Henry V

Henry V (1944) is Laurence Olivier's Technicolor take on Shakespeare, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Olivier directs and stars as the young English king who carries his crown into a war in France.

The story lands in the autumn of 1415, where a sick, badly outnumbered English force meets a far larger French army on the mud near Agincourt. Before the clash comes the St Crispin's Day speech — the "band of brothers" lines people have been quoting ever since. The film opens as a play staged at the Globe, then quietly widens its walls until the stage turns into real battlefields.

Shot in the thick of World War II and dedicated to Britain's commandos, the picture wears its morale-boosting purpose openly. Olivier picked up an honorary Oscar for pulling it off. If you want Shakespeare that moves like cinema instead of a filmed lecture, start here. Stream Henry V (1944) online on iFILM.