10 Greatest Portrayals Of Monarchs In Movie History

5. Kenneth Branagh - Henry V

Strictly speaking, this isn't so much a portrayal of the actual historical figure Henry V, as it is Shakespeare's heavily fictionalized version of him. But either way, it's top notch. Branagh takes material that would fall flat in the hands of anyone less talented, and makes it exciting and dramatic. The highlight of his performance is, without a doubt, his St Crispin's Day speech. In it, his English troops are vastly outnumbered by the French, and he has to somehow raise their morale. So how does he do it? He tells them that he would rather have it that way, because to be the underdog means that their victory will be all the more honorable. Now obviously, any general would rather have a few thousand more men, but there's nothing to be gained in telling the men that. Instead, he rallies his troops to a fever pitch, with triumphant music soaring in the background and Branagh's confident smile convincing the men that they will win this battle. Branagh has a command of Shakespeare like few others, and this is his masterpiece.