The portrayals of the King of England in Henry V differ greatly between the Branagh and Olivier film versions of Shakespeare's play. The choice of script in each took the two films in different directions; while Olivier heralded in the heroic and patriotic displays of war, Branagh instead chose to elaborate upon the harshness and realities of the battle. As the enemy was likened to those in Nazi Germany in the Olivier version, Branagh brought out the toils and pains of war following America's excursion into Vietnam. In contrasting the film productions of Olivier and Branagh, I will focus primarily upon Henry's portrayals throughout each and how each director shaped the audience's attitudes toward King Henry.
One of the first aspects of the film that Branagh has chosen for focus is the Prologue. The film opens with a man introducing us to the film as he walks through the backstage area (portraying a movie camera and various set pieces). In closing the prologue, the man opens a door into the reality of the film and invites us to walk into the scene. This man shows us periodically throughout the film, reciting lines of the chorus as he takes part somehow in the scene he is discussing. In one scene, the man is lying on the ground, bloody in the face, and as he recites his lines to us, havoc and chaos rule the battle scene of which he has become a part. Branagh has the six chorus fragments broken down into nine appearances by this man, so as not give away the plot too early. The appearance of the Prologue man in dark clothing, lit by dim light above, prepares us for the mood of Branagh's very serious, tragic film.
The tone of Branagh's Henry V is one of somberness and bittersweet victory. Branagh plays the role of the King as though he has been propelled into this noble position without assenting to it (alluding to Henry IV). As one critic contrasts the Olivier and Branagh versions of the play, he summarizes the capacities of each King:.