HotToastyRag
If you like the comic spoof The Court Jester and want it to be even funnier the next time you watch it, rent The Vagabond King and Lady Godiva of Coventry. Both seem like they borrowed the sets and background actors from Danny Kaye's comedy. In Lady Godiva of Coventry, Maureen O'Hara gives the best performance in the film, and since she's a notorious over-actress, that's saying something. Her leading man is George Nader, and he's so contemporary, he kept reminding me of Christopher McDonald. As you might be able to surmise from the title, this film focuses on Lady Godiva who famously rode a horse naked. Before you get excited, just remind yourself that this movie was made in 1955, so there's no nudity in the film, and the ride itself isn't a very long scene. Mostly, it's about her courtship and marriage to Lord Leofric, and their disagreements about political issues. The classic "woman behind the man" theory is on full display, so if you like Maureen O'Hara's strong-willed characters she usually plays, you'll probably like her in this movie. And she does look very pretty in Technicolor splendor. If you're just looking for a good movie, or at least one that won't have you running to the kitchen for more popcorn without pressing pause, stick with How Green Was My Valley.
Kirpianuscus
for many viewers, the basic motif to see this film is an one expected scene. who, unfortunately, is far to be to close by the desires. but., in same measure, the virtue of film remains to not be very different by others from same period and genre. love, conflicts, recreated Medieval fresco, the reasonable performances and Maureen O Hara as a nice Godiva. it is enough for a nostalgic trip around a legendary episode. and the respect for the recipes of genre, with few nice nuances, is a real good point.
mark.waltz
That's what I found myself yelling at the screen every time leading lady Maureen O'Hara got feisty, which was pretty much every scene she was in. It seems that this Saxon lass can toss a heavy tree log onto a fire without effort, and slap strong men, leaving not only their pride bruised, but their faces as well. It's a battle of the sexes, as well as the Saxons and Normans, when Saxon Lord George Nader weds feisty lass Godiva (O'Hara) and finds that she stands up to him on every level. This is no normal middle-ages woman, as Godiva is beyond feisty, yet compassionate. She demands to be treated as an equal, not asking for more or less. This makes O'Hara always delightfully likable, while Nader can't help but be amused in this age of cod-pieced men.While the first half is a variation of "Taming of the Shrew", the second half is a political thriller of the conflicts of the Saxons and Normans which ends with Godiva's famous ride. The film's theme goes from lighthearted to serious. Overall, the film is pure entertainment, with a great leading lady, sumptuous photography, and a lot of fun. Probably historically inaccurate, it's still a step above the campiness of Universal's Maria Montez series which Ms. O'Hara took over and turned into a classier act.Go Diva!
Nazi_Fighter_David
The sole raison d'être for this forgettable film is to exploit the legend of Lady Godiva, who in medieval times supposedly expressed her social protests by riding naked through the city on horseback... Not surprisingly, the movie did less than deliver the titillating ride that many in the audience may have expected...A thin story line revolving around a battle between the Saxons and the Normans is developed, with Clint Eastwood taking a drop in screen credits from this low-budget adventure a tedious embroidered 'hotchpotch' spectacle of Norman intrigue in Eleventh Century England, as the foreigners try to share and conquer the Saxon earl..Maureen O'Hara plays the gentlewoman famous for her legendary ride while nude through Coventry... Is it to prove the loyalty of the Saxons? Godiva is the wife of Leofric (George Nader) earl of Mercia, who brings under control the Saxon shrew...The film is a comic strip fictitious account...
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