Quentin Durward (1955)

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)

The last of Robert Taylor's Iron Jockstrap Roles

Mid-point in his career Robert Taylor was given Quo Vadis and was such a success in it that MGM then gave him Ivanhoe and Knights of the Round Table and finally Quentin Durward. Taylor did not like these films, he referred to them as his "iron jockstrap roles." He much preferred westerns and modern pictures. But he went with the flow so they say.

The stream flowed well for him in Quentin Durward. What Walter Scott was trying to do in the novel and succeeds on the screen is juxtapose the lives of noble knight Quentin Durward and the scheming spider king Louis XI of France played superbly by Robert Morley. Louis XI is modern man, stripped of all pretenses, surviving on his wits. Durward is a figure from antiquity even in the 15th century.

Louis XI is one of the most fascinating monarchs in history and we've seen him as a supporting character both in If I Were King and in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was a guy who if one scheme didn't work, he had a backup plan, in fact about 5 or 6 backups. Most of us are lucky if we have 2 in any situation. But he had to rule that way. When he took the throne of France in 1461 they had ended the Hundred Years War and France was a devastated country. He couldn't afford to be starting any wars or he wouldn't have a country left. He had to rule by wile and stratagem and he succeeded. Too bad Robert Morley didn't make a film just about Louis XI. Great story, hope someone does it some day.

One of the most exciting action sequences in film history is done here with Quentin Durward battling the villainous Walter DeLa Marck in a burning bell tower while they are both swinging on ropes holding bell clappers. You should see the film for that alone.