Henry V (1989)

Henry V (1989)

From Magellans at the Movies by Nathan Magalhaes

February 27, 2026 · 1h 10m · Episode 184

About this episode

The episode reviews the 1989 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V directed by Kenneth Branagh.

William Shakespeare and his vocabulary of thous, thees, and doths has been the delight of literature nerds and the scourge of high school students since before ChatGPT had even sanctioned its first user delusion. Shakespeare is one of the best selling authors in human history (though he’s had a lot of time to build up that lead, to be fair), the most performed playwright in theater, and has been firmly atop the canon of English literature for centuries. Big Bill Shakespeare isn’t just winning on the stage, however, he’s also been adapted for the screen, many times in fact. Over the years dozens of directors have taken dozens more angles on translating Shakespeare, perhaps none to more acclaim than the 1989 Kenneth Branagh directed rendition of Henry V, based on the play of the same name. This gritty, muddy vision of Harfleur and Agincourt, as well as all the royal politicking in between, released to rave reviews in its time, but can it withstand the discerning, monocled gazes of theater regulars and literary connoisseurs Nathan and Elliot Magalhães? You few, you happy, very, very few have the opportunity to find out here and now on Magellans at the Movies! Once more unto the…

People in this episode

Host: Nathan Magalhaes

Guest: Elliot Magalhães

Topics covered

  • Shakespeare
  • film adaptation
  • theater
  • literature
  • Henry V
  • movie review

Keywords

  • Shakespeare
  • Henry V
  • Kenneth Branagh
  • film review
  • theater adaptation
  • literature

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Henry V

More episodes of Magellans at the Movies

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Magellans at the Movies podcast page.