 |
| Source: Imdb |
This historical drama about one of Britain’s many king Henry’s was expertly crafted. I cannot say anything about the historical accuracy of the plot, but the story felt organic and credible, though it did have the air of a play distilled from actual events. The casting was superb. Timothée Chalamet gave his usual gravitas and hands-on attitude to his role as young King Henry V, bringing him to life with no trace of Elio remaining. Joel Edgerton as his only true friend used his screen time in an understated and genuine performance. Robert Pattinson was absolutely delightful as slightly deranged and cruel prince of France, and Lily-Rose Depp impressed in her brief performance as his devious sister. I could continue this list as everyone did such a great job – except the guy they picked to play the king of France. He had a toe-curlingly horrible fake French accent, fruitlessly struggling to suppress his RP…
This felt like a big production of epic proportions, and even clocking in at well over two hours, there wasn’t a dull moment. The editing was efficient and smooth, working in tandem with the great directing. I was particularly impressed by the single-take melee scene where the camera follows Hal. Costumes and make-up were lovely, fitting well with the overall colour palette. The sets appeared a bit anachronistic, though, using mostly Tudor buildings that appeared to be from a later period (i.e. Henry VIII). (I recognise one of the castles from a trip to Scotland as I lost my lens cover in those gardens as seen on screen.) The only major visual problem was the green-screen work during the Chanel crossing. That just looked like they ran out of money during this otherwise magnificent, high-standard production. Lastly, Nicholas Britell delivered a very fitting score.
This film had the feel of a well-planned, well-organised and well-funded project. Seamless and polished, it impresses on every level. 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment