Henry V (Laurence Olivier)

[pro-bassoonist]

Laurence Olivier's Henry V (1944) has received a preliminary released date October 12. Courtesy of ITV Granada.

Almar Haflidason:

The spirit that drove this production of "Henry V" to completion translates directly onto screen into an exciting epic.

1944: one of the darkest periods in British history, when the country was close to breaking point with the continued onslaught of Second World War. As part of a relentless propaganda effort to buoy the national spirit, the government commissioned Laurence Olivier to produce a film that would rally all that saw it.

"Henry V" was an ideal Shakespeare play for adaptation. In it, a young King Henry invades France, but despite amassing thousands of troops, progress is not easy against a well-equipped French army. Where the tide begins to turn is at the crucial Battle of Agincourt, where the superior skill of the English longbows and a better defensive position secures an important victory.

That the film should get made at all was an extraordinary achievement, but Olivier, in his directing debut, also gave us the first large-scale radical movie re-interpretation of Shakespeare long before others.

The action opens in the Globe Theatre, but as the camera closes in, this space expands into the infinite scope that the medium of film offers. Many of the sets are still painted backdrops, but these melt away entirely for the superb battle scenes that were shot in neutral Ireland, using thousands of Irish regular soldiers as extras.

Olivier pared down the play into a simpler script that could be enjoyed by the masses, but retained the all-important essence of the piece. As director, co-screenwriter, and lead actor, his responsibilities on this production were great but he answered his call to boost the war effort with flair and creativity, turning a limited budget and tough wartime conditions into a Technicolor epic that proved a massive hit.

Henry V

Pro-B

[rezpekt]

Henry V includes feature commentary, the trailer and three photo galleries which include black and white, original colour and HD comparison images, actor’s portraits and promotional material.

Source: DVDTimes

[bluskies]

I like the cover...really good. It's a film I am definitely getting...along with Hamlet.

[matts4it]

I know I have seen this film, but i cant recall if i liked it! I probally did, but its one of those is it worth getting on bluray or just watch it when its on tv films. I think i'll have to watch it again to find out

But the cover looks good, and you cant go wrong with Larwence Olivier film.

[McCrutchy]

Maybe Criterion will release this Stateside and do-up their DVD release.

[bluskies]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Maybe Criterion will release this Stateside and do-up their DVD release.

I hate to say it but I am very quickly losing faith in Criterion releasing classic titles on Blu. I had high hopes when they began with The Third Man, but now it is more recent films that they are releasing on Blu. One of the more recent things Criterion issued was That Hamilton Woman, which I would love to get on Blu, but they went to DVD only. I am turning more and more to the UK distributors for things like The Red Shoes and other classics.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by bluskies

I hate to say it but I am very quickly losing faith in Criterion releasing classic titles on Blu. I had high hopes when they began with The Third Man, but now it is more recent films that they are releasing on Blu. One of the more recent things Criterion issued was That Hamilton Woman, which I would love to get on Blu, but they went to DVD only. I am turning more and more to the UK distributors for things like The Red Shoes and other classics.

Criterion are all but confirmed to be releasing The Red Shoes on Blu-ray at some point soon. They have posted numerous articles on their website regarding the restoration (which Janus Films was involved in) and reactions to the screenings from Cannes. Plus, the UK disc is region-locked.

EDIT: And don't forget that they have released a fair number of older films to Blu-ray in the past few months, such as The 400 Blows, The Seventh Seal, Last Year at Marienbad, Repulsion and Play Time. Pierrot le fou is also coming from them in September.

[bluskies]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Criterion are all but confirmed to be releasing The Red Shoes on Blu-ray at some point soon. They have posted numerous articles on their website regarding the restoration (which Janus Films was involved in) and reactions to the screenings from Cannes. Plus, the UK disc is region-locked.

EDIT: And don't forget that they have released a fair number of older films to Blu-ray in the past few months, such as The 400 Blows, The Seventh Seal, Last Year at Marienbad, Repulsion and Play Time. Pierrot le fou is also coming from them in September.

I'm talking about films from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s they seem to be ignoring, though they have issued them on DVD: the Hitchcocks, M, the Powell/Pressburger films, The Lady Eve, Grand Illusion, Scarlet Empress, and so many more! Look at their slate for the next few months, titles from 1965, 1967, 1986, 1987, 1992, 2001, and 2008. And not an American classic among them, unless you consider Monterey Pop a classic.

I'm lucky to have an all-region player and it looks to me like the UK is picking up the slack for releasing classic films. Sunrise, The Ladykillers, The 39 Steps, Hamlet, Henry V, The Innocents, etc. Some of those will be region-locked, I am sure. What about those who don't have an all-region player like I do? They are missing out on a number of titles that Criterion distributes already on DVD in the U.S. I'd rather see a genuine classic like Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels on Blu than some foreign, obscure film from 2008.

[uk-guy]

up for pre-order on 19/10/09 @ play.com £13.99

http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1...V/Product.html

ps expect hmv to have it soon

[OodSigma]

Really looking forward to this one - I saw the HD restoration as part of the 'Summer of British Film' season a couple of years ago, and it's nothing short of stunning.

[TTC1984]

any word on whether or not it's region free?

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by TTC1984

any word on whether or not it's region free?

Good evening,

It is Region-B "locked".

Pro-B

[TTC1984]

Dang, I was about ready to import it too. Thanks for stopping me from making a mistake.

[4LOM]

Right now I'm doing some screenshots from this Blu-ray for a comparison with the Criterion DVD. The ITV disc looks terrible. Expect DNR deluxe!!! Faces and clothings don't even look like wax, they look like painted with watercolor.

[4LOM]

Has someone an e-mail adress from ITV DVD? I think that during the authoring of this Blu-ray disc something went wrong. The first 29 minutes aren't watchable because of horrendous DNR. At 29:01 min. the filters are gone and the disc offers a nice picture quality.

[John Hodson]

I've PM'd you...

[John Hodson]

Christian; if you get a reply, please come back and let us know.

[4LOM]

@John Hodson:
I think the email adress isn't valid anymore because I've got an error message from the mail delivery service.

[John Hodson]

You have another PM

[oldtexan]

Originally Posted by John Hodson

You have another PM

Has anyone heard anything further on this situation?