Charles II, the King of England, finds himself in exile in Holland, where he falls in love with a beautiful farm-girl.Charles II, the King of England, finds himself in exile in Holland, where he falls in love with a beautiful farm-girl.Charles II, the King of England, finds himself in exile in Holland, where he falls in love with a beautiful farm-girl.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
508
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Clemence Dane(screenplay)
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Cosmo Hamilton(novel "His Majesty, The King")
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Clemence Dane(screenplay)
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Cosmo Hamilton(novel "His Majesty, The King")
- Stars
Milton Owen
- Wilcoxas Wilcox
- (as Milton A. Owen)
Ben Wright
- Milbankeas Milbanke
- (as Ben H. Wright)
Ramsay Hill
- Cavalier Officeras Cavalier Officer
- (as C.S. Ramsey-Hill)
Gordon B. Clarke
- Cavalier Guardas Cavalier Guard
- (as Gordon Clark)
- Director
- Writers
- Clemence Dane(screenplay) (uncredited)
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Cosmo Hamilton(novel "His Majesty, The King")
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Maria Montez was accorded top billing in this film by contractual agreement, although she is in the picture only long enough to take a bath in a tricky 17th century bathtub while sipping coffee with Charles Stuart and delivering dialogue in a barely-understandable French-accent. This is the second major film released within a short period with King Charles II as a primary character, and Charles here and Charles (George Sanders) in "Forever Amber" are two very varied approaches to the same character. This one takes place prior to the beginning of "Forever Amber" when Charles II and his followers are hiding out in Holland from Oliver Cromwell's puritan Round Heads. Being temporarily at liberty (or unemployed), Charles takes a day job at the farm/estate of Katie, and falls in love with her. Meanwhile he eludes his enemies by agility, enterprise and sword play, some of the latter performed while riding the blades of a Dutch windmill. He is summoned back to the throne and has to leave Katie and the tulips behind, returns to England, is replaced by George Sanders who pursues Amber St. Clair and forgets all about Katie. "The Exile" and "Forever Amber" should be viewed back-to-back for maximum-contrast enjoyment. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
- Taglines
- King of Adventure! Queen of Romance!
- Genres
- Certificate
- Approved
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaBecause of contractual requirements, Maria Montez receives star billing even though her role only demands she be on screen for about ten minutes, 40 minutes into the film, after which she is never seen again. Although the film was not produced by Universal, it was released by that studio and concluded Montez's contract with the studio.
- Alternate versionsDirector Max Ophuls's original ending was changed prior to the American release. In the original ending, there is an unbroken shot that starts with Nigel Bruce's character waiting outside the door and goes on to follow Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (in his regal garb) as he descends the stairs and walks out into the crowd. Katie (Rita Corday) prays and leaves her room. Two men enter the now-empty inn and discuss the placement of a commemorative plaque for the site. As they go over the wording for the plaque (about Charles II's loyal supporters, etc.), they notice Katie exiting in the background and dismiss her as unimportant. As they continue reading, the screen dissolves to a shot of the plaque (seen earlier in the film), closing in on the engraved image of Charles II's head in profile at the bottom. (In the American release ending, a quick shot of Katie leaving her room breaks up the shot of Fairbanks descending the stairs. After the king exits, the film cuts to the plaque and the engraved image.) The original ending may have been seen on international prints of the film. Turner Classic Movies has, on occasion, shown the alternate ending as a bonus after airing the American version of the film.
Top review
Sublime!
This is probably the least appreciated of the series of masterpieces Max Ophüls made in his too-short stay in Hollywood. Superficially it is a fairly silly, light-hearted historical romp, and it is enjoyable enough on that level. But this only throws into sharper relief the expressive mastery of Ophüls' style - by the end of the movie a single elegant camera move is enough to turn the mood to high tragedy. This is sublime filmmaking.
helpful•174
- princehal
- Apr 18, 2002
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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