For many viewers, perhaps a history lesson is due in order to understand this picture better. When William of Normandy felt he had a claim to the English throne, he crossed the English Channel from his lands in modern day France and defeated the English king, Harold. From 1066 up through much of the 15th century, the English Kings controlled not just England but much of their ancestral land in France. By the 14th century, the kingdom of France was small and weak...and the English king was not making a claim that he also had a right to the rest of France! And so, over the next century the French and English fought a series of wars collectively termed The Hundred Years War. The English were the early winners and it looked as if they'd take all of France but eventually the French not only regained lost territory but all of France....huzzah!
This picture picks up partway through the Hundred Years War--when the English were clearly doing very well. After all, they'd captured the French king and forced him to cede them even more land. And, apparently, the theater audiences are supposed to root for the English and against the French--which is odd for two reasons. Folks in America had no stake in all this, so I can't see why American audiences would have cared for one side versus the other. Second, telling everyone apart is very difficult as EVERYONE has either an English accent or, with Errol Flynn in the lead, an Aussie/American accent. Because I had no dog in the battle, so to speak, I really didn't root for anyone though I know Errol (playing Prince Edward) was supposed to be the hero. And, rooting for no one makes the film tough to care about one way or the other.
As far as the plot goes, Compte De Ville (Cruella's brother) is fighting on despite a truce ordered by the captured French King. Having the very English Peter Finch play De Ville was a bit odd and I would have preferred Jacques Tati or Marcel Marceau (at least they were French). Errol Flynn is Prince Edward (also called The Black Prince) and he spends much of the film posing as a mercenary in the hire of De Ville. However, instead of trying to save his life or England, he seems to spend all his energy trying to save a dumb Englishwoman who walked into a trap. You know that eventually the woman will be rescued...but it's a long and circuitous route until they get there.
The film looks decent since they re-used costumes from "Ivanhoe", but the story itself was a bit dull despite the costumes and castles. Not a terrible film but one that really had me longing for Flynn's earlier (and better) movies...ones where he did more of the stunts and fighting instead of having him wear a helmet and having a stuntman do most everything. Of interest mostly to completists who insist on seeing all of the star's films (like me, actually)...or English folks. Otherwise easy to skip. My advice is to see "Ivanhoe", "The Adventures of Robin Hood" or "The Vikings"--all much more enjoyable and interesting sword epics.
This picture picks up partway through the Hundred Years War--when the English were clearly doing very well. After all, they'd captured the French king and forced him to cede them even more land. And, apparently, the theater audiences are supposed to root for the English and against the French--which is odd for two reasons. Folks in America had no stake in all this, so I can't see why American audiences would have cared for one side versus the other. Second, telling everyone apart is very difficult as EVERYONE has either an English accent or, with Errol Flynn in the lead, an Aussie/American accent. Because I had no dog in the battle, so to speak, I really didn't root for anyone though I know Errol (playing Prince Edward) was supposed to be the hero. And, rooting for no one makes the film tough to care about one way or the other.
As far as the plot goes, Compte De Ville (Cruella's brother) is fighting on despite a truce ordered by the captured French King. Having the very English Peter Finch play De Ville was a bit odd and I would have preferred Jacques Tati or Marcel Marceau (at least they were French). Errol Flynn is Prince Edward (also called The Black Prince) and he spends much of the film posing as a mercenary in the hire of De Ville. However, instead of trying to save his life or England, he seems to spend all his energy trying to save a dumb Englishwoman who walked into a trap. You know that eventually the woman will be rescued...but it's a long and circuitous route until they get there.
The film looks decent since they re-used costumes from "Ivanhoe", but the story itself was a bit dull despite the costumes and castles. Not a terrible film but one that really had me longing for Flynn's earlier (and better) movies...ones where he did more of the stunts and fighting instead of having him wear a helmet and having a stuntman do most everything. Of interest mostly to completists who insist on seeing all of the star's films (like me, actually)...or English folks. Otherwise easy to skip. My advice is to see "Ivanhoe", "The Adventures of Robin Hood" or "The Vikings"--all much more enjoyable and interesting sword epics.