Who played this Henry V in 1929?

September 15, 2015 2:40 PM

Pathe has footage of an actor from 1929 performing the 'Once More into the breach dear friends' speech from William Shakespeare's Henry V. I've had a look around but can't find solid proof of anyone and wondered if any you recognised him? Asking purely because it's been bugging me.
posted by feelinglistless to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

So, from the YouTube page, it looks like even the year is uncertain.

As a starting point, I looked at this database of Shakespeare performances in Stratford on Avon. Henry V was performed twice in years close to that one: 1927 and 1934. In 1927, Henry V was played by George Skillan. In 1934, by John Wyse (here as a young man, and here as an older man in Doctor Who [yt]).
posted by ocherdraco at 3:51 PM on September 15, 2015

Pathe's own website says they don't have an ID for the actor:
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/speech-from-henry-v-shot-in-1929/query/Shakespeare
posted by Ideefixe at 5:45 PM on September 15, 2015

He reminded me slightly of Victor Jory, who played Oberon in the 1935 Midsummer Night's Dream - he's not particularly a Shakespearian actor though.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 3:28 AM on September 16, 2015

Okay, just throwing this out wildly: something about the guy's mannerisms make me think, maybe Stan Laurel? Laurel was more of a classical actor before he met Hardy. As for the year the clip is from: as a 'talkie' it has to be at least 1929, plus that amount of makeup means early in film history; so 1929 sounds about right.
posted by easily confused at 6:36 AM on September 16, 2015

Given the film must have come from a special performance and not a live play, I wonder if it was a set piece and not even the whole play? The British Empire Shakespeare Society assembled a cast for a dramatic reading of Henry V (not a performance) in 1929, made up of well–known actors of the time. It could be that this recording links into that.

If you’re interested in doing some digging, here is a list of male actors given as taking part in the dramatic reading, in the order printed:
Henry Ainley
Baliol Holloway
Stanley Lathbury
Lester Matthews
Reginald Purdell
D J Williams
Tristan Rawson
Jevons Brandon–Thomas

Henry Ainley would have been fifty in 1929, so a bit too old for the man in the film. However, he is a good match facially and not too bad voice wise. Maybe the makeup really is that thick?
posted by Emma May Smith at 11:14 AM on September 16, 2015