‘Bardolph’ is a short film that brings you inside the mind of a veteran while he witnesses an incident of someone stealing valor. The title “Bardolph” holds great meaning and is key to understanding the message conveyed by this film. Bardolph is a character, who can be simply described as a drunk and a thief, in Shakespeare’s Henry plays. In this short film the faker who is stealing valor is the ‘Bardolph’ and the veteran is Henry.

During this film the veteran struggles with how he is to respond to the faker stealing valor. The film flashes back to the veteran going to therapy, directly addressing anger issues and PTSD. Bardolph’s character in the King Henry series symbolizes the change in Henry from a troublesome youth to a determined leader. The veteran, like Henry, chooses to correct the faker instead of using violence as the film suggests he would have in the past. The faker symbolizes the change the veteran made in his life, just as Bardolph symbolizes in Henry.

Should we let these thieves who steal valor from our fallen brothers and sisters get the best of us? All of us combat veterans could learn a thing or two from this!

(Film produced by DAS Productions and Clackamas Community College)