In Like Flynn… November 1, 2006
Posted by John Hodson in : Film & DVD Reviews, Swashbucklers , add a commentFirst published in another form at The DVD Forums.
Was there ever a more charismatic movie star than Errol Flynn? Yes, there are swarms of stars who can boast of being better actors, but was there ever a Hollywood figure more handsome, who the camera positively lusted after, who lit up the screen so incandescently by sheer dint of personality?
And yes, a case can be made for Douglas Fairbanks, an equally dashing, brash, larger than life personality. But as his natural screen successor, it was Flynn who this movie fan wanted to be when he grew up. I wanted to buckle my swash with style, throw my head back and laugh in the face of danger, skewer Basil Rathbone at every available opportunity, dance across huge castle rooms, the fire thowing my humongous sword toting shadow across the walls. As for Olivia de Havilland, to be frank, Flynn could have her. I’m more of an Ava Gardner kinda guy (and I suspect the testosterone rich Tasmanian would have joined me in that sentiment; in like Flynn indeed…)
So; The Prince and The Pauper, a 1937 swashbuckler, directed by William Keighley (later to oversee The Adventures of Robin Hood before being ousted by Michael Curtitz; Warners wanted a director who could deliver more oomph…), with an Erich Wolfgang Korngold score, and Errol Flynn getting into his stride as a Hollywood star. The real deal, right? A genuine Flynn swashbuckler of the first order? Well, not quite…
For a start, though he gets top billing (this was two years after the sublime Captain Blood and the year after The Charge of the Light Brigade), Flynn doesn’t actually hit the screen until half way through our tale. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.
Based on an intriguing ‘what if’ story by Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper (this was the third filmed version, out of a total of 10 thus far) invites us to imagine the court of an aging Henry VIII (Montagu Love excellent as a Holbein-esque monarch). His son Prince Edward (Bobby Mauch) is not the sickly child of history, but a gutsy, bossy King in waiting. After he sneaks into court, put upon beggar boy Tom Canty (Billy Mauch) and the Prince change clothes - but they look identical (why is never explained). The King, now in rags, is mistaken for the urchin and thrown out of the palace, leaving Tom in royal regalia, alone, afraid, and taken for the now missing Prince.
The evil Earl of Hertford (the magnificent Claude Rains) sees his chance to take the crown for his own, and using the beggar boy, has himself dubbed Lord Protector when the King dies. With me so far?
The Prince, meanwhile, soon finds that life outside the palace is not a bed of roses, is set upon, but rescued by dashing blade Miles Hendon (Flynn). But the boy is now in real danger when the Earl decides he must be found and killed before the beggar is crowned. Can Miles save the day before a pauper is crowned King of England and the Earl seizes power?
This is a fantastic production, the costumes and the sets are all first class. Much was made at the time of the set-piece coronation in Westminster Abbey, and it is this scene most of all which is superbly enacted. For modern viewers, used to live broadcasts from the Abbey, it may seem a little passé; for audiences in 1937 this authentically recreated set was a genuine spectacle, a real ‘behind the scenes’ look at English pageantry in all it’s glory.
Freddie Bartholomew was going to play the duel roles of Canty and The Prince, but casting real twins does away with what would have been some dodgy split screen filming; besides the Mauch twins seem to have a high old time, are great fun, and not half as annoying as Bartholomew could be (fine actor that he was). As usual, 16th century London is filled with lots of ‘wotcha’ cock-er-nees, and Hollywood’s English community was plundered by central casting (though it is something of a surprise to see Eric Portman as a courtier). Sergio Leone would have been jealous of some the of characters chosen to play the beggars of Offal Court - those line-etched crumpled, lived in faces! One of my favourite Hollywood ‘B’ actors, Henry Stephenson plays a minor role, and Alan Hale is, for a change, on the wrong side as the murderous Captain of the Guard. Barton MacLane makes a grim father for poor Tom.
It is a typical Warners 1930s swashbuckler, and as such, it’s pretty much a joy from beginning to happy end. Maybe the only bum note is Flynn himself. Never the best actor (though he would, most definitely, hone his craft), here, still pretty naive on-screen, he does occasionally overplay his hand, but there’s enough of that charismatic grin to atone. He may not have been a brilliant thesp, but he was the real deal; a dazzling supernova. When he promises to give one of the bad chaps ‘20 inches of steel’, the audience spends the next 20 minutes or so waiting for Flynn to deliver, and, with a sword in his hand, he doesn’t disappoint. Bliss. So, not the fully formed Flynn swashbuckler, but still great entertainment. Have at ye, base varlet!
Warner’s R1 release, now some three years old, is excellent. The greater percentage of this DVD contains some of the finest examples of vintage monochrome film transferred to DVD. The print has been restored to a very high standard, with few speckles, great contrast and blacks covering the whole grey scale. The transfer is up to the same standard; some of the detailing for a film that is 69 years old is breath-taking, though this is what we’ve come to expect - indeed demand - as the norm from Warners.
Puzzlingly there are a few feet of film - fleeting scenes - that are in comparatively poor shape contrast wise, but one view of the trailer shows how bad it could have been (and how I’ve seen it in the past). It’s brilliant, simply brilliant. Warners have pulled a couple of strokes in the transfer BTW; I’ve a strong suspicion some of the title cards, and the prologue titling, are simply single, cleaned up frames, held on screen for a few seconds. No complaints, but I’m sure this isn’t rolling film.
The sound is mono, obviously, and is also in good shape, with little discernible background hiss. Sadly, there few extras, the aforementioned trailer, and a brief ‘essay’ on Mark Twain on screen, but the quality of the film compensates.
By the way, Warners are going to give us a second Errol Flynn Signature Collection next year (play your own guessing games, but I believe Dive Bomber- already out in R2 - is a shoo-in, and I’ll eat my chapeau if The Adventures of Don Juan and The Charge of The Light Brigade aren’t there too). But, if, for some unaccountable reason, you haven’t got what we must now call Volume 1, then you’re in luck - it’s currently on offer at Deep Discount DVD for $26.60, plus shipping here - hurry!