KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS

US, 1954, 113 minutes, Colour.
Rex Harrison, Virginia Mayo, George Sanders, Laurence Harvey, Robert Douglas, Michael Pate, Paula Raymond.
Directed by David Butler.

One needs to keep one’s tongue firmly in cheek while watching and commenting on King Richard and the Crusaders. It was made at a time when this kind of mediaeval epic was popular. Probably the best of these films was Ivanhoe, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel, also starring George Sanders. There was also The Black Knight with Alan Ladd as well as The Knights of the Round Table and Quentin Durward.

Tongue-in-cheek is also required also for Rex Harrison as Saladin. Harrison had begun his career in the 1930s in his native UK. He had made quite an impact in such films as Major Barbara. He moved to Hollywood films in the mid-1940s with The Foxes of Harrow and Anna and the King of Siam. He was also very popular on stage. He made his greatest impact, of course, on Broadway in 1956 with My Fair Lady, winning an Oscar for his screen performance as Professor Higgins. In his later career he had a mixed popularity with such films as Doctor Dolittle – and his most strange performance as Pope Julius II in The Agony and the Ecstasy arguing with Charlton Heston’s Michelangelo.

George Sanders is appropriately sardonic as Richard the Lionheart. Laurence Harvey at the beginning of his career is Sir Kenneth and Robert Douglas, often a villain, is Sir Giles. Australian actor Michael Pate in his early years in Hollywood appears as Conrad. Virginia Mayo, a glamorous comedienne and musical comedy star, is Lady Edith Plantagenet.

The film traces the Crusades, the role of Richard the Lionheart, the confrontation with Saladin. Although there are many fictitious elements, audiences would do well to watch Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven to get a different background to films about the Crusades. The direction is by David Butler, better known for directing musicals with Doris Day and Gordon Mc Rae.

1. The success of the film as a costume melodrama? The re-creation of a period and the appeal of this? The Crusades and the atmosphere of the Crusades?

2. How serious a film was this? How comic and serious in style? The indications of the interaction between the stars involved in the film?

3. How well did the film re-create an authentic look and the ‘feel' of this world? The Holy Land, the Crusaders, their tents, camps, tournaments?

4. How well did the film re-create the mediaeval issues? Politics and the squabbling amongst the crusaders? The motivation for the Crusades?

5. What attitude did the screenwriters take to the Crusades and the crusaders? The worthwhileness of their goals? The Christian motivation? The political and selfish motivation? The national factions? The squabbles for leadership? The ugly side of the Crusades? The role leaders and Richard, the dominance? The jealousy and plots? The alliances? The role of the King? Leopold of Austria? How well were the dramatics of these factions pictured? As seen by Saladin? King Richard as the focus of the film? His qualities and his role as leader? The strengths and the weaknesses of character? As a victim of plots? His encounter with Saladin and his courtesy towards him? His suspicion of the knights? His clashes with Sir Kenneth and his joking about the Scots? His harshness with Kenneth?
His fighting him? How well developed was his character? His alms for the success of the Crusades and an alliance with Saladin?

6. The film’s focus on Saladin? The suitability of Rex Harrison in the role? His urbane manner, being introduced by fighting Sir Kenneth? His disguise? His healing of King Richard? His observing the crusaders and estimating the strategies? The genuine offer to marry Lady Edith? His saving of Sir Kenneth? Seeing him amongst his followers, worshipped, his alms for the success against the crusaders? His acknowledgement of the failure and that he would forever be a Muslim?

7. The focus on Sir Kenneth an the heroic knight? The Scot, loyalty, suspicious of enemies, his love for Lady Edith? The questions of snobbery towards him? His fighting on behalf of Richard? forced into the duel? His awareness of the battle? The happy ending? A conventional hero-knight?

9. How attractive a heroine was Lady Edith? Doing the typical heroine things? Her strengths of character? The issue of her marrying Saladin for peace?

10. The treacherous noble, Sir Giles and his plot against Richard while seeming loyal? The assistance of the Manuin? The various plots? The vengeance and their deaths?

11. The presentation of France and Austria in involvement in the plots?

12. The film’s admiration for the Saladin?

13. How heroic was the presentation of the Crusades? How much disillusionment with the legends of the Crusades underlay the film?