Henry V Blu-ray Review

Henry V is yet another fine Kenneth Branagh Shakespearian drama with great performances all around including future Dame Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Emma Thompson while Christian Bale makes an appearance in one of his early roles. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good audio, merely acceptable video but sadly no features.

 

 

Henry V
(1989)

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Genre(s): Drama
Shout Factory | PG13 – 138 min. – $24.97 | January 27, 2015

MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Kenneth Branagh Writer(s): William Shakespeare (play) Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Alec McGowen, Judi Dench, Christian BaleDISC INFO: Features: Theatrical Trailer Digital Copy: No Number of Discs: 1Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 2.0) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: NA Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A

 

PLOT SYNOPSIS

Once an undisciplined prince, Henry (KENNETH BRANAGH) has matured into the powerful King of England and has set off on a campaign to conquer France. But with the fate of the war uncertain, Henry must come to terms with what it means to be king and rally his men victory… or to death. – (From the back cover)

SPECIAL FEATURES – 0.5/5

Only feature included is the Theatrical Trailer (2:10; SD).

VIDEO – 3.0/5

Shout Factory releases Henry V onto Blu-ray with an MPEG-4 AVC coded presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture itself is OK however the video is littered with dust marks and scratches and colors aren’t especially bright while blacks are fairly stark. It’s nothing amazing nor is it terrible and is probably a step up from its DVD and, especially, VHS days.

AUDIO – 3.75/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track is decent with clear dialogue throughout and while ambient noises are limited due to number of channels, it’s still a fine lossless track that serves the film well, even if it isn’t the most dynamic track even for a film of this age.

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, Henry V is yet another fine Kenneth Branagh Shakespearian drama with great performances all around including future Dame Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Emma Thompson while Christian Bale makes an appearance in one of his early roles. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good audio, merely acceptable video but sadly no features (would’ve been nice to hear from Branagh who often provides great commentary tracks).

 

Published: 01/18/2015