Stella dell'India

I acquired this via a recording off a foreign Cable-TV channel named "Movies 4 Men". It's an infrequent U.S.-Italian co-production for the time (another, and equally rare, is the minor Errol Flynn vehicle CROSSED SWORDS [1954]); this stars Cornel Wilde – flanked, as was his custom, by wife Jean Wallace.

From the title, I was expecting an African adventure a' la "The Four Feathers" but this is actually an unusual swashbuckler set in France and revolving around the hunt for the titular jewel. Wallace, a Dutch aristocrat, wants to restore the Star Of India to the people who worshipped it and enrolls the aid of ousted lord Wilde to do so. Actually, it's in possession of a public official (typically dastardly Herbert Lom) and which he jealously guards; incidentally, this is yet another film where, in spite of doing creditable work, the athletic lead is upstaged by a formidable actor playing the brooding villain!

Several complications arise out of this situation, not least (or least predictable) of which is the fact that, amid much surface disdain – Wallace has been living in Wilde's confiscated estate while he was off to war – the two fall in love. Eventually, the hero gains hospitality at Lom's mansion, thus allowing him free rein to search for the jewel (he had earlier secured the statue in which it's kept but, unaware of a hidden panel within the structure, had returned the apparently worthless artifact to its master!), which happens to coincide with an extended visit by the king (Basil Sydney) and his consort (Yvonne Sanson); the former himself makes no secret of the fact that he wishes to acquire the Star Of India merely to donate it to the latter! Anyway, much standard action (chase, torture, duel, etc.) ensues – making for a pacy outing providing 90 minutes' worth of unassuming entertainment that's perfect fare for this time of year.

"Pierre" (Cornel Wilde) returns from his wartime escapades to his country home only to find that it's been sold by the nasty "Narbonne" (Herbert Lom) to a Dutch countess. "Katrina" (Jean Wallace) informs him that she bought it after a tax repossession, but there might just be a way he could get it back. It seems that "Narbonne" has a beautiful jewel in his possession that was once a family heirloom of her's. If he can repatriate it with her, she will return his estate to him. Setting of to the castle, he discovers, quite quickly, that the rather foppish but shrewd aristocrat is no pushover and he is going to have to use all of his wits if he is to fetch the stone. Perhaps an impending visit from King Louis XIV (Basil Sydney) could help cause enough of a distraction? Well maybe, but meantime he has also discovered that his new patron isn't quite whom she seems to be, either - but what game is she playing and whom, if anyone, ought he to trust? Lom rather steals this, or rather his cat does, but Wilde is still on good form with some nimble acrobatics and sword fencing as the story takes a more predicable, but still quite enjoyable, path. No, there's nobody finest work here either in front or behind the camera, but the production is decent enough and there's a briskness to the pace that I quite enjoyed. If you like the genre - and I do - then this is still quite a fun story that proves, if that were ever needed, just how fickle cats can be!

Cornel Wilde shines for years in this kind of movie as swashbuckler, an actor of scarce talent, but had a rare sikill on sword, then he had a dozen movies in this fertile field, mostly of them a B-movie on low budge but very popular in those time, this picture wasn't available in Brazil, as said the previus reviewer it's come from foreign TV recording called Movie 4 men, l have the same copy but sadly in bad subtitles, even so hoping a day it came to the light as an official release!!

Resume:

First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 6

French soldier Cornell Wilde returns from India to find his estate seized for taxes and sold to Jean Wallace. She's willing to swap it for the fabulous Star of India, one of those jewels praised for the idol's head. Tax farmer Herbert Lom may have it, and the visit of Basil Sidney as Louis XIV may offer a chance for derring-do, swordplay, romance and humor. It offers it, but despite a try by Miss Windsor to suggest Marie Windsor, this is another potted faux-Dumas swashbuckler from Arthur Lubin. It's one of those movies you can watch every four or five years with the vague sensation of having seen it before.

Cornel Wilde plays Pierre St Laurent ,a nobleman in seventeenth century France whose lands and estates are stripped from him by his enemies.The key to restoring his name and fortune lies in his recovering a priceless diamond ,The Star of India ,It was formerly in a Dutch collection but is now believed to be in France .Also on the track of the jewel is the beautiful Dutch agent Katrina ,played by Wilde's real life spouse Jean Wallace . The trail leads to the French court of King Louis (Basil Sydney) and his mistress Madame de Montespan(Yvonne Sansom).Opposing St Laurent is his nemesis the evil Count Narbonne(Herbert Lom) This is wholly without originality in its storyline but has enough swordplay and other action to keep its audience entertained and the French location photography is a delight to the eye.Wilde was a champion fencer and cuts an impressive dash as the hero .Jean Wallace and Yvonne Sansom were no great shakes as actresses but are pleasing to the eye while Herbert Lom is a splendidly hissable villain

Nice escapist fun on a cold and dingy day.