St. Ives (1998)

During the Napoleonic wars, a French soldier (Jean Marc Barr) is captured by the British and held prisoner in Scotland. By coincidence, it turns out he is the heir to St. Ives fortunes and estates upon his Uncle's (Michael Gough) death, the Uncle having fled to Scotland at the dawn of the French Revolution. Based on the unfinished novel ST. IVES: BEING THE ADVENTURES OF A FRENCH PRISONER IN ENGLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson and directed by Harry Hook. While Stevenson's novel was unfinished by him, it was later completed by Arthur Quiller Couch. This swashbuckler is disadvantaged by an infusion of too much comedy in the film. Not having read the source material, I have no idea whether the humor is in Stevenson's novel. So we have Richard E. Grant's inept Major for comedy relief and it's a poor fit. It would have played somewhat better if done "straight". Barr lacks the charisma and panache that a true swashbuckling hero requires. Two performances stand out: Miranda Richardson whose droll performance works within the context of the film's humor and Jason Isaacs as Barr's villainous brother. Visually, it looks quite lush with location filming in Ireland, France and Germany. With Anna Friels and Vernon Dobtcheff.