Le seigneur de la guerre

Everything in this movie is so real. The attitudes of each other the costumes the setting and on and on. Notice the actors never changed clothes. The tower was spartan just as it would have been. There has not been a movie that packs this level of realism.

I saw the film when it first came out and enjoyed Heston and Boone, but thought the female lead was a bust. I also was disappointed as I thought the film was disjointed. Sometime later I read Heston's comments. It seems there was a change of people in the front office at the studio and they recut the movie and added some more battle scenes. According to Heston they had a great script and story.

I have thought for years that I would like to see the movie as it was directed. After all Frank Schaffner was a great director, who later on did "Planet of the Apes" and " Patton". I think there would be a market for the original cut, if the cuttings are still around. They could in effect re-release it. Now THAT would be something. There is no end to the way the studios can make money again and again on the same movies, is there. He He Althought I often question thier intelligence. Remember when they tried to stop the VCR's and throw away a whole new source of revenue.

I was a little kid seeing this in the theatres for the first time and I remember that before the credits ran Heston and Forsyth did a little introductory summary about the middle ages speaking directly to the audience. I can't remember exactly, but I think they also addressed the issue of the violence in the movie - which by today's standards is pretty mellow. It seems to me they talked about it as adding credibility to the film in terms of historical content. When does that happen anymore? I don't know if it's included in the DVD but it would be cool. I also think Franklin Shaffner was a wonderful director. No slop. No unnecessary scenes. And as good as Heston is, the performance that blew me away was given by Guy Stockwell. Oh my god. How was his brother Dean more visible in the industry? I don't know. And of course Richard Boone was terrific - especially in his last tender scene comforting Heston - the son he never had. I usually hesitate watching movies that I saw as a child because I don't want to lose the special feeling they gave me as a child, but this one certainly retains the romanticism and excitement found in a few other movies such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Samson and Delilah, and Demetrius and the Gladiators. Definitely an "A".

The War Lord is Chrysagon, as essayed by Charlton Heston, a knight come to a moody medieval place with his retinue to take charge. This is one of Heston's best performances, as he actually loses himself in the role, at least in a few spots, rather than projecting his standard Chuck persona. He's somewhat superstitious, as everyone is during this period, longing for a little love which he never had a chance to have before, and in strange, if expected, competition with his younger brother (Stockwell). The fighting scenes are excellent, a bit ahead of their time, even if they don't seem so now. Back then, having guys clanking swords always carried the same limited appeal, but here there's some nicely energetic choreography, quite complex in places. As someone states near the beginning, the atmosphere has a queer, moody tinge and all the players seem caught in a suffocating tragedy waiting to happen. Director Schaffner, as he would continue in later films, conveys a reality to all the proceedings, despite a rather fantastic setting from our point of view in modern times.

Most of the actors are terrific. Boone is Boone, being his usual tough ornery personality; no one would mess with this guy. Stockwell is tremendous; it's a shame he only appeared in a few more films which no one went to see and faded. He's very intense here, his envy of his brother and coveting his station a palpable energy. Forsyth, the object of Heston's desire, does seem out of place, never really in sync with the rest of the cast. In a way, this works in her character's favor, what with the suggestion of witchery surrounding her. Farentino, in an early role, doesn't get to show much range but what he does show is very effective. You genuinely feel for his plight towards the end due to the strong emotion he projects. In all, this is a smaller-scale epic than what one is used to from Chuck ("El Cid" and "Ben Hur" for example) but the almost intimate focus on this patch of land and the small cast of characters works in its favor.

The War Lord stars Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Guy Stockwell, Maurice Evans, Niall MacGinnis, Henry Wilcoxon and James Farentino, amongst others. It's directed by future Oscar winning Director Franklin J. Schaffner (Best Director for Patton), and the screenplay is by PJohn Collier with the adaptation coming from the play, The Lovers, written by Leslie Stevens.

The War Lord harks back to days of yore as we enter the 11th century and ancient Normandy. The film successfully brings the period down to the nitty gritty and doesn't glamorise either the characters or the way of life of the various social dwellers. Time has been afforded the pagan mythologies that existed back then, whilst the upper class' rights such as "droit de seigneur" (ius primae noctis) forms the back bone for our story as Heston's Duke falls for the Druid peasantry virgin (Rosemary Forsyth) he has claimed his right too, tho his inner conflict with the ways irks him so. Thanks to Schaffner the film manages to blend its dialogue heavy plot with some well crafted battle scenes, with the use of weaponry and tactics particularly impressive. You can see that this hasn't just been thrown together as a cash in historical epic featuring Chuck Heston. The cast are strong, particularly Boone and Stockwell, while Jerome Moross (score) and Russell Metty (cinematography) capture the time frame with skill.

Rarely talked about in terms of historical epics, or even Heston epics come to that, The War Lord is however one of the more tightly written and thematically interesting movies from the genre. 7/10