An 11th-century noblewoman opens her Saxon husband's eyes by riding bareback through town.An 11th-century noblewoman opens her Saxon husband's eyes by riding bareback through town.An 11th-century noblewoman opens her Saxon husband's eyes by riding bareback through town.
Arthur Gould-Porter
- Thorold
- (as A.E. Gould-Porter)
Anthony Eustrel
- Prior
- (as Antony Eustrel)
Fred Aldrich
- Friar
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Featured review
This is my kind of movie - a good old historical drama set in 11th Century England. Sadly, though, the whole thing is just too episodic and disjointed for the story to ever really flow. It sets out do depict the tale of the eponymous lady (Maureen O'Hara) who rode naked through the streets of Coventry (draped in "Rapunzel"-esque locks that appear nowhere else on her head in the film!) to draw the attention of her Norman husband "Leofric" (George Nader) to the plight of the commons as the Norman and Saxon peoples of this now divided land start to draw battle lines. Her husband has already fallen foul of King Edward I (Eduard Franz) by refusing to marry his chosen bride, so the couple soon find their allies at court are few, and goaded by the duplicitous "Godwin" (Torin Thatcher) things are soon simmering perilously close to insurrection. Though rooted in fact, this plays fast and loose with just about everything from the history to the characterisations. Thatcher exudes a soupçon of menace, but the rest of the cast really appear to be going through the motions with this colourful, and at times energetic (largely thanks to Victor McLaglen), enterprise. Nobody could ever describe O'Hara as especially versatile - here she is just playing her usual determined and feisty character and though she isn't bad, it's all just the same role she has played against an array of more famous leading men in years gone by. Fans of the men-in-tights genre ought to enjoy it well enough, I did, but it's all pretty unremarkable fayre I'm afraid.
- CinemaSerf
- Sep 19, 2022
- Permalink
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMaureen O'Hara wore a skin colored leotard when filming the famous nude riding scene.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits appear on the background of a medieval style picture of a nun leading the horse ridden by the naked Godiva, covered only by her long hair, through town.
- Alternate versionsWhen originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 2006 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989)
- How long is Lady Godiva of Coventry?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- 21st Century Lady Godiva
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
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