Oct. 25 in the movie history

Oct. 25, 1415 – the army of Henry V, king of England, defeated the French army at the battle of Agincourt. This event was a cornerstone of Shakespeare’s drama “Henry V”. In 1944 Laurence Olivier had created a film with the same name, which had become one of the most famous Shakespeare screen adaptations of all times. The famous Henry V speech, rallying the troops before the battle of Agincourt, had a special patriotic appeal for the British people in the times of the Second World War. The film had brought Olivier, who directed and starred in the movie, an Oscar for the “Outstanding achievement”. The film had also 4 nominations in other categories.

Oct. 25 is a birthday of Leo G. Carroll, British character actor, mostly known for his roles in several Hitchcock movies and later in British teleplays. The roles he played in Hitchcock films were always of the characters in the position of authority, the villains hidden behind impeccable manners and the high post, like Dr. Murchison in “Spellbound” – a former chief of the psychiatric facility, who kills his new replacement in order to stay in the clinic. Later is his life he enjoyed a big succes in the TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E” about the spymaster Alexander Waverly.