Henry V (1989)

IMDb plot summary: In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin, and Brian Blessed.

I've certainly read Henry V before, and I may even have seen a production of it once, but it never quite sits with me. This film feels like it has the potential to finally make it stick. What makes Kenneth Branagh's Henry more interesting is that it's willing to play more with the character's "goodness" or lack thereof. In front of his soldiers, we see him portrayed as a nearly flawless hero, but we are also privy to his back story (thanks to some flashback scenes taken from Henry IV) and his determination to abandon his friends for a change at the throne. Taken alone, Henry V seems like a straightforward hero's tale, but forced into the context of these earlier plays, he becomes a more nuanced and intriguing character. Overall a very engaging filmed version of the play.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Henry V > Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Henry V > Last Year at Marienbad
Henry V < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Henry V < Take This Waltz
Henry V < Jack Goes Boating
Henry V < Nights of Cabiria
Henry V < The Shallows
Henry V < The Lady Vanishes
Henry V > A Nightmare on Elm Street
Henry V < It (2017)
Henry V > Red Eye
Final spot: #732 out of 2960.