The Saracen Blade

Enjoyable epic adventure with B-casting for a B-movie, the novelty were on two character, Pietro played by Ricardo Montalban, usually on leading roles on low budge production like this, and the marvelous and young blonde Carolyn Jones, based on the book, this picture has an irretrievable fail on so short running time, just 76 minutes too compressed to tell in fullness so complex story, some scenes weren't linked together, barely ended one chapter and starts a new one totally logged off in another place, also as the future will ascertain Montalban wasn't a proper hero, look it on Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, just unforgettable, he had an improved performance as anti hero, we cannot blame the director William Castle, possibly he wasn't enough money to did a better job, still an enjoyable movie more suitable to Sunday matinee!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2010 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 7

Pietro is an orphan who is raised by a family friend in 15th century Italy. When the friend is killed by the same nasty baron who murdered Pietro's father as he led the peasants in revolt against the baron's tyranny, Pietro vows vengeance against the entire family. This will prove difficult, since he's been in love with the daughter of the nasty baron since he was a child and wants to marry her.

Ricardo Montalban cuts a dashing figure as the hero in this colourful and florid costumer, which moves briskly and contains enough drama, conflict, romance - it lacks a bit of action, which is a shame as Montalban swashes really well. The focus is on manipulation and maneuvering among the characters from the warring families, and it succeeds in sustaining an interest. But a longer running time was needed to make it more rounded and epic. I. E. More battle scenes.

"The Saracen Blade" is a film based on a novel by Frank Yerby and is very similar to several of the stories from Rafael Sabatini...who also wrote fiction set, at times, in the late middle ages.

The story is utterly ridiculous. Bear with it and try not to question the difficult to believe plot!

It begins with the next emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II, being born in Italy. At the same time, Pietro Donati (Ricardo Montalban) is born. The pair would be fated to meet later in life and become friends...which seems highly unlikely considering Pietro's lowly birth.

Pietro's family is destroyed by a nobel family...and Pietro vows vengeance against the Siniscolas. However, it sure seems unlikely. But when the Siniscolas try to kill Pietro, Pietro instead meets the Emperor and they become friends...and the Emperor agrees to marry Pietro to one of the Siniscolas (Caroline Jones). So how is this going to help Pietro with his quest for revenge? And, how do the Crusades relate to all this?

The idea of a working man becoming friends with the Emperor as well as marrying into nobility is silly. The same would go for a noblewoman who loves Pietro...such things just didn't happen back in the 12th and 13th centuries.

So is this costume drama worth seeing? Well, it's certainly NOT something you should rush to see. It's an okay film with some stilted dialog and unlikely situations. I see it as a pretty time-passer, as it is in color and looks pretty nice....but is nothing more.

"Pietro" (Ricardo Montalban) has vowed revenge on the dastardly "Count Siniscola" (Michael Ansara) after he imprisoned then killed his father many years ago. The fly in his ointment is, though, that he has a crush on "Iolanthe" (Betta St. John) whom he has known since his youth, and whom he learns is to be betrothed to the son of the evil Count. To avoid this fate worse that death they elope - but are captured. She begs for his freedom and it is given, in a most perilous way. Luckily, he encounters the King (Whitfield Connor) in the woods and they concoct a cunning - if somewhat over complicated plan that could serve both men well. There is an hell of a lot packed into this film; plenty to make Machiavelli proud, and Montalban is actually not bad in the lead. The rest, though, don't really work at all. St. John and the manipulative "Elaine" (Carolyn Jones) look the part OK, but neither have the dialogue or the presence to elevate this beyond a Crusader's version of a sword and sandals escapade where the sets wobble. It's colourful, and decently paced - just way too messy - it needed more of a budget.

With a producer such as Sam Katzman, you could not expect a masterpiece, but technicians and actors did their best to gives us something acceptable, bearable. Lousy and cheap production design can't enhance the quality of this period adventure flick, about which it is not necessary to find any historical accuracy. What could you expect more with such a producer? Sam Katzman was the most inspired in crime dramas, gangster films, certainly not this kind of sword and sandal, that even a small kid would despise. The Universal or Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios gave us ten millions times better stuff. Shame on Katzman, to spoil such historical, period action yarns.