The Use of Flashback in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V
In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V flashback is used at key moments to comment on the action and to explain points in Henry's past, and how that past effects his present judgment. Certain scenes and lines are borrowed from parts one and two of Shakespeare's Henry IV to do this. The result is an amalgam of scenes, lines, and characters which brings about a telling expose of Henry V, and the man he was before becoming king of England. Flashback is used in this adaptation directly, to establish key points and players in Henry's life, as well as in a less direct manner, coming through in his current actions, to show his sovereignty, what that means to him and why.
The initial flashback scene displays a memory of Pistol's concerning Sir John Falstaff (portrayed by actor Robbie Coltrane). The flashback occurs while Falstaff is on his deathbed, and his remaining friends lament his impending loss. Branagh gives Pistol a line of Falstaff's, describing Falstaff in his own words as "A goodly, portly man, in faith," (1 Henry IV. II. iv. 421), apparently to establish Falstaff as the well loved character he seems to be in the Branagh film. Falstaff is shown as the jolly jester in this flashback, and not at all as the dangerous, mischief making deceiver he is in the texts, themselves. Branagh focuses on the pathos of Falstaff, to display his rejection as an unfortunate one. It is in this flashback that the audience sees the Machiavellian seeds being sewn in Prince Hal's personality as he shows his willingness to banish "valiant Jack Falstaff", however it is not shown where these seeds came from. Falstaff advises his young friend not to banish him f...
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...am Shakespeare's Henry V, Branagh uses flashback in more than one way to retell the classic story of King Henry V. Both in actual, and implied flashback Branagh shows the true character of Henry, along with what makes him the king that he is and what gets him to this point in his life. The byproducts of the humanization of Falstaff, and the vilification of Bardolph, coupled with the unique look at Henry's image of his father gives the audience a very different look at this life story, but one which is nonetheless accurate, and entertaining.
Works Cited
Henry V. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1989.
Kliman, Bernice W. "Branagh's Henry V: Allusion and Illusion." Shakespeare on Film Newsletter. 14.1 (Dec. 1989): 1+.
Shaw, William P. "Textual Ambiguities and Cinematic Certainties in Henry V." Literature Film Quarterly. 22.2 (1994): 117-28.
As soon as the king leaves, Falstaff immediately proclaims his unashamed cowardice, asking Hal to protect him in battle. The prince retorts with an insult to Falstaff’s enormous size, and abruptly bids him farewell. Gone are the jests that would accompany a conversation between these two at the beginning of the play, and Hal’s reactions to Falstaff now represent his moving away from the tavern world, and that he now belongs to the court world. Falstaff is extremely honest about his feelings towards the whole affair, bluntly stating that he wishes it all were over, exposing his strong reluctance to fight and interest in self-preservation. Again the prince offers only a rude retort before his ...
In Henry V, Shakespeare uses the English Hierarchy to shine light on the juxtaposition between the upper and lower classes through the use of the Chain of Being, the stereotypical relationships between yeoman and nobles and
The figures in the sweat are the shaman who directs and explains the procedure of the sweat and conducts it. The next figure is the fire keeper who tends the fire on which the stones for the sweat are heated and transfers them with the help of a pitchfork which he hands to the person closest to the entrance of the lodge as he does not enter the lodge. The final figure is the person being healed, in this case my friend.
Henry V is not a simple one as it has many aspects. By looking into
Shakespeare, William. Henry the Fourth, Part 1. Ed James L. Sanderson. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1969.
However, though Branagh’s vision is nothing short of cinematic genius, it neglects some of the deeper meaning that is illustrated within the original written play. Shakespeare’s subtle nuances and elaborate dialogue shape each character as the plot of the story unfolds. Branagh neglects the situational relevance of certain dialogue within scenes of the written play; relying more on visual effect rather than verbiage. Branagh’s use of editing creates a wistfully light-hearted adaptation of the play, and hastens the pace of the drama. While Branagh succeeds in creating many parallels between his movie and Shakespeare's written play, his use of visual imagery, characterization, and setting deliver an interpretation that stands alone as one of joyful camaraderie and humor.
Henry V, written by William Shakespeare, is by far one of his more historically accurate plays. This play is the life of young King Henry V, who ascended to the throne after his father, Henry IV's death. These times were much different for England, as Henry V was a noble lord whom everyone loved, whereas angry factions haunted his father's reign. Shakespeare portrays a fairly accurate account of the historical Henry V, but certain parts are either inflated"deflated, or conflated to dramatize Henry V as a character suitable for a Renaissance audience.
Shakespeare, William. Henry IV: part one. Ed. P. H. Davison, New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
Shakespeare, William. "Henry V." The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, and Katherine Eisaman Maus. London: Norton, 1997. 726-795.
One of the most famous scenes in Henry IV: Part I is the scene in which Prince Hal and Falstaff put on a play extempore. This is often cited as the most famous scene because it is Hal’s turning point in the play. However, the scene is much more than that. The play extempore is a moment of prophecy, not epiphany because is cues the reader in to the play’s major themes, and allows readers to explore the possibilities of the play’s continuance.
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Green 1 Controlled Chaos: The Impact of Surrealism on the Art World The Surrealist movement that began in the 1920’s, was unlike anything the art world had ever seen before. While Surrealist painters borrowed techniques from previous “ism” movements, for example Impressionism and Cubism, the prominent painters of this movement had acquired a new, shocking style all their own. Surrealism, as an art movement, stressed the importance of expanding one’s mind in order to welcome other depictions of ‘reality’. Surrealist artists channelled their subconscious and their works reflected images of total mind liberation. Unlike the art movements before it, Surrealism came the closest to truly reflecting the human dreamlike state. While this essay will explore the purpose, techniques and lasting impact of the Surrealist art movement, it should be noted that this movement transcended the boundaries of the image arts world. The influence of Surrealism can be felt in the fields of literature, film, music and philosophy, among others. The Surrealist movement started in 1920’s Europe, with Paris as the unofficial basis for the movement. Surrealism is usually linked with the Dada movement. Dadaism attacked the conventional forms of aesthetics and it stressed how absurd and unpredictable the process of artistic creation was. They created pieces of ‘non-art’ to show, out of protest, how meaningless European culture had become (de la Croix 705). The Dada movement was declared dead around 1922 when it had become ‘too organised‘ a movement, but it planted the seeds for Surrealism (de la Croix 706). While the Dada movement provided the basis for Surrealism, Surrealism was lighter and much less violent than its predecessor. Dadaism provided a basis for Su...
Unlike Dadaism, Surrealism was not about angry young men and women who were disillusioned by the horrors of the 1st world war and a bourgeois society that did not care. Surrealism was a movement dedicated to ‘the exploration of the realm of the unconsciousness and the dream. They were seeking what might be called the language of the soul. For the surrealists, it was not so much a type of work as a spiritual orientation.’ (Waldberg, 1965)
Surrealism. Do you know what is that word? Have you ever heard about that word? What it has to do with art and design? Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in early 1920s. It tried to combine between the dream and reality. The artists were trying to make a strange creature from everyday life object and paint that let the unconscious mind express itself. Surrealism is very well known from it visual artworks and writings. Surrealist was influenced by the Dadaists who like the work which relished on chance and spontaneity. Surrealist was working based on the unconscious site of mind and they believed that combination of ego, superego, dream and the id will lead them to express their authenticity and a truer reality (surreal). Surrealism was started in the midst of World War I in the influence of Dada activities. The “Pope of Surrealism” was André Breton, a French writer. He was said that surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement. The center development for surrealism was in Paris. After 1920s, the spreading of surrealism was over the globe already at visual arts, literature, film, and music of many countries and languages. In social environment, surrealism also affects political thought and practice, philosophy, and social theory. Surrealism use a lot of techniques to create the effect and make inspiration, such as collage, cubomania, decalcomania, eclaboussure, frottage, fumage and grattage. The visual artist who first worked with surrealist technique and imagery were the German Max Ernest, the Spanish André Masson, the Spaniard Joan Miró and the American Man Ray. Followed by that, a lot of surrealist, some of them also former Dadaist was express themselves with their uniqueness of techniques, one artist is different...
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