I was trying to think of what adjectives I could use to describe this absolute masterpiece - by far the best of Welles' movies - and perhaps the word that suits it best is "haunting". The movie has a very odd quality from the first minutes, it seems as though we are looking through a window INTO this very time of 15th century England, and watching real people go through ordinary and extraordinary dramas and foibles. The sense is one of overwhelming nostalgia for a golden past, forever lost, and in kings and heroes and rascals who are far larger than life.
The performances are simply remarkable, from John Gielgud's guilt ridden, anguished king who grieves that his past sins have caught up with him in the person of his unruly son, Keith Baxter as that son, Prince Hal - good looking and full of mischief - and yet coldly imperious when the time comes to reject a great friend and mentor. Norman Rodway as Hotspur, captures the very essence of that epic warrior...and Orson Welles give his greatest performance as that epitome of hedonistic innocence....Sir John Falstaff.
I love this movie and could watch it every week. The production, despite the flaws of sound (which actually ADD to the sense of reality to me), is amazing - the sets are perfectly atmospheric - even touches like the flourishes of trumpets that punctuate Harry Percy's rant, are simply...perfect.
Perhaps what impresses me most here, is that like Olivier, Welles had the rare ability to CONTROL the plays and manage them, rather than be managed BY them. It's hard to explain, but these men became like co- creators with Shakespeare.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough. If you see only ONE play of Shakespeare on film, let it be this one. It will show you what a genius can do with the material of another genius.
The performances are simply remarkable, from John Gielgud's guilt ridden, anguished king who grieves that his past sins have caught up with him in the person of his unruly son, Keith Baxter as that son, Prince Hal - good looking and full of mischief - and yet coldly imperious when the time comes to reject a great friend and mentor. Norman Rodway as Hotspur, captures the very essence of that epic warrior...and Orson Welles give his greatest performance as that epitome of hedonistic innocence....Sir John Falstaff.
I love this movie and could watch it every week. The production, despite the flaws of sound (which actually ADD to the sense of reality to me), is amazing - the sets are perfectly atmospheric - even touches like the flourishes of trumpets that punctuate Harry Percy's rant, are simply...perfect.
Perhaps what impresses me most here, is that like Olivier, Welles had the rare ability to CONTROL the plays and manage them, rather than be managed BY them. It's hard to explain, but these men became like co- creators with Shakespeare.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough. If you see only ONE play of Shakespeare on film, let it be this one. It will show you what a genius can do with the material of another genius.
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