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If I Were King / Movie- Amazon |
"Where are the snows of yesterday?"
2004-09-27
The wonderful Ronald Colman brings his suave good-nature to the role of Francois Villon, a real-life poet whose times are fictionalized in this Preston Sturges-penned tale. Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee lend excellent support, and the movie is full of typical Sturges wit and eloquence (and even some good poetry).
The year is 1643, the place is Paris, and the good people of the city are being starved to death by the Burgundians, who surround the city in a siege. Life at the palace is cozy though, due to King Louis XI's royal storehouses. The people are not too pleased with this situation and treachery abounds, so King Louis ventures out in disguise to find out who is plotting against him. He overhears Colman bragging about how much better he'd be at running things (hence the title) and decides for a lark to make the poet/thief Lord High Constable. Only momentarily daunted, Villon proves as good as his word; distributing food, earning the people's loyalty, fighting battles and wooing pretty Francis Dee with equal energy. Ronald Colman did not make nearly enough films, in my opinion, and this is a pretty good one. The sets are lovely, the story meandering but interesting, and the dialogue great fun. Rathbone deserves a special mention for his Louis-As-A-Nutty-Cackling-Crafty-Geezer performance. Recommend to all swashbuckler fans, and most especially if you like Colman. GRADE: B+
VILLON A'LA COLMAN.
2002-01-06
Vagabond - roustabout Francois Villon lived in Paris of the 15th century, during the reign of Louis XI. Villon was arrested in a tavern brawl in which the Grand Constable of France was wounded. The perversely sly king was taken with Villon's speech and manner and made him into the Grand Constable for a week............John Barrymore starred in the 1927 silent version entitled THE BELOVED ROGUE; in 1930, Rudolph Friml scored the Broadway musical THE VAGABOND KING which starred Dennis King. In this Paramount film from 1938, Colman is on view in one of his more charming and carefree incarnations as the reckless poet given to romantic flights of fancy & the daring adventurer who's resourceful in a crisis. With elegant grace, he woos his lady fair, played by Frances Dee, and with a slyness spritually saturnine as Rathbone's own, he fences with the crafty king, knowing full well his very existence is on the line. Only Colman, with his eloquent speaking voice, could recite poetry as beautifully: "If I were king - the stars should be pearls upon a string"...... Although the sets, crowd scenes and Preston Sturge's script failed to completely disguise the creaky stage orgins of the piece, it's a beautiful production nevertheless.
A TOUR DE FORCE...
2001-12-16
The velvet voiced Ronald Colman triumphs in the role of Francois Villon, a roguish poet who verbally duels with the canny and crafty King Louis XI of France, played with artistic abandon by Basil Rathbone in an Oscar nominated performance for Best Supporting Actor.A series of circumstances finds Villon made Chief Constable of France by the King's decree. He is given a week to save the City of Paris from the Burgundians, who remain encamped on the outskirts of the city, waiting to move in and depose the King. The people of Paris are on the verge of revolt due to some serious food shortages and draconian punishments meeted out in the name of the King's justice. It looks like the beginning of the end for the King. Villon, however, manages to change the people's sentiment. He uses his power to open the King's food storerooms to the people. He tempers justice with mercy, and he proves his loyalty to the king. He also wins the love of a beautiful princess, charmingly played by the lovely Frances Dee. In the end, he rallies the people of France in the name of the King and the Burgundians are defeated. This film, however, is not an action film. What is notable is the incisive and delightful repartee exchanged between Villon and the King. The dialogue flows fast and furious and is earmarked by a rapier like wit. Clever and sophisticated, it is an unusual costume drama fueled by an outstanding screenplay by the legendary Preston Sturgess. Romald Colman fans will ejoy this film, as will those who enjoy historical dramas and period pieces. 
One of Ronald Coleman's very best costume dramas
2001-06-30
Ronald Coleman plays the 15th-century French poet and vagabond Francois Villon, who is arrested after a tavern brawl in which the Grand Constable of France is wounded. King Louis XI, a barely recognizable Basil Rathbone, makes Villon replace the Constable for a week, after which he will be hanged. But Villon is the perfect advisor on how to govern and when the citizens of Paris are on the verge of revolt against the King, it is Villon who rallies them to defeat the invading Burgundians. The King, as smart as he is crafty, pardons Villon, who gets to live happily ever after with Katherine de Vaucelles (Frances Dee), the lovely young lady of the court who has caught his eye. Coleman, of course, is perfectly suited to the role of Villon, able to make the lines seem like poetry: "If I were king, the stars should be your pearls upon a string" (Wait, that rhymes; it IS poetry!). But equally impressive is Rathbone, who makes the most of a rare opportunity to act, showing that his monarch is more than a bad guy with a crown. It is just marvelous to listen to the verbal duels between Villon and the King as this argue about how to govern France. However this film, directed by Frank Lloyd, is also nice to look at, with grand crowd scenes and action pieces. This 1938 film features a script by Preston Sturges, based on the play by Justin Huntly. I know it is heresy, but I like "If I Were King" better than "The Prisoner of Zenda."
If I Were King, one of Ronald Coleman's best
2001-03-27
"If I Were King" is set in fragmented France without a Charlamagne to meld the country together. Remeniscent of ancient Greece' citystates, Paris has its own king. The movie is based upon true events. Ronald Coleman is a rascal of sharp wit and tongue who is confronted by a seemingly impossible challenge issued by the King of Paris, Basil Rathbone, with his life as wager. In short, Ronald Coleman is a renegade who is forced to summon his wherewithall where his mouth and pen had previously been.In my opinion, "If I Were King" is a *must have* for the library of fellow classic buffs. Ronald Coleman was a rare actor who's transition from silent films so enriched the industry. His starring role in "The Light That Failed," from the novel by Rudyard Kipling, was perhaps his finest and a personal favorite.  Read for more: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=0...
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