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Henry V Film Comparison After viewing two different versions of Shakespeare’s Henry V, the audience may have two very different opinions of Henry as a King. On one hand he must be applauded for the incredible victory over France even against such great odds. On the other hand many may see him as unprepared for his duties, and as a heartless man who doesn’t care about the lives of his people. This of course is not true, and his soldiers begin to see this after he delivers his famous “band of brothers” speech. Overall, the directors paint different pictures of Henry. Sir Olivier chose to give the film a more lighthearted approach and include some comedy in the film. Kenneth Branagh on the other hand chose to portray Henry’s serious determined nature. The differences can be clearly seen in many scenes, but very early in both films, the tone is set. When the dauphin chooses to send the king a gift and a message, the king’s reply shows the different interpretations of Henry’s character from each director. This one scene sets up the play’s understanding for the audience. In Sir Lawrence Olivier’s version of the play, the scene is played out like a play within a film. The colors are very bright and cheerful and the s