Scaramouche
September 2003 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

When it came to looking for stories for action adventure films, novelist Rafael Sabatini was a favorite of the old Hollywood star system. Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk had become vehicles for Errol Flynn in 1935 and 1940, but when MGM decided to make Scaramouche into a film, Stewart Granger was chosen as the star. Today, Granger is less well-known that Flynn, but he was quite dashing and exuberant, as well as refined. Had James Bond been written and cast in the early '50s, Granger would have been a good choice to play him. In Scaramouche he portrays André Moreau, an antiestablishment hero who studies swordplay with Parisian masters so that he can duel with the movie’s villain, the suave, evil count, played by Mel Ferrer. Along the way, he romances Janet Leigh and Eleanor Parker. He takes the name Scaramouche from a traveling theater clown when he takes that actor’s place to go into hiding.

When Granger finally gets his chance at dueling Ferrer it results in one of the longest swordfights in movie history. In a featurette that accompanies the movie on this disc, Ferrer discusses the tricky and often dangerous filming of this and other fights in the film. The fights are spectacular, whether one-on-one or involving crowds. Director George Sidney has a good sense of the period, having directed The Three Musketeers in 1948.

The movie was filmed in three-strip Technicolor and the results were stunning. The DVD transfer preserves almost all the film’s glorious hues. Eleanor Parker’s red hair was seldom seen to greater effect, and Janet Leigh’s blonde locks serve as good contrast. The various tapestries and ornate costumes are rendered perfectly, and outdoor scenes are loaded with rich color. The sound is only limited because it is mono and an optical track. As such, it sounds incredibly good and does equal service at reproducing dialogue and Victor Young’s passionate, melody-driven score. In addition to the Ferrer featurette already mentioned, the somewhat meager extras also include an onscreen print essay on Hollywood sword fights, the theatrical trailer, and a most unusual animated TV spot.

They don’t often make movies like this any more, so it is a good thing that MGM has provided two companion titles in its release, The Master of Ballantrae (***) and The Crimson Pirate (****), both of which first came out in 1952. The Master of Ballantrae, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, presented Errol Flynn as its swashbuckling star. The handsome hero of so many derring-do films was just on the border of passing his prime and often his performance seems more blustery than necessary, and at times becoming downright quarrelsome. A recurring narration slows the action, making this 89-minute movie seem much longer. But William Alwyn’s top-notch music score plus lavish Technicolor photography almost save the day.

Alwyn and Technicolor also figure strongly in the third release in Warner’s 1952 celebration, The Crimson Pirate, but this movie has a lot more going for it. Burt Lancaster sparkles in the lead, oozing pirate-captain charisma that would charm absolutely anyone into believing he was really a good guy. Nick Cravat, who was his close friend in offscreen life, collaborates with him in performing amazing stunts. The script is excellent, mixing fun and adventure in a most appealing manner. It creates a swashbuckler but also contains a Marx Brothers style of craziness, particularly in its chase scenes. Add a beautiful damsel in distress (Eva Bartok), a suave yet nasty villain, rousing fight scenes, and gorgeous sailing ships, and you have one of the best seafaring pictures ever made by a major Hollywood studio. The DVD is spectacular to view; the image has a smooth yet sharply defined film-like quality. The mono sound is quite acceptable, too. However, there are no extras worth mentioning.

Warner has priced these movies in the medium range, making this exciting adventure back to swashbuckling 1952 a real bargain.

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