Crossed Swords

Was it really that long before this that Errol Flynn was young, good-looking and healthy? Think of him and you conjure up a dashing, athletic Robin Hood or Captain Blood. Fast forward 15 years and the dissolute Flynn appears soft and dissipated from living in the fast lane. Here he not only stars in but wastes his money on a crummy period piece with a laughable plot.

"Crossed Swords" is a flop movie masquerading as a swashbuckling action picture but contains precious little action. It opens as he jumps out a damsel's bedroom window just ahead of her husband, which is just the way he might like to be remembered. The film then bogs down for the next 80 minutes or so, as he slogs through some poor acting and a very poor music score. There is nothing to recommend it except for the color. I saw it on a 16 mm print which was in remarkable condition, better than Flynn himself, I imagine.

Errol Flynn has Gina Lollabrigida as his costar in Crossed Swords, with Cesare Danova costarring, as the heir to the duchy of Sidonia. The movie opens with Errol and Cesare on their way back to the castle, but are constantly finding temptation, especially Errol. And, when husbands come home, the wives scream and Errol jumps out of the window. The movie right away sets up the tone of the film with the viewer. When they do arrive at the castle, they find that a new law is being proposed to outlaw bachelorhood among the male population. That's outrageous, Errol says. But many feel that it's the man's duty to get married and set a good example. Gina is Danova's sister who Flynn is interested in up to a point, but he does not want to get married and is quite adamant about it. Young Danova has his own oats to sow for now, too. Despite the bad copy I had of this on DVD, I enjoyed the campy and over-the-top quality of this film. It seems to give just what Flynn fans expect of him, a grand old time. The title Crossed Swords is a little confusing to me, as it centers more on comedic situations than duels and action. But I'm sure they were trying to get Flynn fans to the movies. While no grade-A film, I enjoy its efforts to entertain. So what happens to Errol? Does Gina ensnare him? Does the law trap him? Does Errol get the better of them? You tell me.

Well before the so-called 'Spaghetti Westerns' were produced, Italian film companies were recruiting international actors for their films. Starting in the 1950s, Hollywood talent began to be featured in these movies...especially when acting jobs in the States were few and far between. And, these Americans starred in all sorts of films...Hercules films, swashbucklers, Fellini pictures and many more. And in each, the films were dubbed into a variety of languages for international release. "Il Maestro di Don Giovanni" ("Crossed Swords") is one of these films and it stars Errol Flynn.

The story is set during the Renaissance in the duchy of Sedona (I looked it up...it appears to be fictional). Renzo (Flynn) is a bandit with style....just as happy seducing women as improving his wealth. One woman, in particular, is his quarry, Francesca (Gina Lollobrigida...who IS captioned despite her ability to speak English). She wants to marry him...and there's been a new law enacted that says EVERY unmarried adult man MUST be married! Despite the law and Francesca's great beauty, Renzo is loathe to give up his wicked ways and settle down...and her father is beside himself at the prospect of getting this rogue as a son-in-law!

This film was made late in his career when heavy drinking & drugs, womanizing and his failing health all made it difficult to get work. In 1954, Flynn still looked pretty handsome but by 1957 or so, he was a bloated mess...ultimately dying at only 50 due to the effects of his lifestyle upon his body. It's nice that although this isn't a great film, he looks pretty good and was able to do a semi-convincing job. However, I did notice that stuntmen seemed to be used a lot more than they were employed back in the 1930s-40s....as in mid mid-40s he just wasn't up to all this rigorous work Because of this, you see some odd camerawork (such as the top-down view of his staff fight).

So is it any good? Well, surprisingly, for a 1950s film this one is in full color...and this along with the costumes make this a very good looking picture. The story itself is actually pretty light on action and tends to be a tad talky. Enjoyable but also not a film big and exciting enough to revive Flynn's flagging career.

Crossed Swords was an independent 1953 Italian production undertaken by Errol Flynn right after the termination of his contract with Warner Brothers. Released by United Artists the following year, the costume adventure received poor reviews and distribution in the United States, and has since become the most difficult of all Flynn's adventure films to find. There has been a print in circulation for some years but, looking almost like a fifth generation video tape, it is quite hard to view.

Recently, however, a new pristine copy of the film has surfaced. While it only runs 78 minutes (as opposed to the originally listed 86 minute running time) it is quite sharp with lovely color photography. Curiously, while Flynn's voice can be heard on the English version soundtrack, co-star Gina Lollobrigida is dubbed, even though lip readers can clearly see that the actress was speaking English.

As for the film itself, it is a light-hearted attempt to rekindle the spirit of Flynn's Adventures of Don Juan from five years before. Once again Errol is a dashing adventurer/lothario making love to costumed ladies, this time in a 16th Century Italian boudoir, always ready to make a hasty window exit should their husbands return home. Alas, the film, by comparison, largely serves to remind one of just how clever and exciting the previous film had been.

Crossed Swords' screenplay is quite feeble and Milton Krim's direction often inept, frequently failing to realize scene potential. At one point the film features Flynn and co-star Cesare Danova both duelling opponents side by side, but with Danova in the foreground closest to the camera, largely blocking out the film's star! The film also seems at times crudely edited, though this may, in fairness, be more of a comment on the new truncated version than of the original production. I suspect it's a bit of both.

On the positive side, Crossed Swords is beautifully photographed by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Flynn leaps about and beams throughout the production. The actor seems to be having a good time, a marked contrast to the often grim presence that he had become in most of his post-Don Juan films. A fight sequence breaking out in a tavern is quite energetic, leading the actors to a moment of marvelous potential in which they duel on top of large wine casks. One wishes the director had made more of this moment than he did. The final duel, though, is well choreographed and surprisingly vigorous. Flynn, though doubled a bit, does most of the fencing. He has the "eye of the tiger" in some closeups in this highlight of the production and puts on a good show.

In summary, Crossed Swords is a film for Flynn fans, many of whom will enjoy watching their favorite deliver an impressive athletic demonstration for the last time in his career. As a movie, though, this often lame production only serves to remind one of what a high-water mark of excellence Adventures of Don Juan had been a few years before.

Ever wonder what would happen if Gina Lollobrigida were dubbed in one of her movies? You'll have to rent Crossed Swords to see her mouth moving in a slightly different pattern than the words coming out of her mouth. Whoever dubbed her obviously had no trouble with the English language, and the result is quite jarring to hear her speaking without any trace of an accent.

You might want to turn this one off when you first start it, but if you like Errol Flynn's adventure movies of the past, give it a second chance. Yes, the production values are terrible, the supporting cast isn't great, and the script is silly, but it's supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek semi-spoof of his earlier movies. Errol stars as a womanizing Don Juan type who refuses to settle down and is just as quick to seduce a married woman as a single one. When a law is passed in the kingdom that all men over the age of twenty must be forced to marry, Errol has to skip town. The trouble is, he gets distracted by Gina, and she tries to get him to return.

Crossed Swords is silly, but it's supposed to be. Errol's charming smirk is practically directed at the camera the entire time. He doesn't even try to make it look like he did his own stunts, because it's funnier that way. From the back, he swings from a rope and does a forward roll onto a table while brandishing a sword. The close-up cuts to his face, refreshed and smiling. While dueling, he notices a jug of wine and holds up a hand to his opponent: "Wait!" he commands before taking a drink. If you want something silly, you can't get much sillier than this. He's still classy, folks, just with a few miles on him. And since he knows it, he's not taking himself too seriously.