Reply To: The King – NETFIX

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Not bad.  Speaking very generally, 6/10 in regards to history, although others will know better than me.  In particular I liked the more realistic portrayal or English losses at Agincourt, it gives Henry a big speech but resists the temptation of Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day Speech, portrays Charles VI in a slightly sympathetic light without making too much of his mental issues.  It also doesn’t shy away from Henry’s execution of all the prisoners after the battle.  I was also happy to see his marriage to Catherine not portrayed as instant bliss, as again, we see in Shakespeare.

The part I’m least sure of is the portrayal of Henry IV, Thomas, and the death of Hotspur.  Hotspur was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, so the date lines up with what we see in the film, but the movie takes BIG liberty with how he’s killed.

The biggest “WHAT?” in the movie I thought was the (sigh) inclusion of the Dauphin at the Battle of Agincourt.  Wasn’t there.  Died shortly after of disease, but remained with Charles VI.  Given all the other things this movie corrected from Shakespeare’s history, I was hoping they’d fix this one too.

The initial siege and fall or Harfleur is handled a little less dramatically than in the play, but I think far more realistically.  It took up time and delayed the English advance from the coast, which I turn led to problems of food and disease and thus caused INDIRECT casualties to Henry V’s army, but (and I’m no expert here) I don’t think it was the bloody breach-assault meatgrinder we see in the play.

But then we wouldn’t have gotten that great line:

“Once more into the breach, my friends! Once more!  Or else brick up that wall with our English dead!”