The War Lord (1965)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

John Collier (writer)
Millard Kaufman (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

17 November 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

A knight in the service of a duke goes to a coastal villiage where an earlier attempt to build a defensive castle has failed...

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Virgin | Norman | Medieval | 10th Century

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Chrysagon
Richard Boone	...	Bors
Rosemary Forsyth	...	Bronwyn
Maurice Evans	...	Priest
Guy Stockwell	...	Draco
Niall MacGinnis	...	Odins
James Farentino	...	Marc
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Frisian Prince
Sammy Ross	...	Volc
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Piet
John Alderson	...	Holbracht
Allen Jaffe	...	Tybald
Michael Conrad	...	Rainault
Dal Jenkins	...	Dirck
Johnny Jensen	...	Boy Prince
Forrest Wood	...	Chrysagon Man
Belle Mitchell	...	Old Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Frees	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner		(as Franklin S. Schaffner)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Collier		writer
Millard Kaufman		writer
Leslie Stevens		play "The Lovers"

Produced by
Walter Seltzer	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerome Moross
Hans J. Salter

Cinematography by
Russell Metty

Film Editing by
Folmar Blangsted

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
Oliver Emert
John McCarthy Jr.

Costume Design by
Vittorio Nino Novarese

Makeup Department
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Norman Deming	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe Canutt	....	action sequences director
Douglas Green	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jim Danforth	....	property maker (uncredited)

Sound Department
William Russell	....	sound
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound

Special Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	matte supervisor

Visual Effects by
Jim Danforth	....	art department model maker (uncredited)

Stunts
Joe Canutt	....	stunt coordinator
Joe Canutt	....	stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunts
Jerry Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Shannon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Sheppard	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gary Kent	....	electrician (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Eliot Elisofon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Ray Berwick	....	bird trainer
Vittorio Nino Novarese	....	technical advisor
Kenny Williams	....	choreographer: fertiltiy routine

Production Companies

• Court Productions
• Fraser Productions
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

France:122 min | USA:123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:16 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Colusa County, California, USA

Company:

Court Productions

Trivia:

Michael Conrad's dialog was dubbed by (probably) Paul Frees.

Quotes:

Chrysagon: From under his right hand, I took that sword. I've lived twenty years with that cold wife.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998) (TV)

A Castle and Some Swampland for Chuck

The War Lord is Chrysagon, as essayed by Charlton Heston, a knight come to a moody medieval place with his retinue to take charge. This is one of Heston's best performances, as he actually loses himself in the role, at least in a few spots, rather than projecting his standard Chuck persona. He's somewhat superstitious, as everyone is during this period, longing for a little love which he never had a chance to have before, and in strange, if expected, competition with his younger brother (Stockwell). The fighting scenes are excellent, a bit ahead of their time, even if they don't seem so now. Back then, having guys clanking swords always carried the same limited appeal, but here there's some nicely energetic choreography, quite complex in places. As someone states near the beginning, the atmosphere has a queer, moody tinge and all the players seem caught in a suffocating tragedy waiting to happen. Director Schaffner, as he would continue in later films, conveys a reality to all the proceedings, despite a rather fantastic setting from our point of view in modern times.

Most of the actors are terrific. Boone is Boone, being his usual tough ornery personality; no one would mess with this guy. Stockwell is tremendous; it's a shame he only appeared in a few more films which no one went to see and faded. He's very intense here, his envy of his brother and coveting his station a palpable energy. Forsyth, the object of Heston's desire, does seem out of place, never really in sync with the rest of the cast. In a way, this works in her character's favor, what with the suggestion of witchery surrounding her. Farentino, in an early role, doesn't get to show much range but what he does show is very effective. You genuinely feel for his plight towards the end due to the strong emotion he projects. In all, this is a smaller-scale epic than what one is used to from Chuck ("El Cid" and "Ben Hur" for example) but the almost intimate focus on this patch of land and the small cast of characters works in its favor.