★ 3 / 10
**An effective and very pragmatic film, where Flynn
Filipe Manuel Neto
**An effective and very pragmatic film, where Flynn is shown to be worn out and in difficulties.** Who would have thought that the last swashbuckling film…
**An effective and very pragmatic film, where Flynn is shown to be worn out and in difficulties.**
Who would have thought that the last swashbuckling film starring Errol Flynn, an actor who has excelled in countless fictional heroes, would be a film loosely based on the life of a real historical character? Yes, this film, now completely forgotten, brings us an obviously invented situation, but created around the figure, totally real, of the Black Prince. I, as a historian, will try to explain some of this…
As I think we all know that England and France fought a succession of wars during part of the Middle Ages, commonly called the Hundred Years' War. The focal point was sovereignty over a series of territories in present-day France and the right of English kings to the French throne. In 1066, centuries before, Duke William of Normandy, vassal of the French kings, conquered the English crown by arms, becoming king of a country without ceasing to be, as a French duke, vassal of the neighboring kingdom and lord of many lands there. In the following centuries, through the marriages of subsequent kings, more lands were added in Brittany, Anjou, Loire, Aquitaine, etc. When, in 1328, the French king dies without a direct heir, his sister claims the throne for her son, who is Edward III of England, nephew and closest male relative of the deceased... The French nobles, invoking a law that excluded succession by female line – called the Salic Law – refused to accept it and enthroned a cousin of the late king, the Count of Valois. The war that followed had great battles, mostly won by the English, which were led by Edward himself and his son, who is the Black Prince, so called because of the color with which he painted his armor. The prince's military brilliance, moreover, made him one of the main figures in the Hundred Years' War.
The script starts from the historical basis to create an appealing and attractive, romantic fiction, with its ideas of courtly love, chivalry, adventure. The fact is that the film works, but it is evident from the beginning that we are dealing with the modern vision of what the time and the conflict would have been like. There are glaring anachronisms, especially in the behavior of the characters, which were stranger to me than anything related to the actors' accents. It is not understandable how the English Crown Prince could simply think of pretending to be a mercenary in the pay of a noble infinitely less important than himself, and all because of a woman. It is something inconceivable to the medieval mentality.
Errol Flynn is a long way from his glory days here. The actor looks very tired, very worn out, and it is evident that his habitual alcoholism consumed him daily. Also, he just didn't have the vitality and youth left to play the character he was given. He knew this all too well, and it seems he only accepted the role for the money involved. Peter Finch is nice but has little to do really, and Joanne Dru was effective as a love interest, but she's not there for anything other than being saved.
Technically, the film has its merits, mainly because the production, in order to cut costs, knew how to make good use of the sets and costumes from other productions made shortly before, and which were of great quality. The cinematography also does not disappoint and is very beautiful, with its color, light and pleasant movement. The fight scenes look very artificial, naturally they are choreographed to the millimeter, but they manage to have the minimal effect they seek to achieve.
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★ 6 / 10
Historical/action/adventure movie with Errol Flynn as valiant ¨Black Prince¨, Edward IV of England
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It is set during the 14th century, in the Hundred-Year War . Edward IV (the pudgy Errol Flynn) served as the king's representative in Aquitaine , where he and…
It is set during the 14th century, in the Hundred-Year War . Edward IV (the pudgy Errol Flynn) served as the king's representative in Aquitaine , where he and his cousin Joan of Kent kept a court which was considered among the most fashionable of the time . It was the resort of exiled kings such as James IV of Majorca and Peter of Castile . Prince Edward of Wales is the son of King Edward III (Michael Hordern) of England and he also is the heir to the English throne . This moving film deals with the rebel French knights led by the nasty Count De Ville (Peter Finch) who resent his power in French Aquitain and scheme to kill Edward IV . Then , there takes place the Prince Edward's brave rescue of the widow Lady Joan (Joanne Dru) and his children from the clutches of the villainous count and his hoodlums . Swashbuckling/historic movie with the old hero Errol Flynn who proves still some his feats , as fighting , batting , and sword-play against the evil enemies , but he buckles his way gallantly through this stirring actioner . Also the last Errol Flynn to see along with ¨Against all flags¨, ¨Master of Balantry¨ and ¨Crossed swords¨.The picture is partially based on real events ; the true facts were the followings : The English army occupies French Aquitaine , but rebel French knights vow to continue the war and oust Prince Edward of Wales, English ruler of French Aquitaine . He served as the king's representative in Aquitaine, where he and Joan kept a court which was considered among the most fashionable of the time. It was the resort of exiled kings such as James IV of Majorca and Peter of Castile . Peter of Castile, thrust from his throne by his illegitimate brother Henry of Trastámara , offered Edward the lordship of Biscay in 1367, in return for the Black Prince's aid in recovering his throne. Edward was successful in the Battle of Nájera , in which he soundly defeated the combined French and Castilian forces led by Bertrand Du Guesclin. However Peter did not pay fully and refused to yield Vizcaya , alleging lack of consent of its states . Edward retreated to Guienne by July . Edward lived in a century of decline for the knightly ideal of chivalry . On one hand, after capturing John the Good, king of France, and Philip the Bold, his youngest son, at the Battle of Poitiers, he treated them with great respect — at one point he gave John permission to return home, and reportedly prayed with John at Canterbury Cathedral. Notably, he also allowed a day for preparations before the Battle of Poitiers so that the two sides could discuss the coming battle with one another, and so that the Cardinal Périgord could plead for peace. However, some argue "he may have been playing for time to complete preparation of his archers' positions . The Black Prince returned to England in January 1371 and died on 8 June 1376 , at 46th years old , after a long-lasting illness that was probably amoebic dysentery contracted ten years earlier while campaigning in Spain .The motion picture shot in England was professionally directed by Henry Levin , though has some flaws and gaps . Levin began working as director assistant and dialogue expert and subsequently graduated to direction features , and turned out movies in just about every genre over the next decades ; shooting entertaining pictures but more and less completely familiar and derivative stories . His heyday was in the 1960s , when he turned out several bright , fun and frothy sex comedies , notably : Come fly with me (1963) and Honeymoon hotel (1964) . He made several adventure movies as Genghis Khan , The wonderful world of Grimm Brothers , The bandit of Sherwood forest , The return of Montecristo and his greatest success : Journey to center of earth . Although Levin's forte was light comedies , one of his most interesting films were two dark , brooding westerns The Lonely Man (1957) and Desperados , both of of them played by Jack Palance . He also made two hit thrillers : Matt Helm and The Ambushers . He finished his career piloting made-for-television movies, and died on the final day of shooting Scout's Honor (1980).
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