--- title: "Henry V: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/henry-v-1944/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/henry-v-1944" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Henry V (1944): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics think well of Olivier’s Henry V, and the praise gathers around Olivier himself, as actor, producer and director. The reviews single out his command of the verse and of his cast, the Saint Crispin’s Day speech especially, and the Globe Theatre opening that widens into full cinema. The Agincourt battle is admired for its scale on a modest budget, William Walton’s score is mentioned warmly, and the supporting cast gets its due. The reservations are about the look. The Times finds the vivid costumes and theatrical sets closer to the Land of Oz than to Agincourt, and the Guardian calls the battle all mud and no blood. Time Out, the only mixed review, finds the design artificial and the battle scenes uneven, and argues the film’s reputation as martial propaganda is overstated. The spread is narrow: the 1940s reviews are the warmest, the reissue notices a shade cooler, and nobody dislikes it. ## Los Angeles Times — Susan King Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2006. The critic describes Olivier’s 1944 production as the first successful Shakespeare film, calling it clever, engaging, and beautifully staged. Shot during World War II, it served as balm for war-weary Britons with its realistic approach and inspired Globe Theatre framing that transitions into full cinematic storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-30-ca-dvd30-story.html) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 1946. The critic hails the film as an almost perfect interpretation of Shakespearean drama on screen, praising Olivier's versatile work as actor, producer, and director. It features graceful pageantry, magnificent battle scenes at Agincourt rendered like a ballet, and strong supporting performances, especially Renée Asherson. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/06/22/1946-06-22-040-tny-cards-000022307) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 1946. The critic calls the film a stunningly brilliant and intriguing screen spectacle rich in theatrical invention, heroic imagery, and regard for Elizabethan stage conventions. Olivier's majestic performance as Henry sets a standard for excellence, with thrilling battle scenes and eloquent verse delivery. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1946/06/18/archives/the-screen.html) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The film is a bit of a hotchpotch of stylistic devices but Olivier's terrific performance and William Walton's sweeping score still render it one of the best Shakespeare films ever made. There's a great supporting cast, too. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/vintage-shakespeare-7398042.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2007. Olivier created a bold, clear reading of Shakespeare's play and an exhilarating piece of wartime propaganda. The Agincourt battle looks like a medieval tournament with colourful pennants and flags, all mud and no blood. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/10/drama.periodandhistorical) ## The Times — Peter Whittle Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 August 2007. The digitally remastered reissue for Olivier's centenary shows vivid costumes and theatrical sets that occasionally conjure up the Land of Oz rather than Agincourt. The stirringly patriotic moments still work magic with Olivier utterly in command of the text and actors. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/henry-v-clb7c837gdn) ## Time Out — Wally Hammond Rating 3/5. 7 August 2007. Olivier’s 1944 Shakespeare adaptation holds an indelible place in British cinema as a colourful wartime morale-booster with Hollywood-style glitz, though its martial propaganda reputation is misleading. The critic praises Olivier’s commanding performance and the film’s audacious sub-Brechtian adaptation that reveals the heart of the text, while noting the artificial design and uneven battle scenes. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/henry-v-1) ## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2007. Olivier's 1944 adaptation is a lavish, stylish Technicolor take on Shakespeare's history play that uses theatrical devices cleverly and delivers an epic battle on a modest budget. The critic praises Olivier's authoritative performance as Henry and the film's witty, inventive storytelling while noting its wartime context and cuts to the text. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/henry-v-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) ## Paste — Kenneth Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2019. The review positions Olivier's Henry V as calculated wartime propaganda that also succeeds as a lavish, faithful Shakespeare adaptation and the first major screen version. It singles out the elaborate Technicolor production design, historical recreation of Agincourt, and especially Olivier's commanding delivery of the Saint Crispin's Day speech for praise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/henry-v/at-75-henry-v-is-a-reminder-of-a-britain-at-war) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/henry-v-1944.md