|
|
Hot on the heels of the Salkind Musketeer films, Oliver Reed and a cast well knowns (Welch, Harris, Borgnine, Scott, et al), grace the screen in this very well done period piece regarding Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemmens more popular works regarding Renaissance England.
Lots of art direction and top rate thesping went into this film to bring alive a violent period fill with intrigue, we witness the improbable but plausible exchange of personas; royalty takes on the guise of a pauper, and vice versa. We witness the adventures and misadventures of the Prince of Wales and his companion gallivant dangerously around London and beyond.
Likewise we see the low born try to navigate and negotiate, and ultimately accept and become accustomed to wearing the crown of a world power. From nothing to master of England and beyond, his mastery of upper life is as entertaining and eventful as his willing impostor's acceptance of street life.
For a film designed to ride the coat tails of the musketeer films, it's remarkably well shot and overall well put together. If I had one gripe with this film, and I'm not sure that I do, it's that the music isn't quite majestic enough for a renaissance tale penned by a Yankee. That is perhaps intentional, for there is a comic underscore here, but it seems that perhaps the tale of royal awakening and serf uplift should embody a more noble set of musical chords, or perhaps something akin to the post medieval equivalent of "James Bond". For indeed are we not witnessing a type of "secret agent" film, albeit without the spectre (no pun intended) of global peril?
Overall an extremely enjoyable film for the history minded to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A top notch cast for a respectable film with very respectable production values.
Give it a try, and enjoy.
score /10
Blueghost 25 September 2011
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2493863/ |
|
29-3-2021 04:52:08