Les aventures de Quentin Durward

The Adventures of Quentin Durward is directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted to screenplay by Robert Ardrey and George Froeschel from the Walter Scott novel. It stars Robert Taylor, Kay Kendall, Robert Morley, George Cole and Alec Clunes.Music is by Bronislau Kaper and Eastman cinematography by Christopher Challis.

"Our story begins in Scotland in 1465~~when knighthood was a drooping blossom~~but the Scot, as usual, was poor in naught but cash."

So it begins, the tale of Quentin Durward (Taylor), who travels to France to find out if the Countess of Marcroy (Kendall) will make for a suitable bride for his aging uncle. Once there, though, Durward gets wrapped up in the political shenanigans of King Louis XI (Morley) and the Duke of Burgundy (Clunes). More pressing, mind, is that the Countess and Durward are attracted to each other.

The third part of an unofficial swashbuckling trilogy made by Richard Thorpe and Robert Taylor, Quentin Durward comes out after Ivanhoe (1952) & Knights of the Round Table (1953). Out of MGM's British studio at Elstree, film is delightful in period flavours and potent as a costume romance, but sadly lacking in vigorous wonders. The weakest of the three Thorpe/Taylor swashers, picture often has tongue planted firmly in cheek as it unfolds its story amongst some marvellous French and English locales. Cast are good value, especially the likes of Morley & Clunes, but Taylor at 44 is a bit long in the tooth to be entirely convincing in the derring-do department.

Good honest fun in the main, if a little too plodding in patches, but a climatic bell tower duel played out on swinging ropes is alone worth viewing the film for. 6/10

This is a film to be watched with a wide and affectionate grin. Outstanding are Robert Morley as Louis XI, the infamous and wily 'Spider' of France, and Robert Taylor as the eponymous Durward, a would-be chivalrous hero born out of his time who is none too sure of himself. The necessary, and highly satisfactory, heroics are spiced with a rich leavening of humour and some genuine moral questions - how much should a man sacrifice for his country's sake? His love? His life? His honour?

But above all it is a joyous and thrilling romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. Durward wants to be a knight in shining armour, but circumstances tend to conspire against him, and his lady is definitely the stronger-willed of the two; though like the audience, she cannot resist his puppydog charm. And ambiguous, cynical, cowardly Louis is often in danger of stealing the show outright, as he sits at the centre of his web and pulls the strings that manipulate all the other characters - a far-from-two-dimensional villain after my own heart!

Definitely a superior swashbuckler, with a saving vein of humour.

One of the best sword and pageantry epics of the 1950s is MGM's "Ivanhoe". It's exciting, well acted and simply fun. However, despite "Quentin Durward" also starring Robert Taylor in yet another Sir Walter Scott novel, the experience is not nearly as satisfying. In fact, while the film isn't bad, it is a bit long and tedious at times.

When the story begins in the late 15th century, Quentin's elderly uncle is planning on marrying. While he is far from a great catch when you see him, he is a minor nobleman whose title would make a decent match back in the day. But before this old goat marries, he wants Quentin to leave their beloved Scotland and go to see the woman in France. He wants to be assured she's beautiful AND rich! Unfortunately, she's both....and Durward himself is smitten with her. There's a lot more to the film, involving Quentin going into the service of the very duplicitous King Louis...but essentially all this is subserviant to the romance.

The film looks good and was filmed on location. The castles are real and the costumes very nice. But the story itself and dialog...sluggish and hard to love. I found myself feeling tired throughout the film...and that normally means the film is a bit of a bore.

By the way, the portrayal of the Gypsies/Romani in this film is far from being politically correct. Deal with it or just skip the film.

For a French viewer,it is always much fun to see how Hollywood treats our history.For sure,Louis the Eleventh would be amazed if he saw the Château de Chambord in his kingdom whereas this castle (400 chimneys)was built more than thirty years after his death.But on the other hand his castle of Plessis -Lès-Tours (Lès doesn't mean 'the' but "next to" ) was his favorite residence:it's here that he kept his Fillettes (=girlies) where he imprisoned his enemies.Unfortunately these cages do not appear in the movie.

However,Hollywood shows the historical figures as French conventions do in cinema:Robert Morley's shrewd smart king and Charles Le Téméraire (Charles the Bold)are depicted in the same way as in "Le Miracle Des Loups" a French classic swashbuckler which was filmed twice ,the first version by Raymond Bernard in the silent age.

"Quentin Durward" is entertaining stuff,suitable for the whole family but it is not as exciting as "Knights of the Round Table "-which featured a more beautiful leading lady in the shape of Ava Gardner- or mainly "the prisoner of Zenda" ,my favorite Thorpe movie.Besides,the part of the villain is too underwritten (remember James Mason in "Zenda").Best moment:the duel among the bells .

Mid-point in his career Robert Taylor was given Quo Vadis and was such a success in it that MGM then gave him Ivanhoe and Knights of the Round Table and finally Quentin Durward. Taylor did not like these films, he referred to them as his "iron jockstrap roles." He much preferred westerns and modern pictures. But he went with the flow so they say.

The stream flowed well for him in Quentin Durward. What Walter Scott was trying to do in the novel and succeeds on the screen is juxtapose the lives of noble knight Quentin Durward and the scheming spider king Louis XI of France played superbly by Robert Morley. Louis XI is modern man, stripped of all pretenses, surviving on his wits. Durward is a figure from antiquity even in the 15th century.

Louis XI is one of the most fascinating monarchs in history and we've seen him as a supporting character both in If I Were King and in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was a guy who if one scheme didn't work, he had a backup plan, in fact about 5 or 6 backups. Most of us are lucky if we have 2 in any situation. But he had to rule that way. When he took the throne of France in 1461 they had ended the Hundred Years War and France was a devastated country. He couldn't afford to be starting any wars or he wouldn't have a country left. He had to rule by wile and stratagem and he succeeded. Too bad Robert Morley didn't make a film just about Louis XI. Great story, hope someone does it some day.

One of the most exciting action sequences in film history is done here with Quentin Durward battling the villainous Walter DeLa Marck in a burning bell tower while they are both swinging on ropes holding bell clappers. You should see the film for that alone.