Échec à Borgia

This is a film with nearly all the elements to have been a great film, yet somehow it is merely good. We have the great Orson Welles during his "acting" career in Europe, and he is still young and full of vitality. His protegee Everett Sloan is there to support him and steal the scenes when he can, and Tyrone Power is at the top of his game, never more attractive nor more charming. We also have one of my favorite character actors, Felix Aylmer (Polonius in Olivier's "Hamlet").

The music and photography are excellent although this film could have benefited from Technicolor. And Director Henry King does his usual great job of giving us action as well as character development.

So where does it fall down? It's the female lead. She is terribly miscast and this fails to give us any real involvement at critical points.

If you like good acting, this film should be viewed.

Just this weekend I stumbled across this lovely film on American Movie Classics (AMC)while fiddling around with the old remote. I was absolutely astounded by the realism of the sets: one felt transported to Renaissance Italy. Castles, palaces, towers were all faithfully replicated. The costumes were gorgeous. The armor and weaponry appeared accurate and deadly. Even the catapults were genuine; they did not appear to be models.

The acting was superb! You take for granted that the performances of Welles and Sloane would be excellent. But the very pleasant surprise came with Tyrone Power's portrayal of Orsini. I never considered Power more than just a pretty face (and an excellent swordsman). However, this film changed my opinion of his acting talents completely. In fact, all the supporting cast turned in satisfying performances.

This is a true gem of a film, I would love to see it on the big screen.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that one of Darryl F. Zanuck's reasons for not bestowing three-strip Technicolor on this otherwise all-the-amenities production was that he was peeved at Tyrone Power, still under contract to 20th-Century Fox at the time, for turning down numerous scripts. That's probably an apocryphal bit of trivia since it wasn't very easy for contractees to turn down very many scripts without a dreaded (and costly) suspension, and also one might guess that the amount of frozen lira available for the extensive location shooting of this stunning swashbuckler wasn't as munificent as would have been needed to ship those cumbersome three-strip Technicolor cameras to Italy and to complete the expensive process of photography and the preparation of final release prints. But there's no doubt that color cinematography would have enhanced the final result.

Nevertheless, as other comments on this title attest, the completed film is one that repays repeated viewings. When I first saw it on a TV broadcast I was especially impressed with Henry King's direction, somehow more flexible and attuned to his actors' capabilities than many of the productions which he helmed on U.S. soundstages. I'll certainly add my praise to other IMDbers' encomiums for the male members of the cast, but there should also be a word of thanks for the lovely Wanda Hendrix's portrayal, convincing as a devoted wife of a much older husband, and the brief appearance as the treacherous Angela Borgia by Marina Berti, whose beauty was soon to grace the Technicolored screen as Eunice in M-G-M's "Quo Vadis?" two years later.

And this film also boasts one of my favorite scores by Alfred Newman. From the main title's opening bars, one knows that this is one of his best achievements, with an exciting sweep and, as the film unfolds, a masterful enhancement of the script's many nuances. This one truly deserves a video release. How about it, Fox Studio Classics?

This is the only film whose producer ever rented a country. The tiny country rented to become "Citta del Monte" in Samuel Shellabarger's well-plotted "Prince of Foxes" was actually the real country of Andorra. The historical novel on which this beautifully-paced and emotionally satisfying film was made left Milton Krims, scenarist, with an unsolvable problem--which he proceeded to solve. The plot line involved Tyrone Power as ambitious young Andrea Orsini with Cesare Borgia's scheme to unite and rule Italy; Orson Welles does well as a charismatic Borgia, whose plan it is to marry his sister played by Marina Berti to the Duke of Ferrara; poison will follow, and the key to Italy will drop from the dying Duke's hand into his own grasp. But Andrea must first perform a mission involving the betraying of the strategic Citta Del Monte into Borgia's hands. His Mother, played by Katina Paxinou, is horrified when she hears what he is becoming; and during the mission, undertaken with Everett Sloane as an assassin he takes into service-- his own death having been the one planned--he decides to serve the Lord of the city, ably played by Felix Aylmer and also his daughter, with whom he if falling in love, miscast but hard-working Wanda Hendrix. The final battle is fought, and a happy ending is achieved--for all save Cesare Borgia and those whose death his schemes have wasted. This is a beautiful B/W drama, with lovely sets by Thomas Little,, Alfred Newman's fine music, Leon Shamroy's exquisite photography and period costumes by Vittorio Nino Novarese that I found unforgettable. Kudos also go to Roy D. Webb as 2nd Unit Director for the action scenes that relieve the very competent dialogue portions expertly crafted by director Henry King. This film, which could have been badly made, glows like a ruby set in the hilt of a dagger flashing back the rays of a spring sun. It is well-remembered, and a benchmark of a production against which other historical dramas are measured still.

This is a highly unusual movie simply because of the subject matter--the Borgias and the consolidation of power in the Italian states during the 15th and 16th centuries. I've gotta admit that this earns an extra point or two just for originality. Power plays a soldier of fortune--a role he is well suited for, as in many ways, it's almost like his pirate movies or Zorro! So, the transition is smooth. Also, the story and supporting actors are excellent. I recommend this film especially to lovers of old films and adventure movies. I think some teens and kids would also enjoy it, but considering the short attention-spans of most kids these days, you might think twice before having them watch this movie (or just force them to watch because it's good entertainment by gum!).