The Use of Flashback in Kenneth Branaghs Henry V Essay -- Film, Movie

The Use of Flashback in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V Â   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... ...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.