Romello J. Lovinsky

COL Miller

ERH-205WX-02

9 February 2018

Help Received: Donaldson’s Article

 

Summary of Donaldson’s Filmmaker Comparison

 

Donaldson compares filmmakers Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh and their interpretations of the famous novel and play Shakespeare’s Henry V. To Donaldson, the filmmaker’s rivalry adds to the quality and information of each film. Similar to the King Henry and the French King’s quarrels, Olivier is condemned with “the sorrow of an older generation of Shakespearean actors faced with the imperious claims of youth” (Donaldson, 2). Branagh’s approach of constructing the film is focused primarily on the gruesome battles of the war and decisions made by King Henry; Olivier’s approach is a production based on the historical context and maximum inclusion of Shakespeare’s information.

According to Donaldson, Branagh’s film appeared to be in competition with Shakespeare’s original production. Branagh directed the film informed with “the view of Henry V as an agon” which is a Greek term for struggle or contest (Donaldson, 3). “Branagh’s Henry V brings to the surface a powerful current of doubt about the imperial premises of the plays actions”. His focus was to uncover to the audience the background and interpreted reasons behind the actions of characters in the original play. Branagh delved deep into the war scenes and gruesomeness of the King and the original production as a whole. Scenes such as Bardolph’s execution are extended to display the evils of the King. The medium of film is heavily introduced in Branagh’s production, using the modern skillsets of camera cuts and aesthetics. To Donaldson, Branagh “idolized the function of Hollywood” and directed attention to the modern humans’ interpretation of the play. “Branagh used the resources of cinema to bring us far closer to his characters than Olivier” (Donaldson, 5).

In Donaldson’s review of Olivier’s film, he states that he focuses on “its appropriative and incorporating strategies”. Although Olivier’s version might be slightly bloodier than Shakespeare’s original production, it is safe to say that he included plenty of the original content and interpretations of Shakespeare. Using film, Olivier attempted to reconstruct the heroism of England in the original Henry V. For example, Shakespeare’s theater production experienced difficulty displaying the function of the Chorus to the audience, however Olivier clarified this function with “the representational amplification film could provide”. Olivier introduced his film audience to the way that the Elizabethan theater operated and forced them not to forget the origins of his film.

In conclusion, Olivier being the older generation filmmaker relied heavily on Shakespeare’s original production and therefore held true to the contents. On another note, Branagh was able to use critiques and several analyses of Olivier’s original film to see both audience preferences as well as critiques preference on in depth character analysis. The basic difference between Olivier’s and Branagh’s work is their personal interpretation of the original Henry V.