richard-1787
I saw this movie the day after I saw, for the nth time, Errol Flynn/Erich Korngold/Michael Curtiz's masterpiece, The Adventures of Robin Hood. This movie doesn't stand up well in comparison. It's the same genre, the historical costume action drama. But while Robin Hood holds up wonderfully even after repeated viewing, this movie, for me, fell flat.I'm not sure that I can tell you why. The script, certainly, is not as clever. Granger, certainly, doesn't have the flair Flynn did. The director here did not know how to create excitement the way Curtiz did. Certainly one big difference was the lack of a score that helped create excitement, as Korngold's did and this one does not. Part of the problem, for me, is that too often Granger lacks the sort of self-confidence that makes Flynn's Robin Hood so winning. Perhaps there are other reasons. In the end, however, I found this movie of no interest. I could definitely never get myself to sit through it again.
radomski-2
I used to enjoy watching this film on TV as a teenager back in the late 60s. Not having seen it since then, I bought the DVD a couple of years ago to see if it still held up to my memories.When I first started watching, I cringed at all these 18th-century "Frenchmen" speaking with twangy American accents. But, after about 5 minutes, you get used to it and enjoy the fun. What one realizes, after all, is that ANY historical film is not telling you so much about the period in which it is set as it is telling you about the period in which it was made. And, so, Scaramouche captures the self-confidence, the unashamed glamor, the bravura of the U.S. after World War II. This is a costume-drama at its best. Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer are all perfectly cast.A great movie is loved for its memorable "moments"—and Scaramouche is full of them: the "revelation scene," the Marquis pinned to the wall, André and Leonore's poignant farewell, etc.The film owes much of its success to the superb score by Victor Young. He manages to capture the spirit of the 18th century, but in a "Hollywood" guise. He provides delightful humor in the various commedia dell'arte skits but reaches Romantic heights with his soaring strings in the revelation scene. Victor Young was known for his gift in composing beautiful tunes. This gift is particularly evident in Scaramouche.
bkoganbing
In Scaramouche Stewart Granger hides among a troupe of strolling players while vowing vengeance upon Mel Ferrer who killed Granger's foster brother Richard Anderson. Vengeance however is not a simple matter.Mel Ferrer plays a foppish privileged aristocrat, favorite of the French Queen Marie Antoinette who's got a deadly blade and killed many a rival, political and personal. Who he has in his sights now is Anderson who is another aristocrat, but a minor one who has taken to hanging out with revolutionaries and publishing incendiary pamphlets.Ferrer is like a hired gun in the old west, the kind who would goad some poor schnook into a draw and then kill him in 'self defense'. He's unpopular, but damned effective. For Granger to take him on, he's going to have to learn the art of fencing and learn it quickly.Granger has two women who love him as well, Eleanor Parker from the troupe of players and Janet Leigh another aristocrat who in this case has been promised to wed Ferrer. That gives the Granger-Ferrer rivalry an added incentive for both men to kill the other.The sets on Scaramouche were quite lavish, why they weren't considered for an Oscar nomination is a mystery. The cast settles nicely into familiar roles and performs well. Elizabeth Risdon and Lewis Stone play Anderson's parents and Granger's guardian. They get a stipend from Granger's unknown father to conceal his origins. The last three films for Lewis Stone, this one, The Prisoner of Zenda and All The Brothers Were Valiant were all done with Stewart Granger. Scaramouche is a nice tale of adventure and romance in those final days before the French Revolution. It's interesting to speculate just how all these characters might have survived the coming Reign Of Terror in a few years. Things got so insane in France then, it's anybody's guess. One could write all kinds of speculation.Still I would speculate and still enjoy Scaramouche.
blanche-2
The robust Stewart Granger is "Scaramouche" in this 1952 adaptation of the Sabatini novel, and it's a good example of the kind of film MGM excelled at - it's a fast-moving adventure in beautiful color, with great production values.Granger plays Andre Moreau, who watches a friend killed in a sword fight with the Marquis (Mel Ferrer). Andre, alas, can't go after the Marquis - he can't handle a sword anywhere close enough. Instead, he joins a traveling company of actors and becomes "Scaramouche." He encounters romance, but he has plenty of time to learn how to use a sword. Finally, he and the Marquis meet again, in a long, exciting, swordfight that takes place in a theater, the highlight of the film.Very exciting movie in spots, gorgeous to look at, with strong performances by the well-cast Granger, Mel Ferrer, and the beautiful Eleanor Parker. A rousing adventure - if you like swashbuckler movies, don't miss this one!
AD
