Escravos da Coroa

This one has it all . . . thundering hoofbeats, derring-do, moonlight chases, sneering villains, and a dashing hero to entrance his lady fair, all to the rousing music of Mendelsohn's "Italian Symphony", and no Hollywood film composer could have written a more apt score. (You'll be humming it, trust me.) The underrated Wanda Hendrix is lovely in this constume drama, which is based on the legend created from the classic Noyes poem. In fact, all the veteran players are at their best, and the story gallops right along to its gripping end. This is the marvelous stuff that silver-screen dreams were made of, right before Hollywood forgot how it was done.

I actually saw this movie in the theater at the age of seven. Now that's an impressionable age, but more than 50 years later I can still envision the mist on the moors, the clouds scudding across the sky and the haunting music as one of the classic poems is beautifully brought to life. The dashing Highwayman daring all for love of the beautiful Bess; the jealous, sneaky, and lustful ostler betraying him to the authorities; the raucous redcoats lustfully jeering as they imprison the innkeeper's daughter, the brave and beautiful Bess willing to sacrifice all for her lover; who could ask for anything more in an adventure movie. This is a movie for those who just can't resist romance with a touch of ghost story.

I have not seen this movie since I was a young lad of seven, when my parents took my brother and I to the cinema to see it. Even at that young age I really enjoyed it. The swashbuckling was fantastic and there was plenty of action. It fitted in well with Alfred Noyes poem. I do not remember if it has ever been shown on television. I would dearly love to see this film again, because I am sure it would bring back so many memories.I know Philip Friend was not really well known at the time but I really enjoyed his acting. I also liked Wanda Hendrix, I always remember being married to one of my favourite Actors (Audie Murphy). All I can hope for is that it might get issued on DVD. Here's hoping. Also, other than this film there are lots of second feature films that I have never seen since I was a child. One in particular was Legions Last Patrol.

Well, I didn't expect that!

The film is set during the 1700s and concerns aristocratic highwayman Phillip Friend (Jeremy) and his story about holding people up and robbing them and his love life and the enemies that want to capture him.

Unfortunately, the film has so much that is wrong with it. The beginning bogs you down with an awful narration alongside what you eventually realize is poetry. This is because it is delivered so badly you don't immediately tune in to the rhymes that are being recited. Mainly, the film is just boring and it progresses slowly. Friend is terribly wooden in the lead role and he pronounces everything in that awful plummy manner. The film isn't the best quality. We also get comical dramatic music thrown in at random moments and terrible editing that suddenly cuts away from one scene and lands you somewhere completely different. As the film develops like this, you laugh at how bad it is and the audience will expect Sid James and Kenneth Williams to appear in the tradition of the "Carry On" films.

However, it is filmed in Cinecolour and this is a plus point as you can see vibrant reds and greens. You are basically watching for the costumes. As the film continued, it struck me that maybe I should be watching it with 3-D glasses. One scene with a fire led me to this thought. It isn't filmed in 3-D but it looks like it might be so to entertain myself I watched the rest of the film with my 3-D glasses on. I think it improved things.

Anyway, I had to fast forward this total nonsense and the end contains a romantic ghostly touch. I usually enjoy these types of endings. Unfortunately, there is also some more poetry delivered appallingly.