Henry IV usurps the English throne, sets in motion the factious War of the Roses and now faces a rebellion led by Northumberland scion Hotspur. Henry's heir, Prince Hal, is a ne'er-do-well carouser who drinks and causes mischief with his low-class friends, especially his rotund father figure, John Falstaff. To redeem his title, Hal may have to choose between allegiance to his real father and loyalty to his friend.
Acting
Welles's Falstaff is a monument of self-destruction and warmth.
Direction
Welles stages battles with mud, fog, and despair.
Cinematography
Deep-focus shadows that swallow entire kingdoms.
Director
Orson Welles
Orson Welles
Falstaff
Keith Baxter
Prince Hal
John Gielgud
Henry IV
Jeanne Moreau
Doll Tearsheet
Margaret Rutherford
Mistress Quickly
Marina Vlady
Kate Percy
Walter Chiari
Mr. Silence
Michael Aldridge
Pistol
Tony Beckley
Ned Poins
Norman Rodway
Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
Alan Webb
Justice Shallow
Fernando Rey
Worcester
José Nieto
Northumberland
Andrew Faulds
Westmoreland
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Welles spent decades trying to finance this, calling it his favorite of his own films despite its commercial failure.
The battle sequence was shot in a freezing Spanish field with stolen costumes; Welles used long lenses and fog to hide that he had maybe 100 extras pretending to be thousands.
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