Why is it that people who write movie reviews always expect a message from the movie or the movie to make some social statement, or worse yet each movie has to have academy award performances. King Richard and the Crusaders will never win an academy award for anything. Is it pleasant escapism, absolutely. Knights in armor, damsel in distress, nefarious plots all over the place, swords, pitched battles, good lord all that and you want academy award dialog as well?????? Many a rainy Saturday I crawled up in my chair and watched this movie. Accept it for what it is and don't try to milk more out of it than what is there. As for it being in the top 50 worst movies.. Like I said some people should not review movies. These kinds of film were being pumped out like cannon fodder in the early 50's. Ivanhoe, the Black Knight etc. Even Ivanhoe was not any type of academy award film and yet it received some very favorable reviews. So if your going to post reviews, reflect on what the movie is before slamming it for no good reason.
Reviews
12 Reviews
The Magic Carpet
(1951)
it's not that bad
12 January 2007
I totally disagree with some previous comments. It seems as though everyone wants message films, or biting dialog for a picture to be great. Whatever happened to films being made strictly for entertainment sake. If you are looking for academy award performances forget it, but for a rainy afternoon and you just want some simple escapism then this is just the thing. The interesting thing about the whole movie was how Lucille Ball foiled all of the bigwigs who tried to put the screws to her by offering her this movie to fulfill her contract obligation. they all thought she would turn them down but she fooled them and accepted and as soon as the film wrapped she was gone.
El Cid
(1961)
The greatest epic of them all
26 August 2005
I consider this to be my all time favorite film. It has everything, romance, pageantry, action, adventure. I thought they could have expanded a bit more on the wars that the Cid did during exile. However I have to dis-agree with one review that stated the music was not up the composers former work. I have worn out three albums playing the sound track over the years. Some of the selections stand alone even if they were not a soundtrack. This movie should have easily whipped West Side Story for all of the Oscars. I have seen both and W.S.S does not measure up to Oscar material in my book, it was just a colorized, modernized Romeo and Juliet. Seen that tripe a few times. Nope El Cid should have gotten more than it did. It is a shame that they don't make movies like this any more. I have seen kingdom of heaven and it comes in way behind.
The Man in the Iron Mask
(1939)
Great old swashbuckler
25 August 2005
All positive comments are agreed to. This is truly one of the finest ones. The only minor dig that I could come up with is that they could have had more dueling sequences. Louis Hayward was capable of more robust fencing than what was portrayed here and I don't think they utilized his skills to any great degree. Outside of that this is a truly enjoyable film, black and white or not and while I don't advocate doing every B/W film over by colorizing it, I think I would like to see what this one Australia, What Guy Pearce Remake??????? Guy Pearce did Count of Monte Cristo, not M.I.T.I.M. as far as I have been able to determine.
Swordsman of Siena
(1962)
Great Movie
7 February 2005
This one of the best of the genre. the swordplay is fantastic and the costumes excellent. the only fault i find is the dubbing. The plot is a bit thin but who cares. If you like swordplay the technical aspects of this film are hard to beat. The character that Granger plays is one that he seems to be at home with. The wit and banter between him and his co-star are funny and to the point. The film lacked only the final duel, between Granger and the villain. The end I felt was anti-climatic. However the beauty of Sylva Koscina more than makes up for the films shortcomings. In my opinion they could have come up with someone other than Christine Kaufman for the secondary female role.
Big Jake
(1971)
Solid and entertaining
28 September 1999
This is by far one of the best of the "Dukes" films. A great boxed set to put together would be this along with Mclintock, El Dorado, and The Quiet Man. The Duke should have one the A.A for T.Q.M. instead of for True Grit.
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
(1964)
not enough adjectives
28 September 1999
This has got to be one of the best films of all time. Tony Randall should have gotten an academy award for this, if for no other reason than the amount of roles he played. This is truly what movies are about. ENTERTAINMENT, not sublime messages or social commentary
By the Sword
(1991)
not for professional fencers
24 September 1999
Hey, so the fencing is a bit hokey. The movie is "not" about fencing, if it were we would all be asleep in 10 minutes. I have fenced on and off for over 30 years so I know a little bit about it. I would rather watch something like this than any fencing bout ever put on. So all you purists out there, lighten up. Like the movie for what it is, don't dis-like it for what it isn't. The story was not about fencing, the fencing was only a backdrop to the story.
At Sword's Point
(1952)
great adventure
22 September 1999
i have this movie in my home library, both as a purchased film and having taped from amc. the fencing sequences are some of the best on film. i do not think enough has been said of robert douglass. his fencing skills must have been superb since he fought with all of the best duelists in hollywood, errol flynn, cornel wilde,burt lancaster to name a few. all good leading men need a bad guy, and r.d. was very good at being bad.
Scaramouche
(1952)
the greatest
17 September 1999
one of the greatest swashbucklers of all time. no message no hidden agenda(which is what siskel + ebert seem to want >in every movie) just pure entertainment. there are only >two other movies that can compare with the fencing in this >movie, cyrano de bergerac(1950) + swordsman of siena(1962) i have all of these in my collection.
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