Prince of Foxes (1949)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Milton Krims (writer)
Samuel Shellabarger (novel)

Release Date:

23 December 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Plot:

An unscrupulous agent for the Borgias suffers a change of heart when asked to betray a noble count and his much younger, very beautiful wife.

Plot Keywords:

Borgia | Assassination | Renaissance | Nobility | Catapult

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Andrea Orsini
Orson Welles	...	Cesare Borgia
Wanda Hendrix	...	Camilla Verano
Marina Berti	...	Angela Borgia
Everett Sloane	...	Mario Belli
Katina Paxinou	...	Mona Constanza Zoppo
Felix Aylmer	...	Count Marc Antonio Verano

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Chapel of Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the battle sequence the exact same ground level shot of hot oil being poured on soldiers scaling a siege ladder is repeated only seconds later.

Quotes:

Andrea Orsini: [looking at the dead body of Lucrezia Borgia's husband] Would you say the dead man made a reluctant corpse?
Don Esteban: A loose tongue soon loses its mouth, Captain Orsini.
Andrea Orsini: A wise tongue never needs to repeat itself, Don Esteban, nor does a competent assassin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dancing in the Dark (1949)

One of the Most Beautiful B/W Historicals Ever Put Onto Film; Well-Acted

This is the only film whose producer ever rented a country. The tiny country rented to become "Citta del Monte" in Samuel Shellabarger's well-plotted "Prince of Foxes" was actually the real country of Andorra. The historical novel on which this beautifully-paced and emotionally satisfying film was made left Milton Krims, scenarist, with an unsolvable problem--which he proceeded to solve. The plot line involved Tyrone Power as ambitious young Andrea Orsini with Cesare Borgia's scheme to unite and rule Italy; Orson Welles does well as a charismatic Borgia, whose plan it is to marry his sister played by Marina Berti to the Duke of Ferrara; poison will follow, and the key to Italy will drop from the dying Duke's hand into his own grasp. But Andrea must first perform a mission involving the betraying of the strategic Citta Del Monte into Borgia's hands. His Mother, played by Katina Paxinou, is horrified when she hears what he is becoming; and during the mission, undertaken with Everett Sloane as an assassin he takes into service-- his own death having been the one planned--he decides to serve the Lord of the city, ably played by Felix Aylmer and also his daughter, with whom he if falling in love, miscast but hard-working Wanda Hendrix. The final battle is fought, and a happy ending is achieved--for all save Cesare Borgia and those whose death his schemes have wasted. This is a beautiful B/W drama, with lovely sets by Thomas Little,, Alfred Newman's fine music, Leon Shamroy's exquisite photography and period costumes by Vittorio Nino Novarese that I found unforgettable. Kudos also go to Roy D. Webb as 2nd Unit Director for the action scenes that relieve the very competent dialogue portions expertly crafted by director Henry King. This film, which could have been badly made, glows like a ruby set in the hilt of a dagger flashing back the rays of a spring sun. It is well-remembered, and a benchmark of a production against which other historical dramas are measured still.