Henry V

Henry V established Kenneth Branagh as one of the most gifted and versatile film artists of our time. Branagh wrote the screenplay, starred in, and directed the film to astounding critical and popular acclaim. With a marvelous cast, including himself as Henry V, Emma Thompson as Katherine, Derek Jacobi as the Chorus, Ian Holm as Fluellen, Paul Scofield as the King of France, Judi Dench as Mistress Quickly, and Robbie Coltrane as Falstaff, Branagh brings the play into contemporary times, adding a darker and harsher sensibility. Included here are Branagh's screenplay and introduction, and dramatic stills from the film.

"So let me say flat out that I like everything about Branagh's film. I like the adaptation, the cast, the direction, the cinematography and the music. In fact, I like it so much I don't even want to write about it. I would prefer to leave my desk right now and watch it again." Stuart Klawans

"Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, magnificently cast, passionately played, is stirring and deeply humane. Reality is his mode." Nation

"As a director, as artistic entrepreneur, as sheer charge of film-world energy, [Branagh] has won his own Agincourt." David Denby New York Magazine

Kenneth Branagh made his mark as our generation's premier Shakespearean actor and director upon the release of Henry V, his first film.

Kenneth Branagh, who lives in London, is the author of three previous books: an autobiography, Beginning (Norton), and the tie-in volumes to Much Ado About Nothing (Norton), and Henry V.