Swashbuckler (1976) Reviewed

The generically named Swashbuckler (1976) is indeed generic, which does not, unfortunately, prevent it from being distinctly bad. Much of the credit for the film's shortcomings belong to the screenplay. There are limits to what even the greatest actors can do with a rotten script, which is why they are normally choosy (although there are occasional lapses of judgment as in the cases of Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, and Geneviève Bujold). There is, however, no shortage of actors willing to turn in an appalling performance appropriate to the lousiness of their lines (for which we may be truly thankful to Peter Boyle and Beau Bridges).

Set in Jamaica in 1718, we are informed at the beginning of the film that this is the glorious age of piracy, when buccaneers fought the oppressive rule of colonial governors throughout the Caribbean, and that the most famous pirate of all was Captain Ned Lynch. This is straightforward enough. We have the setting, the conflict, the protagonist, and the antagonist neatly summarized. Undoubtedly there will be piratical antics, imperialist depredations, wrongs to be righted, and a love-hate romantic interest thrown in somewhere. But first things first. Something bad is about to happen to someone we don't know, but we know they don't deserve it because the townspeople we don't know appear to disapprove. In this case the victim is Nick Debrett (Jones), who is about to be hanged by the lazily named Major Folly (Bridges), which is contrary to the wishes of the general population of Kingston, Jamaica. As luck would have it (and as the music informs us in no uncertain terms), the heroes arrive just in the nick of time aboard the good ship Blarney Cock (played by the Golden Hinde II, a full-scale replica of Sir Francis Drake's famous ship) and save the day with cannon fire, rope-swinging, and piratey boisterousness. At this point we are introduced to Captain Ned Lynch (Shaw), who loves nothing better than fighting, robbing, wenching, and composing limericks.

In short order we are also introduced to Lord Durant (Boyle), the decadent, depraved, despotic governor of Jamaica whose 20th century American accent does nothing to undermine the quality of the fine script. We are also introduced to Lord Durant's most prominent oppressed citizens, our heroine Jane Barnet (Bujold) and her mother, Lady Barnet (Louisa Horton), who have been evicted from their mansion and deprived of their possessions after Sir James Barnet (Bernard Behrens) is found guilty of integrity and therefore imprisoned.

The story, of course, leads inexorably to encounters (and conflict) between Ned Lynch and Jane Barnet, conflict between them and Lord Durant, and the inevitable Daring Rescue Attempt followed by the inevitable Climactic Duel. (I'm not giving anything away. Every element of the plot is announced via semaphore by a flag-wielding screenwriter.)

It is a pity such beautiful cinematography and scenery were wasted on such an utterly banal story and apparently random casting. If Avery Schreiber can land a role in the film (as the pirate Polonski), it is surely an indicator that nothing should be taken seriously. The stunts and fight scenes are functional, but largely unremarkable. As a whole, despite the location and obviously substantial budget, Swashbuckler seems more like a 1970s made-for-television movie than a period adventure film intended for the silver screen. There is never that moment of immersion into the story that is so necessarily a part of any good movie, especially an escapist one.

Swashbuckler has one factor that simultaneously redeems and condemns it: Peter Boyle as Lord Durant. Playing his part just as dreadfully as it was written, Boyle reduces his character to the dimensions of a villain in a Mel Brooks comedy (coincidentally having starred in Young Frankenstein two years earlier). Amongst his lines, some of the most absurd include, "Let the bitch try and take me," "I serve one master, and his name is Darkness," and, fittingly, "Draw the curtains. The farce is ended!" — a line exclaimed just prior to falling off a balcony.

Writing: Terrible
Directing: Fair
Acting: Poor (Peter Boyle: Terrible)
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Good
Swordplay: Fair
Panache: Mediocre

Overall Rating: Mediocre
Swashbuckling Rank: Fair


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 2 February 2012.]

Addendum

Written by: Jeffrey Bloom and Paul Wheeler
Directed by: James Goldstone
Performed by: Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle, Geneviève Bujold, Beau Bridges, et al.

Don Q Son of Zorro (1925) Reviewed

Don Q Son of Zorro (1925), although made five years after The Mark of Zorro, takes place perhaps 25 years later, and stars Douglas Fairbanks as both the hero, Don Cesar de Vega, and his father Don Diego, otherwise known as Zorro. Instead of colonial California, the stage is now set in Spain for intrigue, adventure, and romance. From the beginning, Don Cesar's bravado, humility, and sense of humor are on display, as well as his uncanny skill with the whip, his demonstration of which leads unintentionally to a chain of events that will find him hunted by those in power. Like his father, he will be forced to become an outlaw and draw on those abilities he learned or inherited from him. Fairbanks exploits every opportunity to disregard gravity by virtue of his acrobatic training, and when even that is not enough, there is always the whip to disarm or entangle a foe or hoist him to safety.

Although there is action in abundance, there is also love, and the object of Don Cesar's affection is Dolores, played very capably by Mary Astor. The scene in which they first meet is amusingly scripted, albeit with very little dialogue from Fairbanks, and it is apt that it occurs in the proverbial eye of a hurricane of activity.

Of the villains I will say nothing lest too much is revealed, but the varying shades of gray in which they are painted is a refreshing change from the unvarying black that typifies most enemies in action movies.

Don Q Son of Zorro is one of the lesser known swashbuckling movies, but undeservedly so. It is a fine (and rare) example of the sequel that not only honors its parentage with a faithful continuity, but stands as a solid work in its own right. Few action movies are as well balanced as this one.

Writing: Good
Directing: Good
Acting: Good
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Superb
Swordplay: Fair
Whip-Handling: Superb
Panache: Superb

Overall Rating: Great
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 1 October 2010.]

Addendum

The following is from a Wikipedia article on Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard:

In 1904, the mother-and-son writing team [Kate Prichard and Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard] produced The Chronicles of Don Q., a collection of short stories featuring the fictional rogue Don Quebranta Huesos, a Spanish Robin Hood-like figure who was fierce to the evil rich but kind-hearted to the virtuous poor. A second collection, The New Chronicles of Don Q. followed in 1906. The pair produced a full-length novel, Don Q.'s Love Story, in 1909. Don Q. was brought to the stage in 1921 when it was performed at the Apollo Theatre, London. In 1925, the book was reworked as a Zorro vehicle by screenwriters Jack Cunningham and Lotta Woods; the United Artists silent film Don Q, Son of Zorro was produced by Douglas Fairbanks, who also starred as its lead character. The New York Times rated the film one of its top ten movies of the year.

So, the son of Zorro predates Zorro himself!

Written by: Jack Cunningham and Lotta Woods (uncredited)
Based on: Don Q.'s Love Story by Kate Prichard and Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard
Directed by: Donald Crisp
Performed by: Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Astor, Jack McDonald, Donald Crisp, et al.

Reviews in Theoretical Swashbuckling

Just to set the record straight, the purpose of the reviews I post in Theoretical Swashbuckling is twofold: to give swashbuckling fans an idea of whether they would enjoy a particular movie, television show, or book as entertainment; and to offer possible sources of inspiration for those who play, run, or create various types of games (especially of the role-playing variety). Nothing more. Nothing less. It is not my intention to provide detailed analysis, "scholarly" criticism, or evaluations of fencing technique. I am concerned only with how enjoyable the subject of the review is and how useful it might be to one's gaming.

Carry on.

Scaramouche (1952) Reviewed

If any film could be declared the ultimate swashbuckling film, Scaramouche (1952) would easily qualify as a contender for the title. It is said to have both the longest duelling scene and the greatest number of duels of any movie. Whether this is true or not, the duels are a marvel of fight choreography. Both Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer [allegedly] performed all of their own duels and stunts, which is all the more remarkable when it is discovered that their duel on the railing of a theatre balcony was executed without a net. The action is spectacular, but the drama and the comedy (essential to a film named after the clown of the Commedia dell'arte) give the film its impeccable balance. Scaramouche is truly one of the great masterpieces of the genre.

Writing: Great
Directing: Superb
Acting: Good
Cinematography: Great
Stunts: Superb
Swordplay: Superb
Panache: Superb

Overall Rating: Great
Swashbuckling Rank: Superb


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 1 February 2010.]


Addendum

Written by: Ronald Millar, George Froeschel, Talbot Jennings (uncredited), and Carey Wilson (uncredited)
Based on: Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
Directed by: George Sidney
Performed by: Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer, et al.

Adventures of Don Juan (1948) Reviewed

In Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Errol Flynn returns to full color swashbuckling as the most famous ladies' man in history. Beginning with one such adventure in progress, the film quickly progresses to more important matters as Don Juan finds himself involved — through no fault of his own — in affairs of the state (ahem) and an alliance with the formidable Queen Margaret (Viveca Lindfors). All is not well in Spain, for King Phillip III (Romney Brent) is weak, and his diabolical advisor, the Duke de Lorca (Robert Douglas), is far stronger than he appears and far more interested in reviving dreams of conquest than pursuing international peace.

Eight years after The Sea Hawk, Flynn proves that his charm, candor, and swordsmanship are as sharp as ever. Regal of bearing and complex of character, Lindfors is more than worthy of her role as queen and provides the ultimate foil for the film's amorous yet well-intentioned hero. Brent is quite capable as the less-than-capable king, and Douglas is everything one could ask for in a devious, torture-minded warmonger. Alan Hale, of course, is suitable as Alan Hale, Loyal Sidekick (or Leporello as he is billed in the credits).

Beautifully filmed in vivid color, and masterfully scored by Max Steiner, Adventures of Don Juan is an adventure film with excitement, humor, and surprising depth.

Writing: Good
Directing: Great
Acting: Great
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Great
Swordplay: Great
Panache: Great

Overall Rating: Great
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 1 February 2012.]


Addendum

Written by: Herbert Dalmas, George Oppenheimer, and Harry Kurnitz
Directed by: Vincent Sherman
Performed by: Errol Flynn, Viveca Lindfors, Robert Douglas, Alan Hale, Romney Brent, et al.

The Black Pirate (1926) Reviewed

The Black Pirate, made in 1926, is a pirate fantasy starring and conceived by Douglas Fairbanks. That he had not made a pirate movie earlier in his career seems surprising for the king of the swashbucklers, but once he did, the result was another lavish and explosive epic. It was so lavish, in fact, that it was filmed entirely in Technicolor. It is, indeed, a pirate fantasy, as the extravagant use of Technicolor during the silent era might suggest, for the main characters are nobles, their countries are fictitious, and even the ships are of a design never seen in history. Fairbanks' costume looks specifically designed for the exploits of an acrobat, though he does not play one, and the legion of soldiers who appear later rowing a galley and leaping into battle more closely resemble guards of the planet Mongo or the Undersea Kingdom in their attire (and martial artists from a kung fu movie in their behavior) than soldiers of any historical period. The story is essentially a fairy tale — an action fairy tale. There is a loyal son vowing revenge for the death of his father, the infiltration of a gang of pirates, impossible deeds done with a sparkling smile, a damsel in distress, love at first sight, more impossible deeds done with a glint in the eye, etc. The story and acting are childish, but intentionally so. The stunts are impressive by any standard except, perhaps, Fairbanks' own. It is not the greatest pirate movie ever made, but it was certainly not made halfheartedly nor on the cheap.

Writing: Poor
Directing: Fair
Acting: Mediocre
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Superb
Swordplay: Good
Panache: Superb

Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 27 September 2007.]


Addendum

Written by: Douglas Fairbanks and Jack Cunningham
Directed by: Albert Parker
Performed by: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott, Donald Crisp, et al.

How to Create a Swashbuckler in Privateers and Gentlemen

Privateers and Gentlemen, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1982, is a game of "Role Playing Adventure in the Age of Fighting Sail" wherein "The world of Horatio Hornblower and all the naval heroes of fact and fiction is thoroughly dealt with in three volumes of rules."

As it states in the first volume, Promotions and Prizes:

PROMOTIONS AND PRIZES is a historical role-playing game. Each player will take the part of a naval officer of the period 1755-1815, attempting to rise in rank and affluence through a series of naval battles, raids, skirmishes, and captures... meanwhile avoiding any number of horrible deaths, diseases, amputations, courts-martial, or perhaps being shot by a firing squad like Admiral Byng.

Here is my first character for Privateers and Gentlemen:

Name: Captain Barrington Dalrymple, Privateer

Strength: 16
Sense Acuity: 13
Mass: 11
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 15
Dexterity: 8
Intuition: 12
Charisma: 11

Strike Bonus: +20%
Shoot Bonus: +5%
Parry Bonus: nil

Languages: 3 (including native tongue): English, French, Spanish
Handedness: right-handed
Social Level (of father): Gentleman (roll of 79)
Legitimacy: Legitimate
Position: First Son
Father's Health: Alive
Allowance: 25 pounds
Patrimony: 1000 pounds + Respectable Estate and House
Privateer Background: Smuggler + Merchant Captain

Gunnery: +15%
Sailing Ability: -5
General Seamanship: +10%

Astronomy: 15
Biology: 1
Carriage Driving: 14
Chemistry: 1
Climb: 10 (raised from 8)
Dance: 8
First Aid: 7 (raised from 4)
Forgery: 12 (raised from 4)
General Knowledge: 7 (raised from 4)
Geology: 1
Haggle: 13
Hide: 15
History: 15
Law: 7 (raised from 4)
Literary Gent: 4
Lockpick: 4
Make Speech: 17
Mapmaking: 15
Mechanics: 3
Move Quietly: 12 (raised from 8)
Play Instrument: 0
Pick Pocket: 1
Ride: 8
Shipwright: 15
Sing: 13
Swim: 10 (raised from 2)
Weather Prediction: 15
Write Own Language: 15
Write Foreign Language: 3

Character creation in Privateers and Gentlemen is of moderate complexity. The eight attributes are generated by rolling 3D6 for Strength, Sense Acuity, Mass, Constitution, Intelligence, Dexterity, Intuition, and Charisma. If the character's attributes are hopeless, the player may, with the referee's permission, roll again or even roll three characters and choose the best. I opted for the latter and selected the third character. Three tables are consulted to determine one's Strike Bonus, Shoot Bonus, and Parry Bonus based on three or four of a character's attributes.

Skills begin with starting abilities based on a variety of factors. Some will be equal to a character's attribute, some will start with a random roll such as a D10 or D20, some will be calculated by multiplying an attribute by .5 and adding D10 or just averaging two attributes, and others will be static numbers such as 1 or 4. After these are determined, the player may then spend points to improve any skill chosen using a pool of points equal to the character's Intelligence plus the rolled result of the character's Social Level divided by 5. In my case, this was 31 points, and I immediately spent 8 points on Swim (for which I had rolled a starting ability of 2).

Several specific naval skills are modifiers based on a character's Intelligence and are determined by consulting the relevant table. These are Gunnery, Ship Quality (known as Sailing Ability on the character sheet), and General Seamanship. The number of additional languages a character may start with is also based on Intelligence and ranges from 0 to 3.

Other facets of the character are determined by making percentile rolls on various tables including Handedness; Social Level (of one's father); Legitimacy; Position (in the family); various aspects of one's father's health, past service, and past rank; Allowance (yearly); and Patrimony.

Next, the character's earlier career must be decided. If the character begins as a naval officer, the player will participate in a simple character creation mini-game reminiscent of classic Traveller wherein it will be learned how old the character is, whether they were wounded or succumbed to any diseases, whether they were noticed by a superior officer, whether their naval skills improved, whether they were promoted, and how much prize money they were awarded. If the character begins as a privateer, the player simply rolls on the Privateer Background table, which modifies the character accordingly. I decided my character would be a privateer and result of my roll was "Smuggler + Merchant Captain."

SMUGGLER: The character will know very basic seamanship, and will also have intimate knowledge of 1D4 'smuggler's havens' on a friendly coastline, plus 1D4 smuggler's havens on the enemy coast. Will know the smugglers' underground in his own and the enemy's country, and will be able to gain intelligence from it. On a roll of 81-100 the smuggler has also become known to the authorities, who will be watching for him.

MERCHANT CAPTAIN: Will know basic seamanship plus navigation, stowage, and so on. Roll twice to see if the character can improve his Sailing Quality and General Seamanship scores (see Intelligence Scores for midshipmen, above). Will also have an intimate knowledge of commercial circles in his own and other countries. Due to his knowledge of trade routes, he may add 1 to his die roll on the Encounter Chart.

If I were to play this character in an actual game, I would provide the details of his birthplace, his path to a life of smuggling and privateering, and his interests and motivations, but that would require more research and time than I can afford at the moment. The character has potential, though, and I think I would enjoy portraying him.

You might say Privateers and Gentlemen is to the Horatio Hornblower novels what Flashing Blades is to The Three Musketeers, and that's not a bad thing.

[For more articles in this series, visit How to Create a Swashbuckler.]

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956-1957) Reviewed

For the purposes of any Theoretical Swashbuckling review, I generally approach any adaptation as a unique work unto itself, more or less. This is true whether it's a movie adapted from a novel or, in the case of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, a television show adapted from multiple poems that were adaptations of still older poems that were adaptations of legends that were based on early medieval history. There have been many versions of Sir Lancelot from a variety of sources, so, instead of trying to match this one (or indeed any other aspect of Arthurian legendry) with any preceding it, I'll take it at face value, anachronisms be damned.

Consisting of 30 episodes that originally aired in 1956-1957, first in black & white and then in color, the adventures begin with Lancelot's arrival in Camelot where he seeks a place at King Arthur's Round Table. The famous affair with Queen Guinevere is never more than hinted at with the briefest of exchanged glances in the early episodes because the emphasis is on chivalry, justice, and (naturally) adventure. One can reliably expect to see horses, swordplay, a bit of humor, and a moral.

Apart from the obvious and inevitable departures from historical and literary accuracy (neither of which were ever in agreement anyway), the most frustrating liberty taken by the show was the utter de-magicking of Merlin. Perhaps it was a purely practical decision. After all, it would cost far less to depict him doing stage magic and astronomy (and sending messages via carrier pigeon) than to depict him working wizardry of the supernatural sort. Besides, it allows for Sir Lancelot to be the smart knight who is in the know about Merlin's supposed sorcery. Perhaps it was a requirement by certain censors that the show demonstrate educational value, which would preclude spell-flinging in favor of the implementation of the discoveries of Archimedes or the prediction of eclipses. Regardless of the reason behind making Merlin a natural philosopher with a fondness for magic tricks instead of the wisest and mightiest wizard in the world, I find any excuse weak when the knights speak of actually fighting dragons (as they do in a later episode).

The budget for The Adventures of Sir Lancelot was probably modest as may be surmised by the re-use of sets for different locales, the re-use of actors for different characters (e.g. Derren Nesbitt played 14 different characters in as many episodes), and a castle gate that required mounted knights to duck their heads when passing through it. The combat scenes are neither elaborate nor convincing, which serves the dual purpose of being inexpensive and inoffensive. There are never more than a few villagers or knights or bandits or monks on the screen at one time, and the aforementioned dragons are never more than alluded to in conversation.

To be clear, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot is not a romantic epic; it is an episodic adventure series with nominal educational value primarily aimed (I assume) at schoolchildren. It is not without its charms for an older audience, but for those with a taste for more than mere nostalgia, I would hold up one episode in particular for appreciation: "The Thieves." In this episode, first Sir Lancelot and then King Arthur are confronted with the question of, to put it simply, criminal reform. In order to investigate the truth of the allegation that current methods make it impossible for a former criminal to take up an honest life, King Arthur and Sir Lancelot disguise themselves as commoners and see, for the first time, how the underprivileged survive. This is also the one and only time that King Arthur is depicted not solely in his capacity as a ruler, but as a human being. It is a poignant story well acted, and if more of the episodes were like this one, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot would have had an enviable and long-lasting reputation as a television classic of rare quality.

Writing: Fair
Directing: Fair
Acting: Good
Cinematography: Fair
Stunts: Fair
Swordplay: Mediocre
Panache: Good

Overall Rating: Fair
Swashbuckling Rank: Fair

Written by: various
Directed by: various
Performed by: William Russell, Cyril Smith, Robert Leigh-Hunt, Robert Scroggins, David Morrell, Derren Nesbitt, Jane Hylton, et al.

The Curse of Capistrano

The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley is the first story of Señor Zorro, originally appearing in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly in 1919. It was rapidly adapted to film by Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (1920), which provided the alternate title for its source when it was released as a novel. Zorro is arguably North America's first fictional swashbuckling hero, influenced by both the legends of Robin Hood and The Scarlet Pimpernel (a novel penned by Baroness Emma Orczy in 1905 from the play written by her and her husband, Henry George Mantagu MacLean Barstow in 1903). The novels and movies of Zorro would, in turn, beget an entire genre of adventure fiction from The Shadow to The Green Hornet to Superman and, of course, Batman.

Apart from its profound influence on popular culture, The Curse of Capistrano (or The Mark of Zorro if you prefer) is simply a damned fine romantic adventure story with all of the elements necessary for a good swashbuckling tale. It maintains an elegant balance of the legendary and the human, the melodramatic and the comedic, the daring and the whimsical. The pacing is superb, the characters have substance, and there are moments when one can almost feel the swell of music in one's soul. This is a novel that did not disappoint this lifelong fan of Zorro. I recommend it in friendship to those with the heart of Zorro.

Happy Halloween from Captain Kronos

Image from the film Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter.