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A hat with cats. IT. IS. GENIUS. An illustration from Life magazine of 16 July 1945. How I long for forty cats on the head to come back into fashion! Preferably with a ball of wool 🌝 The model is by the celebrated milliner Benjamin Green-Field, creator of the Bes-
Cinema · Monarchies · Observations
As usual, The King is not without its traditional Francophobia. The view of France, the French, French chivalry and the French king is prejudiced and one-sided. The Netflix film was undoubtedly made with English political interests in mind. It is sad that France lacks the resources to answer in
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Of course, such a nod towards the ruling dynasty is no invention of Michaud's; writers and makers of meaning have resorted to this device since time immemorial. Shakespeare, too, when he seems to scold Henry V, on the one hand brings him closer to the common people, rendering
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The End of Henry V's Story. The almost fairy-tale finale of Michôd's film, with the young king's romantic rapprochement with his bride Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, who by some strange coincidence is dressed extremely poorly, contrary to the custom among
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The Causes of the War. Did Henry V have any real motive for invading France? Well, if one imagines that the son of a usurper might wish to shore up his contested legitimacy on the throne, say, by uniting the crowns in accordance with the testament of Edward III. Moreover,
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Laurence Olivier's 1944 "Henry V" deserves its due: it was not only more realistic and spectacular but also interesting, yet in essence it was theatre, quite literally Shakespeare's play, with the action set in a theatre. It is curious how the film's
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One of the principal figures of the Battle of Agincourt in David Michôd's film is the Dauphin of France, Louis, played by Robert Pattinson: caricatured, arrogant, dim-witted, even vicious, absurd and clumsy, with a dreadful accent, and thank heavens at least not deformed. This, too, is a
Cinema · Science
What Was the Battle of Agincourt Really Like? The English king's archers really did cut down the flower of French chivalry. Yet the film misrepresents both the battlefield itself, which really was a field and not hilly terrain, and the fortifications, which are not in the picture at
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Was There a Plot Against Henry V? According to the storyline shown in "The King", Henry V is pushed towards war by an attempt on his life by the French. In reality, the plot to assassinate Henry V was uncovered on the eve of his attack on France,
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In Shakespeare's lines Henry V appears as the warlike Harry; historians describe him as given to aggression, cunning and duplicity. Where the new king did manage to lower the level of his father's ferocity was in the matter of the Welsh rebels, who had risen against
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Was Henry V Really the Pacifist Michôd Made of Him? If one thinks about it, and above all finds an actor handsome enough for the public to believe him, then even a Julius Caesar or a Napoleon smeared in blood will pass perfectly well as a herald of peace and
Cinema · London · Monarchies
Contrary to the plot, the real Prince of Wales was not stripped of his status as heir, nor did he renounce the crown in favour of his younger brother, Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence; indeed, he never stepped back from the affairs of the kingdom at all. Nor did