Once more unto the breach, year 2 . . .

Jonnie Kimmins, who was aged nine when the movie was filmed, plays Will Shake and in the opening scene is seen dragging his trunk of theatrical tricks across a beach in Northumberland.

Jonnie Kimmins is Will Shake

The most difficult part, Jonnie admits, was not the Shakespearean language but pulling that trunk. The high point was his stirring rendition of the “once more unto the breach” speech while he sprinted between trees slashing from right to left with a stick for a sword, climaxing with the shout of “Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’ ”

Will it make Jonnie read more Shakespeare?

“Yes, but I have read most of the stories now because they didn’t know which one they were going to make at first. So I just read all of them,” he says. “They are really interesting. I will definitely tell other people to read them.”

The question of teaching Shakespeare — and at what age — has long been controversial. Gregory Doran, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, has said in the past that leaving Shakespeare until secondary school is too late.

The government’s sole national curriculum provision for Shakespeare — the requirement that pupils study two plays between the ages of 11 and 14 — is not enough, he said.

WillShake Henry V, made by the Short Form Film Company, will be screened as part of Shakespeare Week, a national celebration organised by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and is just one in a series of activities in Shakespeare Week that provide resources to every primary school in the UK.

The hard truth is that Shakespeare is not an easy sell, even to older pupils.

Hence, the new film combines the child actors with animation and humour. The French Dauphin, played by Benjamin Harper, speaks in broken English with a cod French accent and his words are simultaneously put into ordinary English in subtitles.

The Battle of Agincourt features a storm of animated arrows, while the Dauphin tracks the battle on a chessboard.

Joe Talbot, the director, says: “We wanted to let children hear the language, feel the mood and see the story unfold in the most exciting and relevant way.

“The blend of Shakespeare, film and digital technology allows young people in every corner of the UK to connect with the tale.”

Benjamin Harper is the Dauphin (short form film company)

Most of the child actors came from Holy Trinity First School, in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.

The school’s head teacher, Dawn Groves, says: “This film is really engaging for children because it’s the children playing the adult roles, which is a really powerful tool for children to watch. It took the essence of that play and presented it in a way they could understand.

“Although the language perhaps was difficult for them, the graphics and the animations made it very understandable.”

Despite being largely upstaged by the children, Hiddleston says: “With WillShake, Joe Talbot and Emily Blacksell [the producer] have achieved something wonderful.

“They have completely re-imagined the possibilities for children and their first contact with Shakespeare. Their Henry V film is fresh, dynamic and so lovingly crafted that it’s impossible not to stand up for it. Bravo.”

But will it work? Is trying to introduce primary school-age children to Shakespeare just too challenging?

“I never really liked it [Shakespeare] before I did all this filming stuff,” says Jonnie, a pupil at Chalfont St Peter Church of England Academy in Buckinghamshire. “But now I’ve heard everyone talking about it and read the stories, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Groves says Shakespeare could be challenging for young children. “I would like to see a series of these films. We haven’t done a great deal of Shakespeare, because we haven’t found a resource that is going to give us what we need from it. This does.

“From a teacher’s point of view, this film would give them the support they need to do Shakespeare with their class. It takes the fear away from it.”

Professional Shakespeareans have long wanted to tap into the market of a younger generation. Jacqui O’Hanlon, director of education at the RSC, says: “Many of us have our first encounters with Shakespeare at school and those experiences can define our attitudes for a lifetime.

“It is wonderful to see this new film of Henry V that has children as both its stars and intended audience. It is a fantastic addition to the repertoire of work now available to schools.”

There is another side to the whole experience for the children who took part: seeing how a film is made.

“It’s weird when you’ve already seen films and TV; you don’t see all the set and all the people,” says Jonnie.

Many of the children at Holy Trinity can now see themselves as photographers, sound recordists, make-up artists and, of course, actors.

The Oscars beckon.

To find out more about Shakespeare Week, visit shakespeareweek.org.uk