced, of course. There's already a "Style" subsection of "Production", so I'd say that's a start. I've prepared a second pass at condensing the plot summary, which I've posted here. Feel free to work with it.

Since nobody else did it, I separated some information from the plot description and put it into additional sections. Feel free to re-arrange everything as you see fit. NordhornerII _The man from Nordhorn 09:01, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Condensed plot summary (around 1,000 words)

Act 1 The film opens with Chorus in a modern, unfinished film set, calling for a "Muse of fire" so that the actor playing King Henry might "assume the port of Mars" and that the audience's imagination will overcome any limitations the stage may present. He narrates the film. The scene then cuts to early 15th century England. The Archbishop of Canterbury gives other noblemen an explanation as to why young King Henry V of England is rightful heir to the throne of France. The clergymen and Henry's advisors Exeter and Westmoreland urge Henry to invade France. Henry calls in the French ambassador Mountjoy representing the Dauphin, whom the French see as rightful heir to the throne. The Dauphin's condescending message enrages Henry, and he decides to attack France. Act 2 At a London tavern, Bardolph tries to resolve a fight between Nym and Pistol over Mistress Quickly, who was promised to marry the former, but wed the latter. A boy interrupts, informing them that their friend Sir John Falstaff is deathly ill and they stop quarreling to visit him, hinting that Henry somehow caused Falstaff's ill health. A flashback shows Falstaff and others in the tavern, where Henry is seen ending his childhood friendship with Falstaff. Three traitors have been found in the ranks of Henry's advisors: the Earl of Cambridge, Lord Scroop, and Sir Thomas Grey. Henry tricks them into pronouncing their own sentence by asking advice on a similar case, to which they show little mercy. Henry then reveals his knowledge of their sedition and declares that all three are to be executed before ordering his fleet to depart for France. Back in London, Pistol, Bardolph, Nym, Mistress Quickly, and the boy grieve the loss of Falstaff, who has died, before the men leave for war. Later, in France, Exeter conveys to King Charles VI of France a message from Henry, who has already landed: Henry demands that Charles surrender the crown, and Charles says he will send Exeter back to Henry with an answer in the morning. Act 3 After Henry refuses Charles' proposed compromise of dukedoms and the hand of his daughter Catherine in marriage, Henry's forces attack the castle at Harfleur. Fluellen and an officer named Gower discuss the mines that the English have dug in order to breech the walls of Harfleur. Fluellen believes the mines are being built incorrectly and belittles the Irish Captain MacMorris who is in charge of their construction while praising Captain Jamy, the officer in charge of the Scottish troops. When MacMorris and Jamy arrive, Fluellen offers MacMorris advice on about digging the tunnels and offends him. The two nearly break into a fight before they are interrupted by retreating English troops. Henry appears before the gates of Harfleur and declares to the town's governor that no harm will befall Harfleur if the French surrender, but threatens to sack Harfleur otherwise. The governor surrenders, having been informed that no French army can be mobilized in time to save Harfleur. Henry orders Harfleur to be fortified as a citadel from which to fight the French army. In the French court, Catherine speaks with her maid Alice. Alice, having spent time in England, knows some English, so Catherine asks Alice to teach her. Catherine is keen to learn until the two are interrupted by Charles and his entourage. Charles, the Dauphin, and his advisors hold an urgent meeting to discuss the English invasion. The French noblemen want to repel the English, feeling their national honor has been damaged by the incursion. Charles orders his nobles to raise troops for an army, confident that with such great a force they can conquer Henry's army and capture him. As Henry's army advances through rain and mud, Pistol comes to beg Fluellen for the life of Bardolf, who has apparently robbed a church. Fluellen is unforgiving and holds that Bardolf will hang for his crimes as any other soldier would. When Henry arrives, he is heartbroken to learn that Bardolf, an old friend, has committed such a crime, but sees the execution through. The French ambassador Mountjoy then arrives, declaring that Charles' forces will overtake Henry's army. Henry's response is mostly neutral, but states that he will continue to advance because he believes it is his right to conquer France and that his army will be victorious. Act 4 At the English camp, Henry talks briefly with his brothers, Gloucester and Bedford, and with old Sir Thomas Erpingham, before borrowing Erpingham's cloak, disguising himself from the common soldiers. Henry tours the camp, pretending to be a soldier named Harry le Roy, in order to know the minds of his troops. The first person he meets is Pistol, who praises the King in his own way. Henry then comes to three common soldiers, Bates, Court, and Williams, who have a less than flattering opinion of the King. Once the three soldiers eventually depart, Henry contemplates the isolation of power and lament his duties. The next morning, the French expect an easy victory, observing how outnumbered and ragged the English army appears. Meanwhile, the English noblemen realize that they are outnumbered. Henry delivers a morale-boosting speech to rally his troops (St. Crispin's Day Speech). Mountjoy comes for ransom, asking that Henry surrender or be defeated. Henry rejects the offer. A battle ensues as the French charge at the English. Henry, having equipped his army with long bow archers, is able to cripple a large part of the French force. Nym is killed while trying to rob the bodies of dead soldiers. The Constable of France is also killed, as the astonished French noblemen realize that they will likely lose. They decide to continue the fight, rather than be shamed in surrender. Ultimately, the English are victorious. Act 5 Negotiations are made for Henry to be named king of both England and France. While the French and English royal delegations excuse themselves to handle some of the details of the treaty, Henry enjoys a brief romantic interlude with Catherine. The film ends with Chorus recounting how the union of England and France was lost under Henry's son, Henry VI.

Cliff Smith 19:40, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Well, I read more than once about writers who left the Wikipedia because they felt they were treated unfriendly. Due to that I consider it a good idea to always keep in mind that many authors are really sensitive about having their texts amended. That was just the general idea when I suggested to re-arrange the article instead of simply dismissing parts of it as redundant. Now I am checking this article more in-depth and I also compare it to the article on the actual play. There it is pointed out how much a theatre struggles to put a battle on stage... I believe it could be considered to create a section dedicated to the differences between Shakespeare's play and its adaptation. It is widely believed that there was no reason to put a play onto the screen unless this could add something to it. In this case it is especially interesting to say something about to what degree the means of filmmaking were used to enhance the audience's experience. Here we could also mention parts of the action which we've deleted from the plot section. Yet you mustn't expect me to do that because I am specialised in French films and this film is anything but French, if you know what I mean. NordhornerII_The man from Nordhorn 22:56, 20 October 2012 (UTC)

Just to be clear, I was not trying to dismiss parts of the article as redundant. That aside, I'm honestly not really personally interested in developing this article at the moment. I just took a couple passes at condensing the plot summary because it needed condensing, and it could still stand to be condensed further. At any rate, I don't disagree that there are some things which have been removed from the plot summary that might be worthy of inclusion in a further developed "Style" subsection, or perhaps "Adaptation from source material". The latter seems to be what you're suggesting; however, such a section should not be just a listing of the differences between the play and the film. Cliff Smith 20:07, 21 October 2012 (UTC)

Incorrect link

The link for 'Richard Clifford' is wrong; it links to a historic Richard Clifford. I don't know how to remove a link...

Dperry4930 (talk) 17:33, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

Removed the link. Dperry4930 (talk) 22:06, 7 February 2015 (UTC)