"Henry V'' (1944). Criterion Collection (CC1410L). Not Rated, Color, Academy Ratio, Digital Sound, 127 Minutes.
What secret alchemy does Voyager control that allows it above all others to capture the luscious tints of three-strip Technicolor on common NTSC video? This gorgeous digital transfer, produced for laser by film historian Bruce Eder, puts a rosy glow in actors’ cheeks and conveys every earthy dye and royal weave of the period costumes.
In the midst of World War II, Laurence Olivier made this truly majestic film from Shakespeare’s play about the 15th-century king who united all of England in a crusade to annex France. Considered one of the world's great films, it opens with a panorama of London circa 1600, where the Globe Theatre is about to perform the history play for a rowdy but colorful crowd of Elizabethans.
This fascinating portrait of early playgoers gradually gives way to a stylized representation of the play’s action, then to a generally realistic and stunningly cinematic depiction of the Battle of Agincourt. It’s a tour-de-force performance by Sir Larry as actor-director-producer; the Bard could have been thinking of him instead of King Henry when he penned the line "in that time most greatly lived this star of England.''
The Criterion laser disc set includes:
Our sale copy is in mint condition. The gatefold jacket has perfect corners and edges, with little or no visible shelf wear. It and both discs were stored upright, preserved in a thick plastic sleeve.