Shakespeare's Henry Plays - A Comparative Study of Falstaff on FilmThe character of Sir John Falstaff is an integral part of any adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry" plays. The treatment of this character influences how the production will be taken by the audience as the treatment of Falstaff is directly related to the understanding of the character of Prince Hal (later Henry V). Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, the BBC versions of parts one and two of Henry IV, and Orson Welles's casting of Chimes at Midnight all show Falstaff in different lights, producing three different interpretations, not only of the character himself, but also about the performance of Prince Hal and the entire production process. In the case of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, Falstaff is only seen in flashbacks. This version of Falstaff (played by actor Robbie Coltrane) is shown as the jovial and gentle side of Falstaff with little of the nefarious nature seen in the lyrics of Henry IV, parts one and two. Branagh as the screenwriter actually reassigns some lines to achieve his purpose, including, but not limited to, reassigning some of Falstaff's lines to others, as well as reassigning lines from one scene to another, all to show Falstaff as a happy Santa Claus of a man with almost no evil intentions or Machiavellian deception. The first of the myriad flashbacks in the film begins with Pistol's attribution of Falstaff's description of himself as "A good man stout in the faith" (1 Henry IV.II.iv.421). This shows that in Branagh's version Falstaff is as respected by his companions as he is by himself. This is somewhat at odds with how he is commonly depicted, which is as a man who abuses deception, but does not deceive... middle of paper... Falstaff played by Welles. It is this multifaceted nature that drives Hal to attempt (in a scene paraphrased from the text of Henry V) to backtrack on his decision towards the end and grant Falstaff's favor (albeit too late). Welles' Falstaff is the best example of the cross-section of aspects that Falstaff presents in the lyrics. While certainly each depiction of Falstaff comes from its own school of thought, ranging from the idea of ​​Falstaff as a pure and kind friend, to that of Falstaff as a selfish villain, to Falstaff as a moderate and complex character, each actually shows an accurate Falstaff with own hold on Prince Hal. These three versions show that the treatment of Jack Falstaff, regardless of his importance in each production, can change the interpretation of Henry V's actions as well as the reasons behind his choices for many of his actions..