THE VAGABOND KING
US, 1956, 89 minutes, Colour.
Kathryn Grayson, Oreste, Rita Moreno, Cedric Hardwicke, Leslie Nielsen.
Directed by Michael Curtiz.
Louis XI of France drafts Paris's popular "king" of criminals, poet Fancois Villon, as Provost Marshal in his fight against usurper Charles of Burgundy and the traitorous nobles who rally around him.
This theme has been used in other films like If I Were King with Ronald Colman.
This time it is the basis for a 1923 operetta by Rudolf Friml (with some new songs). It is a light entertertainment with Maltese singer, Oreste Kirkop, as Francois Villon, and Kathryn Grayson as the heroine, her last screen musical after a fifteen year career at MGM. There is a good supporting cast, especially with Cedric Hardwicke, at home in this kind of film after his Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Michael Curtiz was nearing the end of his career. His best times were in the 1930s and 1940s at Warner Brothers where he won an Oscar for directing Casablanca.
1. How attractive an operetta? Conventions, Rudolf Friml songs, the quality of the voices, orchestrations?
2. The world of the operetta: sets, costumes, lavish recreations of his story in an artificial way? Characteristics of the artificialities of the operetta world? Audience response, music, history, conventions of the plot?
3. The values presented in the world of the operetta, traditional values of good and bad, love, power, triumph of the good?
4. The response to the situation of France in the 15th century, the plight of Paris and its situation for the people, the rule of Lily, his tyranny, the siege by Burgundy, duplicity of the nobles, atmosphere of repression, way of life of the ordinary people and their being the victims of these wars?
5. How attractive a character was Francois Villon? Quality as a poet, king of the vagabonds, leadership, the fearlessness against the king, the king using him as the leader during the war? Qualities of character? Relation to Huygette, to Catherine? Attractive hero for the operetta?
6. The character of Huygette, representing ordinary people, life in the tavern, singing and dancing, love and jealousy, her death for Villon?
7. The portrayal of King Louis? For an operetta, as regards his story, war and violence? Spying sequence in listening to Villon in the tavern? Shrewd manipulation of Villon? The magnanimity of his final pardon?
8. The irony of Villon leading the vagabonds, fighting the wars of the Kings of France, success, exposing the villains?
9. How attractive was Catherine, heroine of an operetta? Her status, role at court, an unidentified romance? Her response to Villon when she knew who he was? The romantic scene in the garden, church, port? Her songs? The importance of the love songs?
10. The background of battles, exposure of the villains? The villainous nobles?
11. The appropriate happy ending? Enjoyable and interesting historical musical?
