Quentin Durward (1955)

Based on the Sir Walter Scott novel, a Scottish knight named Quentin Durward (Robert Taylor) is sent by his aged, stingy uncle (Ernest Thesiger) to go to France and plead his case to the young, beautiful and wealthy Countess Of Marcroy (Kay Kendall) as a possible husband. Once there, Durward becomes involved in the political intrigues of the French court and the fight over power between the crafty King Louis XI (Robert Morley) and the duplicitous Duke Of Burgandy (Alec Clunes). Director Richard Thorpe and his star Robert Taylor hit a home run with their first Sir Walter Scott effort, IVANHOE. They're not so fortunate here. The film lacks the layers and complexity of that 1952 film. Oh, it's fun enough but it can't seem to manufacture the genuine sense of adventure necessary to make these swashbucklers work. That wonderful comedienne Kay Kendall seems out of her element as a typical damsel in distress and indeed, as the recipient of some of the film's worst dialogue, she seems on the verge of parodying her lines. Morley makes for a marvelously sly Louis XI though. The busy score is by Bronislau Kaper. With Marius Goring, George Cole, Laya Raki, Eric Pohlmann and Wilfrid Hyde-White.