The Vagabond King

I was 8 in 1930 so I saw it when it came out and it was exciting and even had a bit of color in it at the end; which no one had seen before. So from that vantage point, I love the fighting, right wins in the end, and huge crowd fighting. Where could an 8 year old see this? Frimyl isn't a total loss either. Remember there are only Friml, DeKoven, Herbert and Romberg in America when it comes to operettas.

Considering the major names involved (in addition to the performers, it was an early screen adaptation from Herman J.

Mankiewicz!) in this fine reflection of the popular 1925 operetta, it's high time we had a good Technicolor restoration done and issued on DVD.

Jeanette MacDonald as the female lead is, perforce, secondary to the slightly "over the top" Dennis King recreating his starring Broadway role (511 performances at the Casino Theatre), but she gives a pure portrait of the King's niece much more honest and appealing than her later over blown "acting" in the Nelson Eddy screen operettas of the late 30's and 40's.

Lillian Roth's Huguette is more throaty than many familiar with the character's beautiful Rudolf Friml music may be used to, but her acting is impeccable and quite moving. Additionally, the chance to see 20th Century Fox's first major "Charlie Chan," Swedish actor Werner Oland, in another perspective entirely as Thibault, is not to be missed for any fan of Earl Derr Biggers' famous sleuth.

While, after the painful Hollywood custom, much of the rousing score has been sacrificed in the film's fast moving 104 minutes (only 100 surviving in the TV print I've seen), most of the best, "Some Day," "Only A Rose," "Huguette Waltz" and of course, "Song of the Vagabond" are here in fine form. Certainly preferable in this relatively faithful form than the bland 1956 remake. It's an exciting alternative to the fine (if music-less) 1938 Ronald Colman film drawn from The Vagabond King's source material: "If I Were King."

King Louis XI of France (the competent O. P. Heggie) hasn't his problems to seek. The Burgundians are at the gates of Paris and his subjects within are all a bit disgruntled. They are being stirred up by the rebellious poet "Villon" (Dennis King) who repeatedly suggests that Louis is an incompetent fool. He voices those opinions a bit too freely one evening and finds himself arrested by none other than the King himself. Hanged? Well, the rather shrewd monarch decides to see if this loudmouth can do any better. He ennobles him, puts him in charge and tells him his survival depends on him defeating the marauders outside the city walls. Meantime, his time in the palace introduces him to "Katherine" (Jeanette MacDonald) with whom he quickly becomes smitten. Now he has to save the city, get the girl and, ideally, avoid the gallows! It's quite good fun this, when it concentrates on the action. There is some acrobatic sword fencing and great ensemble fight scenes with tables and chairs and bottles used to full effect. The singing, though - well we had to have it, but the mediocre songs do rather break up the pace and there isn't really much chemistry between the rather hammy King and an off-form and pretty unremarkably flat MacDonald. It does look great though, with some stylish and authentic looking scenarios presented, but in the end I was a bit disappointed with this rather muddled historical adventure.

Depression era audiences often sought escape from the harsh realities of the events of that decade. One the least expensive and convenient forms of escape for them was going to the movies. Many went to movies three or more times a week. There was no television in the 1930s, and radio was the only other form of mass entertainment. But there was nothing like going to the movies and escaping reality visually. The Vagabond King goes to extreme lengths to escape reality, as very little in the film was ever likely to happen in real life. Despite that, audiences ate up the fantasy and a good time was had by all. The plot is silly, but who cares? It's Hollywood!

Does anyone know when shooting on this film started? I know that films in this era took only a short time to film. Was this one standard in production, or did it take longer? Anyone who knows the background of this film, I would like to talk to you. I don't have anything else to say. So, in order to reach the ten lines I have to add ballast So, this is ballast Any information is appreciated Any hints on how I might view this film in Technicolor are appreciated. I think this may be one of those films held hostage. Why those who love these films, preserve them, restore them, save them, object so strenuously to people seeing the results of their efforts.

Thank you.