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UCFC Movie Reviews Scaramouche Year: 1952 Director: George Sidney Fencing Stunts: Jean Heremans Starring: Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer Review by V. Bjerreskov (04 08 03) France in and around the time of the French revolution is a hotbed of fencing stories. There is nothing wrong with this, of course, but it does make it a little more difficult for a story to be original. This story is. It is no Three Musketeers clone. Scaramouche is interesting, and shows a different side of French life than that we know and love. The film works. A slightly convoluted plot brings about self-actualisation in Andre Moreau, the bastard son of an unknown noble who takes nothing seriously until his best friend is killed in a duel with the Marquis de Maynes. Sabatini wrote the novel (he also wrote Captain Blood), and there is a continuity and solidity to the plot that can only come from good original material. Sidney's direction is good, even though there is some really obvious soft filter. His use of colour is well-planned, and the indoor and outdoor shooting meld together seamlessly. But, perhaps someone can tell me, why is it that horses seem to gallop in fast-forward in older movies? The movie was cast well, though the women stole the show for me. Granger and Ferrer are comfortable with their characters, but they aren't completely natural. Granger has some moments, but emotion never quite reaches his eyes. Ferrer is the quintessential aristocrat, but somehow he never embodies the cutthroat nature that de Maynes seems to possess. Parker and Leigh, however, are perfectly cast, and make up for any deficiencies in the men. Intelligent but emotional, feminine without being downtrodden or powerless, they bring a life and vivacity to Lenore and Aline that is captivating whenever they are on the screen. The surrounding cast is decent but forgettable, as I suppose they are supposed to be. There is fencing throughout this film, and one of the highlights is the fencing instruction provided to Moreau by two different fencing masters. The masters tell Moreau the same types of things we tell people today, like hold the foil lightly but firmly, or don't get emotionally involved. We see Moreau's fencing improve from his initial bout with the Marquis de Maynes to the final, far-ranging duel in the theatre. Excellent foot- and arm-work, and a minimum of hack-and-slash make the fencing in this film very easy to watch. I enjoyed this film. It made me laugh, and I had enough emotional investment in the characters to mumble advice to them when they did silly things. This film is definitely worth your time. Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us