Azincourt, 25th October 1415, is one of the most vaunted victories in English history. According to John Keegan, "It is the victory of the clay pot over the iron pot, the basic knight over the superior knight, determination over the superb, a troop of exiles over an over-confident group of lords". The war was initiated by Henry V who, in power for only two years, chose to accompany his troops on their mission to invade France. The port of Harfleur was the site of a pause, to launch a siege, be-fore the troops began their advance on Azincourt...Henry V belongs to a cycle of historical plays by William Shakespeare. From the point of view of drama, it could be an allusion to the art of story-telling with the message it conveys to the public, an appeal to the imagination through the inter-mediary of the chorus' prologue, that comments on, and punctuates the action. Shakespeare's use of language, inventive and poetic as it is, makes up for the sparseness of the scenery and the recognized limits of a play. Jean-Louis Benoit, director of La Vie du Roi Henry V in the Cour d'Honneur at Avignon, dreams up a young girl in the role of the chorus, a symbol of game-playing and childhood. King Henry V can in no way be considered a child: when the play opens, he has already turned the page on a past life of debauchery. He would like to forget everything including the name of Falstaff who he pretends not to have known at the end of Henry IV. Actor, Philippe Torreton plays this king searching for divine and human recognition, in the midst of strong 15th Century imagery, the era of Joan of Arc, the Court, and its courtly customs. The paintings are highly-coloured, the perspective fake, like those of huge soldiers on diminutive castle walls. France is so like a garden with its fruits and flowers that the somewhat boorish conquerors believe they are in para-dise.
Distribution
translation Jean-Michel Déprats
stage direction Jean-Louis Benoit
Artistic collaboration : Frédéric Bélier Garcia
Decor, costumes : Alain Chambon
Lighting : Dominique Fortin
Sound : Agnès Luquet
Make-up : Cécile Kretschmar
Cast : Laure Bonnet, Isabelle Bouchemaa, Sébastien Bourlard, Albert Delpy, Jean-Pol Dubois, Jean-Marie Frin, Régis Laroche, Micha Lescot, Paul Minthe, Louis Mérino, Karen Rencurel, Christophe Reymond, Philippe Torreton (Henry V), Marie Vialle, Laurent Stocker.
Production
Remerciements à : Virginie Meyrier et Marianne Roulle, à l'Ecole Jules Verne de Sartrouville, à l'Institut supérieur des arts appliqués de Paris et au Centre de formation professionnelle en cinéma et au théâtre d'Arles : Jeunes Cinéastes du Sud
Production : Théâtre de l'Aquarium, Festival d'Avignon, Maison de la Culture d'Amiens, Théâtre de Saint Quentin en Yvelines-Scène nationale, Le Phénix-Scène nationale de Valenciennes, Le Cratère-Scène nationale d'Alès, Théâtres de Nîmes.
Avec la participation artistique : du Jeune Théâtre national
Avec le concours de : l'Adami
Le texte de la pièce est publié aux : Editions Gallimard, collection Folio Théâtre n° 59