Der Brigant

Based on a Dumas novel,a writer who was always fascinated by twins: the last part of "les trois mousquetaires" ,"le vicomte de Bragelonne " -which was often filmed as "the iron mask " - ,but also "les frères corses ".The French title of Karlson's movie is "le proscrit" but the eponymous novel is the story of "Robin Hood prince of thieves"which reportedly inspired Kevin Reynolds ' version.I found no trace of the book which spawned "the brigand".

Probably made to capitalize on the success of the second version of "the prisoner of Zenda "(1952) ;the screenplays are very similar ,but except for the delightful vilain played by the mighty Quinn , the actors do not have the appeal of Stewart Granger,Deborah Kerr and James Mason .

That said ,the colors are glimmering , the story is eventful ,with a curious prologue in Morocco,and the denouement is smart ,and all in all,it's pretty entertaining;the historical hints at the Napoleon era remain vague though.

In the 1800s, after an assassination attempt by Prince Ramon against the king of Mandorra, a brigand resembling the king surreptitiously impersonates the incapacitated monarch in order to throw off the plotters.

Anthony Dexter does a double role, one as a Sultan guard called Carlos who brandishes a fair sword and other a frivolous king Lorenzo who loves dancing with ladies and has this annoying tendency of doing a "ha ha" laugh every few seconds. He fairs well in these roles, making a good contrast between the two, and he's got a certain style and charisma, and he's good at the action bits. Anthony Quinn plays the royal cousin of King Lorenzo who plans a "premeditated accident" to King Lorenzo by giving him a hunting weapon that is rigged to fire backwards so he can push himself on the throne and marry the princess, and he's at his usually slippery self as the villain. Jody Lawrence is ok as the princess but someone more striking and more expressive would've been good.

The Brigand has an uncanny resemblance to the Prisoner of Zenda, and though it's not as striking or as exciting as that film ( the Ronald Colman and Stewart Granger versions), it's a competently made and an adequate viewing with lavishness, colour, some style, set pieces and some good swordplay. Phil Karlson keeps everything zipping along. Unlike the Prisoner of Zenda, it has a more happier ending for Dexter's Sultan guard in regards to the princess.

The Brigand is an entertaining and engaging costume romp that is well filmed, and features an appealing and understated performance by that much underrated actor, Anthony Dexter, in the duo-lead roles. Able backing is provided by Anthony Quinn as the treacherous and slimy villain of the piece. So many movies of this type are throw-away and forgettable, but this one has sufficient pace, as well as a good storyline, to retain the viewers interest throughout. It's such a fine movie that it's difficult to understand why it's never been released commercially, and remains to this day very much of a rarity. It's also interesting to note that it was the follow-up feature to Valentino, for Anthony Dexter, and it's perfectly clear that only bad luck prevented him from going on to be a top Hollywood star. Far lesser actors managed to forge long, star-studded careers for themselves, so it will always remain something of a mystery as to why Mr Dexter never reached the heights. If the chance to view this movie ever comes your way, it's well worth seeing.

The year 1951 Anthony Dexter made his film debut in "VALENTINO". The resemblance to the original silent screen idol was uncanny. I felt Columbia Pictures thought they would build him as a swashbuckler like his predecessor. So Mr.Dexters next film was an adventure story based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas. He plays a dual role - a badly wounded king(assassination attempt) and a desert adventurer who is persuaded to double for him.

The plot had been used a number of times previous to 1952. Mr.Dexter handles his role(s)well including sword duels and several dance routines including the tango(Valentino reference).This film is well mounted in Technicolor and excellent direction by Phil Karlson.

The supporting cast does fine - Anthony Quinn as the villain, the two female leads Jody Lawrence and Gale Robbins,and Carl Benton Reid handle their roles expertly.I have not seen this film since

1964 and would like to view again on DVD!!!

If you liked "The Prisoner of Zenda", then I'm sure you'll like this film, with another lookalike taking the place of royalty. Anthony Dexter plays the dual role of Carlos Delargo/King Lorenzo very well, and displays some excellent dancing skills, too, as does Gale Robbins, as Countess Flora, the woman the king loves. Anthony Quinn plays the bad guy (which he excels in), Prince Ramon, who arranges an assassination attempt on the king to look like a hunting accident, and the way is paved for the lookalike to take the king's place. Complications arise when he finds himself falling for Princess Teresa (Judy Lawrence, who should have had a more scenes), the king's fiancée in an arranged marriage for political reasons, while he (as the king) is supposed to be in love with the countess.

There are dancing scenes, romantic scenes, fighting scenes, some amusing scenes, enough to keep you entertained.