Königsmark

I was surprised to see an English-language film directed by Maurice Tourneur after he left the US at the dawn of the Sound era. I was equally astonished to see a surprisingly fluent Pierre Fresnay in the lead, but there it is. Perhaps they wanted one and had to take the other. In any case, both hurried back to France after this.

Elissa Landi is ordered to marry Grand Duke Allan Jeayes, but she doesn't love him in any sense of the word; she refers to him as "the Walrus". When the Kaiser asks him to go to Africa for a mission, he dies there.... or does he? And what does a centuries-old tale of two doomed lovers have to do with it?

Based on the novel by Pierre Benoit, this story of intrigue and forbidden love is competently handled, but the fireworks are limited to literal ones about a third of the way through. Otherwise, the screen story becomes a mish-mash of late 19th-century tropes, like Benoit's other oft-screened novel, L'ATLANTIDE. Everyone behaves in a stodgily proper way all the time, except for Hay Petrie as a chemistry tutor. It's all right, but of the genre is much better served by movies like THE PRISONER OF ZENDA and THE SWAN.

Sandwiched between "Justin de Marseille " and "Samson' in Maurice Tourneur's prolific career,"Konigsmark" is a pleasant extravaganza.Based on a Pierre Benoit Novel whose "l'Atlantide" had already been adapted by Pabst,it looks like the legionnaire's adventures in the aforementioned work;both stories try to link an imaginary (kitsch?)world to reality.The concept is better applied on "l'Atlantide" where the legionnaire's routine life is relatively believable.But ,in "Konigsmark" ,when WW1 breaks out ,it is impossible to believe that the world depicted in the court of grand duchess Aurore has something to do with Sarajevo and the impending disaster.

Forget the war and you have some kind of fairytale with a princess, an unfortunate husband,a traitor , a wicked fairy (Melusine!) ,a loyal private tutor (Pierre Fresnay!);spice with a murder mystery ;add a legend of long ago of an impossible love ,an impossible love which comes back like a curse hanging over Aurore and Raoul.And you have a nice story like movie,in a Gothic castle .

Word to the wise:if you like the genre ,try "813:Arsene Lupin Joue et Perd" a miniseries circa 1980 from Maurice Leblanc;it is much better than "Konigsmark"

"Königsmark" isn't the best movie directed by Maurice Tourneur, but however, it is a great pleasure to watch that story around History with a murder related to an old legend in a castle : real Gothic atmosphere close to serial with John Lodge as the bad man, and very quick narration, no useless sequence, every dialogue, gesture, action are necessary and makes the movie captivating. It's also a pleasure to listen to Pierre Fresnay speaking English and see some well known actors in little characters. I discovered Elissa Landi, very good as the determined princess. Nice entertainment.

Wonderful Ruritanian melodrama well played by Fresnay and Landi.