Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Herbert Dalmas (story)
George Oppenheimer (writer) ...

Release Date:

1 December 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

History's Boldest Lover . . . Most Daring Swordsman ! !

Plot:

The great lover Don Juan comes to the assistance of his queen.

Plot Keywords:

Don Juan | Queen | King | Fencing | Arranged Marriage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Don Juan
Viveca Lindfors	...	Queen Margaret
Robert Douglas	...	Duke de Lorca
Alan Hale	...	Leporello
Romney Brent	...	King Phillip III
Ann Rutherford	...	Donna Elena
Robert Warwick	...	Count de Polan
Jerry Austin	...	Don Sebastian
Douglas Kennedy	...	Don Rodrigo
Jean Shepherd	...	Donna Carlotta (as Jeanne Shepherd)
Mary Stuart	...	Catherine
Helen Westcott	...	Lady Diana
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Don Serafino
Aubrey Mather	...	Lord Chalmers
Una O'Connor	...	Duenna

Also Known As:

The New Adventures of Don Juan (UK)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Lasky Mesa, West Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Frederick Faust (Max Brand) and William Faulkner both worked on early versions of the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Don Juan stabs de Lorca in their climactic fight, the knife is seen entering under his right rib cage in the area of the liver. In the next shot the knife is squarely in the middle of the sternum in the area of the heart.

Quotes:

Queen Margaret: The palace has large keyholes. My informer has small ears.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Peeks at Hollywood (1945)

Don Flynn De Marana

The most eagerly awaited Flynn movie has at last made it to DVD! Unavailable for some years except on a VHS tape and an obscure over priced Korean disc it, thankfully, is back in the Warner Bros. stable where it belongs. The wait was worth it for the disc is simply pluperfect! With rich vibrant three-strip Technicolor and sharply defined images it is a joy to behold! Flynn is terrific in the title role of the great lover and roue. Not withstanding perhaps a nod to the actor's own lifestyle the part was nevertheless Taylor made for him. And although it was said at the time that he was slowing down and that he hit the booze while filming there is no evidence of it on screen. The great swashbuckler cuts a fine figure in his many fabulous costume changes throughout the picture. These costumes - designed by the great Travilla - won the 1948 Acadamy Award for best costume design.

The supporting cast were well chosen too! Robert Douglas is great as Flynn's adversary - the evil Duke DeLorca. His dark eyes blackened even more to make him look that bit extra villainous. Alan Hale is once again Flynn's faithful sidekick but after 12 movies this was to be their final picture together. He died the following year. The female lead is taken by the beautiful Swedish actress Vivica Lindfors. Here she plays Margaret Queen of Spain and the one true love of Juan. Lindfors' final film was "Stargate" in 1994! She died in 1995 at the age of 75.

"The Adventures of Don Juan" is well directed by Vincent Sherman and is probably his best remembered movie. The atmosphere, the colour and the sets in the court scenes are really very impressive. But now and then the film gets a little bogged down with some palace intrigue until the picture's famous set piece - the brilliantly staged sword-fight on the magnificent palace staircase. It ranks as one of the cinema's finest duels and Flynn will always be remembered for it even though that amazing leap with the knife was performed by stuntman and B picture actor Jock Mahoney.

Then, of course there is the music by Max Steiner - one of his very best scores! Particularly splendid is his music for Juan's Parade into London with its masterful use of bells and chimes. Also the wistful Ballade which accompanies Juan on his many and various balcony climbings, the driving action music for the fight in the palace and the gorgeous love theme for the scenes with Juan and the Queen especially for the sequence near the end. Here the theme is heard in full bloom as the lovers say farewell to each other forever ("I shall be the only one who knew, for just a little while, that there was no Queen"). Interestingly Flynn's usual swashbuckling composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold - who had served him brilliantly on past successes such as "Captain Blood", "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" and "The Sea Hawk" -was originally slated to score "The Adventures Of Don Juan" as far back as 1945, but by the time the picture went into production the esteemed composer had left Hollywood and returned to his birthplace Vienna. As brilliant a composer as Korngold was it's difficult to imagine he would have topped Steiner's exceptional score. But alas we will never know!

So quite a wonderful disc all round with good extras consisting of a commentary by director the late Vincent Sherman and Flynn authority Rudy Behlmer, a trailer and some instantly forgettable old fashioned shorts but the movie is all, so enjoy. En Garde!