Quentin Durward (1955)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Robert Ardrey (screenplay)
George Froeschel (adaptation)

Release Date:

1956 (West Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | History | Romance

Plot:

In 1465 Quentin Durwood travels to France to meet Isabelle, Countess of Marcroy, on behalf of his elderly Scottish uncle whom...

Plot Keywords:

Scottish | Bell | Bride | Beautiful Woman | Escort

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Quentin Durward
Kay Kendall	...	Isabelle, Countess of Marcroy
Robert Morley	...	King Louis XI
George Cole	...	Hayraddin
Alec Clunes	...	Charles, Duke of Burgundy
Duncan Lamont	...	Count William De la Marck
Laya Raki	...	Gypsy Dancer
Marius Goring	...	Count Philip de Creville
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Master Oliver (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Eric Pohlmann	...	Gluckmeister
Harcourt Williams	...	Bishop of Liege
Michael Goodliffe	...	Count De Dunois
John Carson	...	Duke of Orléans
Nicholas Hannen	...	John - Cardinal Balue
Moultrie Kelsall	...	Lord Malcolm

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Quentin Durward

Runtime:

103 min | 101 min (TCM print) | 100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Bodiam Castle, Bodiam, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The lead was first offered to Grace Kelly, who declined.

Quotes:

Quentin Durward: Tell me, gypsy. Do you know this castle?
Hayraddin: Of course. Like the palm of your hand.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Quentin Durward" (1971)

Another Colorful Historical Movie From MGM

Anyone looking for insightful commentary on the human condition in a movie should avoid "Quentin Durward." Robert Taylor plays Durward, a poor knight out of place in his time, as he acknowledges to his uncle at the movie's start. Once the story preliminaries are over, Taylor goes on his mission to France, where everyone is against him, including Count de la Mark, the Beast of the Ardennes.

"Quentin Durward" has great castle background shots, great photography and pretty good action. Robert Morley's well fed appearance softens his role, a king who cheerfully sells everyone out, causing death and terror. In "Quentin Durward", life is cheap and death often comes in a grim manner. Without giving away the plot, there are a lot of peripheral characters who get messed up along the way. There are no big scale castle sieges like Ivanhoe, just the aftermath after de la Mark takes over the castle of the Bishop of Liege. The costumed characters in "Quentin Durward" have real problems, such as Kay Kendall's character, who is being forced into a marriage she doesn't want. Money, land and power are the driving forces of the bad guys (which would include de la Mark, Morley's Louis XI and even Durward's uncle).

In 1955, if MGM made a movie about crooked real estate speculators trying to rob a young woman of her inheritance, no one would pay to see the movie. Instead, MGM brings out the costumes, the great production values and a script tailored for Robert Taylor, including some snippy remarks, set in 15th century France.

Moviegoers in 1955 waiting for Robert Taylor to appear in his next MGM costume action movie were like the character in "Waiting for Godot." "Quentin Durward" was the end of a line of historical movies that MGM started 30 years earlier, with "Ben-Hur."