Our story takes place in 15th century France, which is going through some...interesting times. The Duke of Burgundy is in open revolt against King Louis XI (Basil Rathbone), and has blockaded Paris with his army. The palace and army has plenty of food, but the same can't be said about the ordinary masses. Theft is rampant, including a daring raid on one of the king's storehouses perpetrated by François Villon (Ronald Coleman) and his gang. To make the situation more dire, someone in Louis's court is conspiring with the Duke of Burgundy, and Louis goes in disguise to a local tavern to find out who it is. Villon, coincidentally, is also there that night, bragging about what a better job he could do running the country, much to the king's amusement. The fun and games stop, however, when the traitor is identified - and then killed by an unwitting Villon when a brawl breaks out.
French rabble-rouser François Villon becomes a representative for a much-despised king in this lavish historical drama from Paramount Pictures. Villon (1436 - ?) is one of French history's more colorful figures. He was supposedly born to a poor family and took the name "Villon" from a foster-father, who was a chaplain. The few facts that are known about him include his attending the University of Paris, from which he got both a bachelor's and master's degree in the arts. Villon was frequently in trouble with the law, including for stealing gold and accidentally killing someone who picked a fight with him. His claim to fame is poetry, usually about people from lower stations in life and the criminal element, and his Le Testament (1461) is considered to be his greatest work. His final fate is unknown, as he disappeared in 1463. Although there's no evidence Villon and Louis ever met, the possibility evidently seemed like too interesting of an idea to not get a good story out of. If I Were King began as a novel by Irish author Justin Huntley McCarthy, which was published in 1901 and adapted to the stage that same year. The play has been adapted for film several times, at least twice in the Silent Era - the first in 1911, and then again in 1920. (William Farnum, who starred in the 1920 adaptation, has a small role in this film.) The novel was also the basis for the 1925 operetta The Vagabond King, which received a film adaptation of its own in 1930. Alan Crosland's The Beloved Rogue (1926), starring John Barrymore as Villon and Conrad Veidt as King Louis XI, was also loosely based on McCarthy's book. (Although The Beloved Rogue is sometimes described as a swashbuckler, I hesitate to call it that due to a complete and utter lack of sword fighting - but I still thought it was entertaining.) The Beloved Rogue (1926) WARNING: Here be spoilers! Read further at your own risk! Our story takes place in 15th century France, which is going through some...interesting times. The Duke of Burgundy is in open revolt against King Louis XI (Basil Rathbone), and has blockaded Paris with his army. The palace and army has plenty of food, but the same can't be said about the ordinary masses. Theft is rampant, including a daring raid on one of the king's storehouses perpetrated by François Villon (Ronald Coleman) and his gang. To make the situation more dire, someone in Louis's court is conspiring with the Duke of Burgundy, and Louis goes in disguise to a local tavern to find out who it is. Villon, coincidentally, is also there that night, bragging about what a better job he could do running the country, much to the king's amusement. The fun and games stop, however, when the traitor is identified - and then killed by an unwitting Villon when a brawl breaks out. With Louis now indebted to Villon, the king appoints him to be his new Grand Constable, and Villon uses his new authority to exercise benevolent justice - which wins the king unprecedented support. He also courts the lovely Katherine DeVaucelles (Francess Dee), who eagerly returns his attentions. However, Louis is anything but grateful, and plans to have Villon executed for his prior crimes once he's served his purpose. And there's still that little matter of the Duke of Burgundy's intended assault on Paris... I'm very sorry I didn't know about If I Were King sooner and haven't had the chance to re-watch it more often, because there's just so much to enjoy here. Ronald Colman can always be counted on to deliver a good, entertaining performance, and he does so here, but this film gives him the chance to play against type. In other movies I've seen him in, he's very proper and reserved, with a healthy dose of perfectly delivered deadpan snark thrown in for good measure. The snark is still here in If I Were King, but much less deadpanned, and Colman is a bit more flamboyant with his line delivery and physical gestures - which makes sense, given the kind of character he's playing (and never to the point where it becomes ridiculous). Frances Dee is fortunate to have more to do in this role than stand around looking pretty and being wooed, unlike too many other leading ladies in costume dramas and swashbucklers from this time period that I've seen. It helps that she's got a good script to play off of, and wonderful natural chemistry with Colman. She's not the only one - Ellen Drew, as Villon's original love interest Huguette, also has a substantial supporting role in the film, giving her the opportunity to deliver a strong, engaging performance. As excellent as everyone else's performances are in this movie, Basil Rathbone's transformation into King Louis XI is nothing less than astonishing. When I saw this for the first time, the instant he appeared and delivered his first line in his first scene, my jaw dropped, and I'm pretty sure I said "oh my God" out loud. He scutters around, emits a high-pitched cackle, and is nothing like the refined, sneering villain I'm used to him portraying. It's an amazing transformation and performance, and if you're a Rathbone fan but haven't seen this film, you owe it to yourself to do so. There must be something about this role that brings out the best in actors - Conrad Veidt similarly nailed it in The Beloved Rogue. (As a fun bit of trivia, Colman and Rathbone had both been in Jack Conway's A Tale of Two Cities (1935), although they didn't share any scenes together.) In addition to its superb acting, If I Were King is one of those movies that gets all the ingredients right and in a perfect balance. Famed comedy writer/director Preston Sturges's script packs a lot of wit and clever turns into the script, while still developing compelling characters, giving the cast some rich material to work with. Frank Lloyd, whose career I briefly covered in my review of The Sea Hawk (1924), was the perfect choice for this kind of film, thanks to his extensive history with movies set in various historical eras. Lloyd's attention to detail serves the film well, with opulent costumes and lavishly-detailed sets (covering over 100,000 square feet of ground and including a replica throne room, with the cooperation of the French government), making the film a delightful visual feast. Better yet, the production team did their homework to make sure that all the sets and costumes were historically accurate - not something I'm super-picky about unless it's something egregious, but it just helps one appreciate how much work went into this movie. The cinematography does all it can to showcase the work that went into the film, but not at the expense of the actors. At a little over an hour and a half, If I Were King packs in what it needs to without rushing or overstaying its welcome. It's not particularly action-heavy, consisting only of the opening bar brawl and climactic battle in the streets of Paris, which were choreographed by Ralph Faulkner. (There was going to be another fight sequence, but it was cut from the final film.) So don't go into this expecting a blood-and-thunder swashbuckling adventure. Upon its release, If I Were King was a solid success commercially and critically, becoming Paramount's highest-grossing film of 1938, and among the top 10 box-office earners overall for that year - along with Gone With the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Although it didn't win any Academy Awards, it did nab four nominations, not only for Basil Rathbone as Best Supporting Actor, but its sound design, art direction, and Richard Hageman's score. As for me, I found this movie to be an absolute delight to watch, and I look forward to my next opportunity to carve out some time to revisit it. Between its amazing performances, a witty script, and gorgeous visuals, If I Were King is a true gem of a movie, and I really hope you give this one a try.
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