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TOWARDSAEUROPEANHISTORYOF
HENRYV
15
InRenaissanceMan,BillRago,whoinhisyouthtookpartinthefamousmarch
fromArlingtontotheWhiteHouse,andwhoinitiallydescribesthearmyasan
“institutionofimbeciles,”eventuallycomestosignupforanotherteachingtermas
instructorwhenhediscoversthatShakespearecanmakethelifeofthedoubleD’sin
thearmymeaningful.
17Themovieseemstobesayingthatsomeindividualsmaybe
criticalofthearmyasabrainlessinstitution,butthatwithShakespeareonboard,all’s
well.Thefilm’sidealiscaptured,asastudentofRago’stellsusduringhisfinalexam,
bythelastsceneofHamlet.Here,nearlyallcharactersaredead.Theonlysurvivorsare
thesoldier(Fortinbras)andthestudent(Horatio).
ForalltheemphasisonHamletinclass,HenryVplaysavitalroleindevelopingthe
film’spro-warstance.Thisisliterallythecasefromthefilm’sopeningimages,with
theiraerialviewofDetroit,copyingthefamousbeginningofOlivier’s1944filmepic,
butreplacingShakespeare’sGlobebythelocalbaseballstadium.InRenaissanceMan,
though,thetruerelevanceofHenryVisrevealedlaterinthefilm,whereitisthefa-
mous“HappyFew”speechfromHenryV,recitedbyoneofthedoubleD’s,thatmakes
thedauntingthoughnarrow-mindedDrillSergeantCassunderstandthatwhathappens
inRago’sclassroomisinfactmilitarilymeaningful.ItisthroughHamletthatthestu-
dentscometoacceptthearmy,butitisthroughthe“HappyFew”sequencefrom
HenryVthatthearmystaffcomestoaccepttheBard.
ThisglorificationofwarinanexplicitlyVietnamcontextseemsawkward,until
werecognizethatthemovieisnotpredicatedontheshamefuldefeatineastAsia.
Thisbecomesclearfromashortexchangeinthefilm,notnotedbytheotherwiseso
perspicaciousRichardBurt.TheexchangeoccursearlyinthefilmwhenDannyde
VitoasBillRagofirstmeetsCaptainTomMurdochinhisoffice.TheCaptainhas
keptBillRagowaiting,thuscondemningthelattertobidehistime,leafingthrough
TimeMagazine.WhenCaptainMurdochfinallyshowsup,thefollowingdialogue
develops:
Capt.TomMurdoch:Sorrytokeepyouwaitinglikethis.
BillRago:Actually,Ineededtocatchuponworldevents.ThatGulfWarthingworkedout
forus,eh?
Capt.TomMurdoch:Suredid.
RenaissanceMan,then,mayaddressthetraditionalUSVietnamtrauma,butitalso
optimisticallybuildsonthemorerecentmilitaryandmediavictoryofGeorgeBushSr.
intheGulf,theveryvictory,ofcourse,thathissonGeorgeW.Bushhasbeentryingto
emulate.
Clearly,theappropriationofShakespeare’sHenryVinthecontextofbothopera-
tionDesertStormandIraqiFreedom,indicatesaratherdifferentUSattitudetothe
playfromtheonesuggestedbytheEarlofHalifax,theBritishambassadortotheUS,
who,on14January1945,wrotetoPresidentRooseveltaboutLaurenceOlivier’s
screenadaptationofHenryV,whichwasabouttobereleasedinAmerica:
17Fortherecord,itseemsnecessarytonotethatRagoalsodevelopsromantictieswiththemostattrac-
tivefemalestaffmemberatthecamp.