Reviews (30)

A very silly but lovely 1950s soap opera
There are some wonderful reasons to add the newly released-on-DVD "The Best of Everything" to your film library. For one, it is a glittering and colorful glimpse into New York City circa 1959. Fox certainly has done a commendable job with the DVD--the picture quality and sound are both crystal clear. Cinemascope has rarely been this fun to watch, because now one can see it digitally mastered in widescreen with vivid color photography by Deluxe brought to sparkling life.

The film is very, very lush. From the beginning, when the screen fills with a sunny view of the Manhattan skyline to the sounds of Johnny Mathis crooning the Oscar-nominated theme song, you know you are in for grand entertainment. All of the performances are fine, with Crawford a standout.

I think it's funny that although Joan Crawford only has five to ten minutes of screen time in "The Best of Everything," her picture is featured very prominently on the back and front covers of the DVD. The casual watcher may never know that the ultimate movie star had a only a supporting role, yet with that tiny role she managed to steal the entire picture and make it her own!That's star power!

As enjoyable as the film is, it is incredibly flawed. If one was interested in sexist attitudes (concerning men AND women) and how they have changed since the 1950s, there couldn't be a more relevant movie to watch. It is shocking, and sometimes disturbing, how much attitudes have changed.

For example, at one point during the movie, Catherine (played by lovely Hope Lange) is told by David, one of her romantic interests, that once she has proven to herself she can make it in the publishing world (which, in his view, could be the only reason a woman might have some kind of ambition) she should quit it all, get married, and "love happily ever after." Now there is nothing wrong with wanting to be in love happily ever after, but it certainly represents a double-standard. Who would ever tell a man such a thing?Could you imagine Hope Lange telling David that a man's ambition is only him trying to prove himself, and that he should cut it out and love happily ever after? (now I can imagine Joan Crawford saying that to Clark Gable, but there weren't any characters with that kind of will or independence in this film).

So much of the dialogue and morality in the film is dated, and some of it is very disturbing, but there are still some good things about the story. There are some great viewpoints on love, and how casual dating and hookups can hurt people, and my favorite line has to be, "Here's to men, with their clean-shaven faces and their dirty little minds." It's funny to say the least!

OH, YES... TAKE ME BACK TO '59
Yes, please take me back to 1959, to New York in 1959, or even back to Rio de Janeiro, a couple of years before, where I met Rona Jaffe practically every single night at the then world-famous "Sacha's" nightclub, where Rona was already drafting her novel mentally...
When the film started shooting the exteriors in front of the Seagram's building, one could actually walk-up to lovely Suzy Parker and chat with her about how real was the "new morality" of the liberated New York girls in the executive suites, decades before Sex and the City became the post-mortem of the sexual revolution of the Sixties.
At night we had the many parties thrown by Negulesco and his charming wife, while Stephen Boyd was being charming to my wife, Brazilian actress Mariza Woodward, featured in LIFE Magazine as one of the most beautiful gals in Rio.
Oh, yes, take me back!
And if you were not there then, if you were not even born then, do get this DVD and visit New York 1959 and see how charmingly it all started, despite where it eventually ended.

Good Peek into Women in Publishing in 1959
"The Best of Everything" is based on the novel by Rona Jaffe and it's popular fiction roots show.With a wonderful splashy opening song by Johnny Mathis and the sight of young, pretty Hope Lange as Caroline Bender answering an ad (hilariously promising "the best of everything" in a secretarial career) at a posh Manhattan publishing house, the film revolves around three young women seeking their fortunes in the Big Apple. The three central characters (all of whom start in the typing pool at Fabian's Publishing and come to share a cold water flat) include Lange as impeccably and jauntily suited Caroline (she really does wear a suit well), the woman with the most smarts and dignity of the three, who quickly demonstrates a natural aptitude and moxie for the publishing business; impossibly gorgeous Suzy Parker as aspiring actress Gregg Adams (Parker, a top model of the time, seems way too glamorous, sophisticated and beautiful to be lost in the typing pool or ignored by casting agents); and Diane Baker as chirpy, annoying, naive April Morrison, fresh from Hicksville and willing to swallow any hook or line that is thrown her way.Her main goal is to marry.

The usual soap opera commences, but it's fun stuff with lots of dish and dirt.Although the attitudes towards women remind women of why the feminist movement began (sexual harassment tolerated by the resident lecher, Mr. Shalimar, played with alcoholic panache and humor by Brian Aherne; all women with careers looked on as "hard" and having missed the boat in romance; double standard between men and women), honey, anyone who has seen the inside of a secretarial pool today can tell you things haven't changed terribly much beyond --cosmetically--the sexual attitudes. The secretaries storming the Bastille in the morning, brimming with gossip and tales of engagements, are much the same today, and Joan Crawford is believable as the tough editor Amanda Farrow who gives her "girl" a hard time -- with the exception of some of her unintentionally hilarious lines.(When Farrow retires to pursue a love affair, hoping it's not "too late," she later returns and announces, "It was too late.")And what man today would hand his girl socks to darn with she so cheerfully happy to comply?

But it's all fun!My favorite line:when the busload of employees are en route to the company picnic, singing, and Baker chirps to Lange, "Isn't it wonderful?" and Lange says, "I'd rather be shot in the head."

Great Slice of Nostalgia, but NOT campy!!!
After reading the reviews posted here, I ordered "The Best of Everything" with eager anticipation as so many reviewers mentioned the archaic dialogue, gorgeous scenery, and retro sets and costumes.The biggest influenece on my buying this however, was the constant comparison to my all-time favorite movie, "Valley of the Dolls".If you purchase this looking for the same campy, kitschy experience you get from VOTD, you will, like me, be very disappointed.This movie was indeed charming and a great look back at how it used to be, but not a camp delight by any means.Just don't expect something else like I did!

A Manhattan Melodrama Meets a Valley of Dolls
I am still trying to figure out why I like this film (and so many like it), when in truth, the submissiveness of females and their dependence on the love of a man really sicken me.The depiction of women in this film is perhaps a bit more progressive than that in other films of this genre, as the women are, at least, "career women", and much of the story is set in the office, of a large publishing firm, Fabian Publishing.However, among the three key friends and principal characters (played by Hope Lange, Suzy Parker, and Diane Baker), Lange's character Caroline Bender is the only one determined to be an editor.However, at the same time, when her colleague Mike Rice (Stephen Boyd) asks her if she has any ambitions beyond working a year or so, she quite adamantly says "no..none at all"...so, it's a bit contradictory, and frustrating. And he, of course, says it's "wonderful" when she agrees with him that it would be quite satisfying for her to "get her feet wet in publishing for a year or two to prove what she has "to prove", marry a doctor or lawyer, and have babies".UGH!!!But, it's 1959, so, you have to keep it in perspective.

Some of the dialog is beyond hope, but I inexplicably continue to watch this film, every so often.Maybe it's the women's clothing...I love suits, and I miss dressing up for work.(Business casual has been one of several downfalls of today's workplace, as far as I'm concerned). No, but really...perhaps it is because I want to see if at least one of these women wakes up and takes stock in her own life, and throws back all of the garbage that her "sweetheart" dishes out at her.Hope Lange does so to a degree when she rhetorically asks her slime-bucket hometown beau Eddie, in paraphrase, "what is it about men that they think they deserve the most refined, cultured, "respectable" women from the "best schools and the best families" only "part-time", for only fun, but ignore all of the attendant responsibilities that would turn frolic into long-term, serious relationships."She then goes on to say that a number of women will play the same game as men, for a while, but eventually, they'll have to pick up a few extra men of their own, to fill in the time when they're not with the one they really want.I at least admire her honesty about the pitfalls and emptiness of "casual dating" and "hooking up".

The opening credits are very nice...Manhattan in the spring/summertime is always glorious.Though I need to laugh that it's Johnny Mathis singing the title song, "The Best of Everything" (I've always thought that he was a very funny singer...he often breaks what should be long-held notes with silence...perhaps he's breathing, but we don't hear him inhale), it's also perfect....who else would be singing this song for a 1950's movie about finding your way in life and in love.

Joan Crawford's boss is in many ways no different from some of the tyrannical maniacs for whom I've had the complete displeasure to work.Joan Crawford's Amanda Farrow was more or less a direct, no holds barred, right-in-your face "meanie", telling Hope Lange that she does not have what it takes to become a Reader, much less an Editor.And, she did it in front of the rest of the typing pool (how unprofessional is that?).In the 80's, people stabbed you in the back.In the 90's, and to a degree, now, people smile at you directly, and let you believe all is well, until you're laid off in one life-altering second.

I found it inconsistent how the Suzy Parker character started out as an independent, career-minded, aspiring actress, who prided herself on never having needed a man ("to love, and to let go...that's me"), but ended up becoming the most debilitated by the rejection of a man with whom she had fallen in love.And of course, it's also amazing how Diane Baker, fresh from being thrown out of a speeding car and losing a baby (out of wedlock, no less, in the 1950's!) manages to attract the attention and heart of a young, studly doctor when she's still wearing bandages and no make-up in her hospital bed.Wonders never cease in a 1950's melodrama!

If you hedonistically enjoy "Valley of the Dolls", or "Written on the Wind", you'll love "The Best of Everything".
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Reviews (13)

Grand old-fashioned Cinemascope entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released this DVD on May 11, 2004. For anyone who's a fan of the Cinemascope era of the studio, this DVD is a must have. The movie itself is a silly contrivence of the time, based on a popular comic strip, as the illustrations during the main titles show, but it's all well-mounted with excellent photography and a Franz Waxman score that's a prime example of how a composer can really elevate the atmosphere and pace of a movie. The depiction of the era of the story is cardboard, with everyone and nearly everything looking too pretty and well-manicured -- no grubby surfs are anywhere to be seen, and even the comicbook Vikings are too clean -- but it's fun at its own level, even if today the movie's pace is a bit slow. My only complaint is that top-billed star James Mason isn't in more of it. The actor and his character are far more interesting to watch than the story's protagonist and the stiff, young Robert Wagner sporting a silly wig!

Fox has done a decent job of restoration on this 1954 Technicolor film. While the look is dated and the film stock is more grainy than we're used to today, the majority of it looks remarkably good. I suspect much of it was newly struck from the black and white color separation masters, but the frequent lap desolves have the second generation look of excessive grain and poorer color fidelity. There's one bad anomaly in the transfer at 24min.15sec., a 15 second shot that looks to be third generation. It's soft, grainy and blocked-up. Except for a couple rear projection shots elsewhere in the movie, nothing else in the transfer looks this bad. Otherwise this is a fine looking 16X9 anamorphic DVD of a vintage Cinemascope film.

Originally this movie was presented in some theatres in 1954 in 4-track magnetic stereo. Here, what survives of the stereo tracks is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 (not 5.1 as stated in another review here). I'd have preferred if Fox had gone to the efforts of doing a proper 4.0 transfer, but the stereo still sounds good, with the directional dialogue of the era intact, though it can be a bit distracting when left and right speakers are too far from the screen (in theatres the speakers would of course be behind the screen). I found I had to raise the dB level of my rear surrounds to +10 in order to bring out the ambient sound of the film, mostly reserved to the music, but at 1:27min.21sec., when pig fat is used to light fires during the siege of the castle, the mono surround did come alive with fire noise and that was fun.

I'm only giving this DVD three stars because Fox didn't have enough faith (and they may be right) in this library title's marketability to include a commentary track by star Wagner, or a least some feature on the film's production history, and because the sound wasn't remixed for 4.0, but if you're a fan of such films I highly recommend this DVD.

A Viking prince joins the Knights of the Round Table
The Sunday comic strip character gets the CinemaScope treatment and is an entertaining film with plenty of marquee names to attract more than passing interest. The movie holds up quite well 50 years after its release and tells the story of a Viking prince who seeks to overthrow an imposter who has seized the throne of Scandia from his father and return it to King Aguar. Robert Wagner is perfect as the determined and resourceful "Val", as the smitten Aleta [Janet Leigh] calls him, Sterling Hayden is fine as Sir Gawain, the stern but dedicated mentor to the "Viking knave", and the excellent James Mason's suave, polished and calculating Sir Brack has dark, sinister shadings. The film has plenty of action and derring-do, romance, jousting matches at a tournament, palace intrigue, a large-scale battle at the castle in Scandia and an excellent fight with broadswords between Valiant and the Black Knight at the end of the movie. Excellent color photography, realistic sets, beautiful scenery and Franz Waxman's brooding score round out a first-rate film production.

Fun Americanized Arthuruan Adventure!
"Prince Valiant" is a fun, colorful adventure yarn from 1950's Hollywood. It isn't very faithful to the tone or style of Hal Foster's groundbreaking and beautiful comic strip but is far above the average swords'n'armor pic of the era.

Lacking the style of Curtiz's swashbucklers, the solid scripting of Thorpe's "Ivanhoe" or the visual panache of his stunning tribute to the Brandywine illustrators, "Knights of the Roundtable", "Prince Valiant" packs in lots of well executed, wide-screen action, terrific set pieces, wonderful costumes and attractive landscapes.

Done with a straight American accent (apart from James Mason's stage-villain turn as the traitorous Sir Brock) it often reminds one of George Lucas's "Star Wars".

I've shown this to alot of kids & they all love it. Presented in its original 2.35.1 aspect ratio from a really clean print, it looks remarkably good considering it's a B-picture from half a century ago.

Oh, it also stars the wonderful Donald Crisp ("National Velvet", "How Green Was My Valley"). Overall, a steal for the sell-through price. Enjoy!

I'm eleven again
As soon as I began this DVD, I found myself setting in the massive RKO Keith's theater in Downtown Dayton, Ohio. The reason I purchased the disk was for that reason. I am 100% satisfied for in that department.

The film score by Franz Waxman is perfection. It is dramatic and fun. As an adult, I wish that the transfer had been in Dolby 5.1.

The performances are appropriate for this film except for Mr. Mason who does no wrong.

I would like to add that the sword fight at the end of the film is of equal to the excitement found in the final duel in Scaramouche.

SWORDS AND SASHES - AND LOVE THAT HAIR CUT!
Director, Henry Hathaway's film version of cartoonist, Hal Foster's Scandinavian hero, "Prince Valiant" is one of those over-blown, wacky-tacky epics that is impossible to take seriously, but so much fun to watch. Robert Wagner is the rather effeminate looking title character who takes Camelot by storm. Determined to regain his own throne, Valiant uncovers the treachery of the Black Knight (James Mason, in a toss away role) and challenges him. Of course, there's also time for love with bombshell, Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh - who quite often found herself squeezed into a corset during her 1950s film tenure.) The film veers between comic book pulp and self-conscious seriousness, but Hathaway's direction ensures that neither become the vice to sink his epic. Brian Aherne (as a credible King Arthur)and Sterling Hayden (a not so credible, Sir Gawain) costar.
THE TRANSFER: Pretty good. Colors are generally bold, vibrant and well balanced. Flesh tones seem a bit pasty but that's in keeping with early Cinemascope/Eastman color dye transfers. Shadow, contrast and black levels are generally solid. Rear projection photography is more obvious than it should be. Pixelization and edge enhancement are present but do not terribly distract. The audio is 5.1, delivering a nice spread in the music tracks. Dialogue is not natural sounding, but again, this was usually to be expected for the vintage of the film.
EXTRAS: Sorry. Nothing but the film.
BOTTOM LINE: This prince is worth a second glance, but its not quite as glamorous as, say "Scaramouche" so much as it belongs as the bottom half of a double bill at your old-time drive in. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although it was never known for strict authenticity, the elegant 1953 production of Titanic holds just as much fascination as A Night to Remember and James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster. Its original screenplay deservedly won an Oscar® for its brilliant, dramatically involving creation of fictional characters--primarily a strained couple on the verge of divorce (Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck)--whose lives are forever altered on that fateful morning of April 15, 1912. Director Jean Negulesco focuses on this human drama, lending a personal touch to the luxury liner's fatal collision with an iceberg; if the scale-model disaster (complete with motorized miniature lifeboat rowers) looks quaint by modern special-effects standards, it still captures the emotional impact of Titanic's ultimate fate. While Titanic's sinking is inaccurately depicted (here the ship is damaged on the port side, and sinks in one piece), the Webb/Stanwyck relationship is handled with sophistication, style, and well-earned redemption. As would happen with Cameron's Titanic 44 years later, fiction proved a perfect vehicle for tragic factual history. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Best of the Titanic movies!
I don't remember when I saw this the first time,But I much prefer it to its highly hyped 1997 successor. I rented the video the other night and still sniffled at the end. I would imagine most viewers don't know that it won an Oscar.(For best screenplay,I think.) My mother was just thrilled with the very young Robert Wagner. Does anyone know what happened to Audrey Dalton??? One of the best "minor" characters had to be Richard Basehart as the defrocked priest. and wasn't that Edmund Purdom(uncredited) as "Mr Lightoller? Barabara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb were excellent too. Characters much more clearly drawn than in the 1997 version. Class distinction is not as hokey as Jack and Rose. Was Thelma Ritter supposed to be "Molly Brown"? I think the effect of the film in black and white works very well(NO COLORIZATION PLEASE!)

OSCAR should have been aboard THIS ship......
One of my all-time 10 favorite movies (along with ALL ABOUT EVE, GONE WITH THE WIND, AUNTIE MAME, Jane Wyman's THE BLUE VEIL, Garland's A STAR IS BORN, CABARET, Lana Turner's career highlight in MADAME X, 1939's THE WOMEN, and 1953's SO BIG) THIS is the only version of TITANIC anyone should want to keep in their collection of classics. This is the one that should have been an Academy Award champion.....and it is a sin that Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck not only didn't win 1953 Oscars, but were not even nominated. Ditto the wonderful performance of the greatest supporting actress in movie history, Thelma Ritter, as the indomitable Unsinkable Molly Brown. I will never forget the hysteria in Barbara Stanwyck's voice as she screamed "Norman! Norman!" when she realized her young son had slipped out of their life-boat to remain with his dad as the ship sank.....nor the tears in Clifton Webb's eyes when he told the boy what pride he felt for him as the end drew near. Please, don't anyone tell me there was an ounce of reality in the blockbuster, phony '97 version.....This simple black & white movie told the REAL story of the very rich and the very poor suddenly equalized in the face of disaster. And I dare you not to smile as millionaire John Jacob Astor reassures his young, pregnant, second wife with the immortal words "My dear, God himself could not sink THIS ship"......and I defy you not to cry when old Mrs. Strauss refuses to board a life-boat, saying "I've been with Mr. Strauss for more than fifty years....I don't intend to leave him now." This is a classic. This is THE classic. And these people, brilliantly portrayed by brilliant actors, become the ones who were really aboard the TITANIC in 1912.

Literary License Keeps Movie Afloat
We know the ship is going to sink, and we can read the committee reports, history books, and other sources to find out the details of what happened in 1912. This movie presents an innovative plot line that keeps our attention. Importantly, the film also preserves the essential truth of the Titanic disaster: 1,500 people died needlessly on account of arrogance and overconfidence.

THe Best Titanic Film Ever
Aside from the great acting, the special effects, music and staging are supurb. It is much more believable than the most famous Titanic movie and will be remembered long after any others. Buy it and Enjoy

Titanic with heart
I remember crying over this film as a kid, and sitting absolutely unmoved during James Cameron's feelingless epic. True, "A Night To Remember" is more accurate, but if you're one of those people who want to count the windows on the promenade deck, buy a documentary. Unlike some reviewers who can't possibly understand the character's actions during the sinking, it is about dignity and courage, something missing from other depictions of the story. The cast are flawless, and the story of a shallow family's realization of meaning brought about through tragedy is age-old and timeless. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Hitchcock Confesses
This film is seemingly standard Hitchcock fare, with a twist. A man is accused of a murder he didn't commit. That is typical Hitchcock. However, instead of the man trying to find the real murderer while trying to escape the police and criminals, the man knows who the murderer is and he cannot do anything. This is not typical Hitchcock. Montgomery Clift gives a good performance as the priest who cannot reveal the truth. Karl Malden is also well cast. Not the greatest of Hitchcock efforts, but a interesting plot and the Master of Suspense's touch makes this well-worth a look.

ANOTHER FIND FROM HITCHCOCK!
This was another one of Hitchcock's movies that I had never seen, but I'm glad I did! Montgomery Clift, as a priest who knows a terrible secret, is wonderful! (What a great actor he was - I have never seen him give a poor or mediocre performance in any of his films. It's such a pity his life was cut short)Karl Malden and Anne Baxter give good performances, as well, but the movie is all Clift's. The movie has an interesting premise - a murderer confesses his crime to a priest, who is bound by his vows not to reveal anything told to him in the confessional. There was a little too much talk in the film, but the surprise ending more than makes up for any minor complaints I may have had. Alfred Hitchcock's movies are wonderful - classy and intelligent as opposed to some of the rot being churned out of Hollywood today. A great film, a great cast, a great viewing experience into the dark sie of human nature!

clift: probably the greatest screen actor period!
this is by no means a great film, but it's essential for the incredibly intense, internalized acting of montgomery clift.
and that's what so incredible with clift. he could still make thin material like this an unforgettable experience.
it's no accident that brando, james dean, and countless others have named clift their biggest influence.
all potential actors should watch this perfromance, which clift said was inspired by reading kafka and watching chaplin.
it shows.

Remember when Hollywood believed in God?
This is an excellent movie! Montgomery Clift turns in a superb performance as Father Michael Logan, a priest who hears a confession of a murder. Shortly thereafter, Father Logan himself is suspected and, eventually, accused of the murder. Of course, he knows who committed the murder, but he can't break the seal of the confessional even to save his own life! Anne Baxter plays an old girlfriend who tries to help, but ends up making things worse. Karl Malden is very good as a police detective determined to solve the murder.

This is one of the best and most Catholic movies ever! I am a priest, and I encourage all of my brother priests to watch this movie. It is an inspiring look at the kind of priest that God has called us to be. It is also an excellent reminder to all Catholics about the great gift we have in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

a lesser Hitchcock, but still recommended
"I Confess," set in Montreal and starring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter, is not one of Hitchcock's finest, but it's still worthy of your entertainment time. The musical score is rather lugubrious but the plot does move along. Clift presents his trademark longsuffering, noble look throughout, resisting the passionate entreaties of Baxter.

Unfortunately, the murderer with his accent somehow reminded me of Bruno Hauptmann, the German immigrant who may have been falsely accused of the Baby Lindbergh murder. (I 'm not giving away the plot; the opening scene reveals who commit the crime.) I don't accuse Hitchcock of national bias, though, as many of his villains are accentless Americans in other films.

A young Karl Malden turns in a fine performance as a detective, part of the strong supporting cast. There are some good scenes of the beautiful capital of Quebec. Recommended. ... Read more

Description

3 Great Movies on 1 DVD.Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

60'S HOLLYWOOD VERSION OF LANCELOT-GUENEVERE-ARTHUR
Cornel wilde was sort of the bridge wetween Errol Flynn and Kevin Costner. He started out in swashbuckling adventures, then tried his hand directing epic movies, attempting to re-interpret each genre he tackles. Here he tackles the Arthurian romance/medieval epic with a focus on the suffering of passionate love against loyalty and duty.

One can say that a parallel of passions is played out here. Both Guenevere and Mordred want something they can't have, and Lancelot's duty to King Arthur is to deny them both. These two desires wind up working for each other, though in Mordred's case it's deliberate, Gwen's passion makes her not realize the danger she is putting the kingdom in.

Hollywood movies had gotten a little less stiff in how they portrayed romance and love scenes by this time, and Wilde takes advantage of it, giving the romantic leads a little bit more steam than they had in "Knights of the Round Table." It doesn't make the romance much more convincing, however. The trouble with many Arthurian movies is the unconvincing set up for the love between Lancelot and Guenevere ("Camelot" is a significant exception to this). The slightly stilted writing and silly French accent that Wilde puts on doesn't help.

There is plenty of sword-swinging action scenes. There's a joust, two battles, a fight through the castle, and a rescue. There is some innovation in the fight scenes; heads and body parts are cleaved, rather than sanitary thrusts to the armpit. Unfortunately, there is a degree of stiffness to the fighting and battles (unlike the love scenes) that detract from the drama. In the joust Lancelot sits on his horse, standing still, and recieves a lance with nary a quiver. Perhaps the pan-and-scan ("full-frame") presentation is at fault in some bits. In several battle scenes the figure in the center is the guy standing around like he doesn't know what to do. It also seems that some of the weapons, axes and maces, are too big for the one-handed use they are given.

The production design follows 11th-12th century styles of costume, armor, and architecture (mostly). This would match the period in which was written Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain," the foundation of much of the Arthurian legend (ironically, Lancelot is not in that version). Unfortunately there is some stiffness here also. Certain pieces of costume and armor look clumsy and awkward, and of course the chain mail is all Hollywood fake stuff.

This film does have more appeal to fans of the genre than the average movie viewer. It is interesting as a transitional piece between "Knights of the Round Table" and "First Knight" ("Excalibur" is in a different league).

A bit of trivia: In one scene, Gwen talks about a bowman named Diccon. Diccon bowman was a charater in Henry Pyle's "Men of Iron," made into the movie called "Black Shield of Fallworth."

Neither Flynn nor Havilland
Mr and Mrs Wilde (Jean Wallace) suffer a lot, but all their suffering does not touch the heart. Mr Wilde is perhaps too old for this part and uses terrible intonations. Brian Ahearne as a King is very good. Fights are good with a lot of fighters. I recommend Flynn and Taylor epics instead of this. It is not bad, but something is lacking. ... Read more