SHAKESPEARE PLAYS, THE: THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH (TV)
Summary
One in this series of BBC productions of the plays of William Shakespeare. A production of "The Life of King Henry the Fifth." The Chorus welcomes the audience, bids them make up for the deficiencies of theatrical staging with their imaginations, and asks them ". . . gently to hear/Kindly to judge our play." After receiving the insulting gift of a treasure chest full of tennis balls from the Dauphin, King Henry declares war on France. Shortly before departing for France, Henry condemns the traitors Cambridge, Scroop, and Gray to death. Mistress Quickly recounts the death of Sir John Falstaff, as her flophouse patrons depart for battle. The battle is joined, with both sides suffering great losses. King Henry dons a cloak to go unrecognized among his soldiers the night before the crucial battle of Agincourt. And on the morning of the battle, Henry rouses his troops with the famous "St. Crispian's Day" speech.
Exeter tells Henry of the death of the Duke of York; Montjoy, the French herald, informs Henry that the British have won the Battle of Agincourt; Henry pardons the soldier who insulted him the previous night while he was incognito; the Chorus paints the scene of the King's triumphant return to London; Henry returns to France to press his demands against the French, the foremost of which is the hand of Princess Katherine; Henry frenetically woos Katherine, whose imperfect command of English compounds his awkwardness at romantic phrasemaking; and the Chorus relates the eventual outcome of the union of England and France under King Henry VI.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: April 23, 1980 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:44:01
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T80:0633
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1979-1984
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jac Venza … Executive Producer
- Cedric Messina … Producer
- Ann Blumenthal … Series Producer
- David Giles … Director
- William Shakespeare … Writer
- William Walton … Title Music by
- Don Homfray … Production Design
- David Gwillim … Cast, King Henry V
- Trevor Baxter … Cast, the Archbishop of Canterbury
- John Abiner … Cast, the Archbishop of Ely
- Clifford Parrish … Cast, the Duke of Exeter
- David Buck … Cast, the Earl of Westmoreland
- John Bryans … Cast, the Duke of Bourbon
- Gordon Gostelow … Cast, Bardolph
- Jeffrey Holland … Cast, Nym
- Bryan Pringle … Cast, Pistol
- Rob Edwards … Cast, the Duke of Bedford
- Ian Price … Cast, Lord Scroop
- William Whymper … Cast, the Earl of Cambridge
- David Rowlands … Cast, Sir Thomas Grey
- Thorley Walters … Cast, Charles VI, King of France
- Keith Drinkel … Cast, Lewis, the Dauphin
- Julian Glover … Cast, the Constable of France
- Brenda Bruce … Cast, Hostess Nell Quickly
- John Fowler … Cast, the Boy
- Alec McCowen … Cast, the Chorus
- Ronald Chenery … Cast, the Messenger
- Tim Wylton … Cast, Fluellen
- Brian Poyser … Cast, Gower
- Michael McKevitt … Cast, Jamy
- Paddy Ward … Cast, MacMorris
- Jon Samet … Cast, a Patron at the Brothel
- Jocelyne Boisseau … Cast, Katherine, daughter of Charles and Isabel
- Anna Quayle … Cast, Alice
- Pamela Ruddock … Cast, Isabel, Queen of France
- Garrick Hagon … Cast, Montjoy, a French herald
- Martin Smith … Cast, The Duke of Gloucester
- John Saunders … Cast, The Duke of Orleans
- Graham Putney … Cast, The French Soldier
- David Pinner … Cast, Michael Williams
- Rod Beacham … Cast, The Earl of Warwick
- Simon Broad … Cast, The English herald
- Robert Harris … Cast, The Duke of Burgundy
- Roger Davenport … Cast, The Duke of Clarence