The film “The King” about Henry V and the influence of Shakespearean clichés
Among the many films about the Middle Ages, The King is neither the most outstanding nor the most contentious, though its makers dusted the museum artefacts so zealously that they shook out a good part of the history.
Credit where it is due: the picture has turned out handsome after all, with substantial shots, piquant details and a well-made battle scene. All the same, it is hard to imagine with what pain it was watched by museum people, who, for instance, preserve in the Pas-de-Calais the memory of one of the most famous battles of the Middle Ages, Agincourt. Would they be as circumspect in their verdict on the recently released film The King?
In essence, the life and battles of Henry V are already familiar to us from a work of fiction, though Shakespeare's skill and learning are, of course, not to be compared with the grasp of historical context shown by the authors of the Netflix masterpiece. Characteristically, the clichés Shakespeare created about Henry march inexorably through all the cultural production connected with this historical figure.
