The Flame and the Arrow

source: The Flame and the Arrow

The setting is 12th century northern Italy where German oppressors have conquered the villages and leaving the townspeople in fear, but groups of rebels arise and one in the town of Lombardi is led by carefree fighter Dardo Bartoli. Dardo should have plenty of reasons to be angry at Count Ulrich, the head of the oppressors in the village since years ago, Dardo's wife Francesca ran off with the count leaving Dardo with his son Rudy. When Ulrich plans to abduct Rudy to better his life, Dardo fights with everything he's got, but his son is captured and Dardo barely escapes with his life. Dardo and his band hold as prisoner Anne de Hesse, a noblewoman who is a guest of Ulrich and Dardo plans to use her as bait for his son. The Marchese Alesandro de Granazia has also joined Dardo's outfit, but for his own reasons to marry Anne and seize the throne from Ulrich. After Marchese has betrayed both Dardo and Ulrich, Dardo plans a scheme to get his son back and free the town. The film has a good deal of swordplay and action (most fun to watch are the acrobatics by Lancaster and Cravat) but the plot doesn't really take hold of this audience member or run smoothly for that matter. While Ulrich and Marchese are definitely the villains, the characterization given them really doesn't impress me as being a villain worthy of our hero. Mayo is good looking and is a good enough actress to carry herself here, but the way her character is developed doesn't give her much use. Te climax with the circus acrobats mixed in is well staged, and the final showdown between Dardo & Ulrich is excellently handled, but can't really make up for the unimpressive script. Rating, 6.

Mostly quite silly and hammy. There's only one good reason to see this... Set in medieval times, Lombardy in northern Italy is under the rule of the Hessians. A man, Dardo Bartoli, emerges to defy the rulers. The movie is essentially Robin Hood set in Italy, and not a good adaptation either. Quite unoriginal and predictable central plot and quite silly sub-plots. Performance are quite hammy. You wouldn't know Burt Lancaster would go on to become one of the biggest actors in the world he is so unconvincing. Fortunately, there is one performer that stands out: Virginia Mayo. She is stunningly beautiful and puts in the best performance of the movie. She's the only reason to watch this movie.

Both this film and The Crimson Pirate established Burt Lancaster's reputation in the swashbuckling genre. When discussing Lancaster's career even with Oscar nominations and one Oscar for roles vastly different than who he plays in The Flame And The Arrow, I find it fascinating that so many still refer back to these films and label Lancaster a swashbuckling star like Errol Flynn. Taking place in medieval Lombardy, the province is part of the Holy Roman Empire and they have a particularly evil Hessian provincial governor in Frank Allenby, known as "the Hawk" for his partiality to falconry and for his rapacious designs. Five years before, Allenby just took for himself the bored wife of Burt Lancaster played by Lynne Baggett leaving him to raise their son Gordon Gebert. Now however Allenby at Baggett's suggestion comes in and takes Gebert away from a wounded Lancaster. Up to this time Lancaster has lived isolated in the mountains. Now he finally decides to join the rebels in revolt against Allenby and the Empire. Nothing like a little child stealing to provide motivation. Before taking up acting Lancaster and his partner Nick Cravat were circus performers and his natural abilities in that direction made producers want to cast him in films like The Flame And The Arrow. But Lancaster knew his talent and always tried and succeeded in getting better parts. He never did want to have the career of Errol Flynn. Burt also gets the opportunity to romance Allenby's niece Virginia Mayo who is being offered to a recently impoverished count Robert Douglas in the hopes of peace and unity. Douglas however is working an agenda all his own in The Flame And The Arrow. Mayo is curiously enough the mirror image of Baggett. She's bored with court life and finds certain attractions among the peasants especially the lusty and charismatic Lancaster. And Burt has the charisma going full blast in this film. As well he would have to, otherwise why would the peasants be following him. It's an expansive part and no one could be as expansive as Burt Lancaster when the part called for it. The Flame And The Arrow holds up well today. It should as it has a universal theme of a man protecting his child.

Story is about 12th Century Lombardy under the iron heel of German Overlord Count Ulrich "the Hawk', but guerrillas resist. The plot begins five years before this time when Ulrich steals away the pretty wife of Archer Dardo who has no interest in joining the rebels. But this changes when his son is take from him. Burt Lancaster plays Dardo and Virginia Mayo plays his wife Anne. What steals away from the movie are the real actual acrobatics of warfare in those days. Fantastic circus performers show their skills. Lancaster, himself, was a circus performer, and certainly shows his muscular skills in this! Great fun!

I wanted so much to see this movie in 1950 but for a lack of a penny I missed going. I could only come up with eleven cents and I cried. I had seen the Preview the previous month and it looked so exciting. I can still see the preview showing some of Lancaster's stunts. He was a Movie Hero of mine then and still is one of my all-time favorite Actors. In 1997 my wife bought me a VHF copy as I had told her of my disappointment. The plot and acting was amateurish and the only redeeming feature was the stunts. They also could have been better choreographed. I would have rated the movie higher then, it suited an Audience of Children. The plot was thin and copycat plus not well-researched. Disappointed again, maybe as a kid it would have impressed me.

This is a film to watch without major pretensions and being aware that it's an unrealistic costume adventure with a lot of comedy in it. It is an all Burt Lancater vehicle of his early days when Errol Flynn was aging and the top movies swashbuckler throne was empty (Tyrone Power was looking for more serious roles). Lancaster repeated the experience two years later and very successfully too with "The Crinsom Pirate" and then he turned to westerns and more compromising roles which he did very well indeed too. In "The Flame and the Arrow" Lancaster is side kicked by his friend and previous days circus mate Nick Cravat and both deliver their acrobatic skills while fighting tyranny in the person of mean Hessian ruler "The Hawk" played by Frank Allenby. Robert Douglas is there too in another of his accurate villain performances. The feminine presence was brought by Virginia Mayo a regular damsel in distress in costume adventures in the 50's. I remember I enjoyed this film very much when I first saw it as a kid and so did all my friends. Perhaps today it would not be very interesting for youngsters, but in my opinion it hasn't lost its undeniable charm and I'm sure those of us who saw it back in the early 50's can remember the theatre in which we saw it some fifty years ago.

Lively, colorful period romp in the Warners’ style made in the wake of ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) – featuring the same villain, Robert Douglas, no less – but actually fashioned after their most successful swashbuckler, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938). Burt Lancaster – with his acrobatic training and cheerful countenance in full bloom – is perfect casting for the heroic role of Dardo, a kind of Italian Robin Hood (even down to displaying similar prowess as an archer); Virginia Mayo, then, makes for an ideal heroine – like Olivia De Havilland’s Maid Marian, playing a noble woman who’s gradually drawn to the outlaw’s cause. Again, like the 1938 Robin Hood film, we have two villains: Frank Allenby as a tyrant known as “The Hawk” and the afore-mentioned Douglas as a Marquis; the latter’s role is interesting in that, banished by the former for tax evasion, he manages to infiltrate Lancaster’s band (along with his smart companion, a troubadour played by Norman Lloyd) and outwardly reform – but, when the opportunity arises, proceeds to reveal their plan of attack to Allenby! Other twists and quirks to the Robin Hood formula (the sharp script was written by Waldo Salt, later an Oscar winner for MIDNIGHT COWBOY [1969]!) are the fact that Lancaster’s wife has left him for Allenby - their spirited son has remained with Lancaster, whom he idolizes, but is eventually captured and thought good manners against his will; when Lancaster imprisons Mayo in exchange for his son’s freedom, he keeps her chained by the neck to a tree!; for no apparent reason other than that he's able to, one of Lancaster’s men uses his feet to write ransom notes, etc.; Lancaster is sent to the gallows but, here, he gives himself up rather than being captured and actually fakes his own death!; and the climactic struggle inside the castle, which the gang penetrate incognito (this time dressed-up as a band of strolling players). The obligatory swordfight between Lancaster and Douglas, then, is given a novel touch by being partly set in the dark – the only evident nod to the noir style director Tourneur is best-known for! The film itself received a couple of Oscar nominations for Ernest Haller’s gorgeous cinematography and Max Steiner’s marvelous score (it too bears a striking resemblance to Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s unforgettable work on THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD – as do the castle interiors – but this takes nothing away from the quality of THE FLAME AND THE ARROW itself!). Also worth noting in the cast is Nick Cravat as Lancaster’s mute sidekick: in the star’s days as an acrobat, he had been his partner and would often work with him in films – basically reprising his role here in Lancaster’s next swashbuckler, the seafaring THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952; incidentally, also surprisingly but vigorously helmed by an expert in film noir, Robert Siodmak). Speaking of the latter, a couple of years back I re-acquainted myself with it via a rental of Warner’s bare-bones DVD edition – but its predecessor/companion piece is, mysteriously, still M.I.A. on disc...

Although I gave both movies the same vote,I think that Crimson Pirate has more to offer. Anyway,"the Flame and the Arrow" still remains a very entertaining movie with great action sequences. The acting is also very good,especially by one of my personal favorites Burt Lancaster(Dardo) and Nick Cravat(Piccolo),who both clearly enjoy their role and that's why they did it again in "the Crimson Pirate".The acrobatic sequences are sublime and really done by both actors,since they were old acrobat buddies. Like Steve Macqueen would do later on on a bike,Lancaster is the hero who can show his acrobatic skills.Especially the last sequence of the movie shows that. Another great part of the film is the presence of the always beautiful Virginia Mayo,in my opinion the most beautiful actress ever together with Grace Kelly. The story is not very hard to follow,which makes it more entertaining to pay attention to the several great action sequences,like the first attempt of Dardo to rescue his son and the final battle,which is maybe a bit chaotic. Still,it has some weird and sometimes even unexplainable moments.For instance,when young Rudi is captured by Ullrich's men he laughs in the camera where he should be crying. And there is a very strange sequence near the end of the movie when the circus master looks at the bear and there is a guy with a wooden leg(!!) standing in the corner,absolutely weird! Overall,a very entertaining medieval period movie! 9/10

"The Flame and the Arrow" takes the story of Robin Hood and transfers it from England to Italy. The scene is set in twelfth-century Lombardy, at a time when that area was subject to the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The villain of the piece is Count Ulrich the Hawk, the cruel German overlord of Lombardy. The Robin Hood figure is Dardo Bartoli, a hunter and skilled archer who leads a group of rebels against Ulrich after being outlawed, with the mute Piccolo the equivalent of Little John. There is also another villain, the Marchese Alessandro di Granazia, and a Maid Marian figure in Anne of Hesse, a beautiful German aristocrat who takes the side of the Italian rebels and falls in love with Dardo. The film which obviously inspired this one was the Errol Flynn version of "The Adventures of Robin Hood", made twelve years earlier. Burt Lancaster, who had previously been a gymnast and a circus acrobat, was an obvious choice to play Dardo, the sort of swashbuckling role which Flynn had made his own in the late thirties and forties. (Lancaster was to go on to play similar roles in other films such as "The Crimson Pirate"). Here, he gets plenty of opportunity to display his athletic talents, doing all his own stunts, many of which (such as the scene where he swings from the chandelier) were clearly inspired by "Robin Hood". Unlike Robin Hood, who is normally portrayed as a Saxon nobleman leading his people against their Norman oppressors, Dardo has a personal reason for resenting the German rulers of Lombardy. His wife Francesca has left him in order to become Count Ulrich's mistress, and much of the plot concerns Dardo's attempts to rescue his son Rudy, whom Ulrich has kidnapped. I felt, however, that the film did not make enough of the Dardo/Francesca/Ulrich triangle. Francesca is a minor figure who plays little part in the action, and Dardo's climactic duel at the end of the film (paralleling the one between Flynn and Basil Rathbone in "Robin Hood) is with the secondary villain Granazia, not with Ulrich, who is portrayed as being too cowardly to face his rival man-to-man. Burt Lancaster was a much more versatile actor than Errol Flynn; I could not, for example, imagine Flynn in "The Birdman of Alcatraz" or "Lawman" or "The Train". (Or if he had made a version of "The Train", it would have had had Labiche leaping from carriage to carriage across the roof of the train, fighting hand-to-hand duels against the Nazis in a desperate attempt to rescue the priceless artworks). Within his relatively narrow range, however, Flynn ruled supreme, and for all his athleticism Lancaster never quite brings to his role the panache and charisma that Flynn brought to his in "Robin Hood" and similar films. Unlike some reviewers, I did not see the film as a "spoof" of the swashbuckling genre, a type of film which was always characterised by a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek tone. It was, however, a genre with its own conventions, and "The Flame and the Arrow" was clearly intended to fall squarely within those conventions, not mock or parody them as, for example, Mel Brooks did in "Robin Hood- Men in Tights". Although it is enjoyable enough it is not, however, among the best of the genre- certainly not when compared with films like "The Adventures of Robin Hood". 6/10