The War Lord

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Richard P There is a care for adding small details and original touches that set this rather singular feature from other movies set in medieval Europe. Charlton Heston is solid as Chrysagon the knight sent to help holding a small castle in Normandy and its fiefdom against an invasion by Frisians (whose behavior and military methods might remind the Vikings, but with perhaps more sophistication as seen with catapults, ramming machines and siege towers. But to the center of all this action comes a delicate complication: Chrysagon falls in love with Bronwyn, an absolutely, stunningly gorgeous lady, the adopted daughter (a Frisian?) of a local Normand man -almost ridiculously so considering medieval peasants had no access to dermatologists and dentists. In any case, Bronwyn is betrothed to ordinary Marc, whose rank makes him rather inferior to Charlton Heston. To add an insult to the humiliation, Heston finds out about the mythical "droit de cuissage", or 'lus primary noctis', in which many still believed in the early 60s, and is basically a feudal right for a nobleman to spend the wedding night with a newly married virgin bride and entertain himself with her until dawn. Such a right never existed except in the mind of devious men, but belief in that pseudo-right persists until this very present and is another of those bits of deeply rooted misinformation that has never been completely extirpated. So Chrysagon who had nevertheless prevailed himself of that right whose existence those around him had persuaded themselves (and Charlton!) falls for the bride, with the latter's full approval as she has fallen for the knight.. There are several complex depictions of assaults featuring tactics and engines in use at the time, except for catapults, which were not in use in the period and place shown. The elaborate battle scenes were unusual in movies from that period, i.e. from the late golden Hollywood era, which rarely went very far in trying to be faithful and to rely on historical accounts, preferring to exhibit the image Hollywood projected of medieval times. An excellent movie overall. My only reservations are about the lack of inner dramatic tension. Most actors do a very decent job, especially Heston - has he ever given a poor performance? - but the storyline lacks some consistent thread to sustain the viewer's interest, outside of the battle scenes and the romance between the protagonists. A rare original movie set in the medieval era (XIth century Normancy) with more realism than anything produced in Hollywood so far.. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Peter H I loved this movie. Given the time when it was made, it is very realistic. Heston was convincing and Richard Boone rocked as the loyal but tough companion in arms. you can watch on youtube. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/24/22 Full Review Audience Member Beautifully directed and filmed, wonderful score, well acted, well written, strange love story serves as the backdrop to the real story of tension between two brothers. Guy Stockwell is a standout. Why did we not see him in more quality roles? His scenes with Maurice Evans are worth replaying. The quality of this new Blu-ray is superb. Heston's best scenes are when he's the vulnerable warlord pining away for Forsythe. Fosythe and Farentino are fine, but lack the gravitas of the rest of the cast. One battle scene too many as they take over the third quarter of the film, and some early cheesy matte shots mar this movie. Also, why did they Have Paul Frees dub Michael Conrad and other's voices. The Warlord is an under appreciated gem. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good and accurate depiction of Medieval times. Heston gives just slightly better than his usual one note performance. And the synopsis here says 'Mormon' knight when it should say 'Norman Knight'. I will leave that alone! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A solid and sprawling film set in the pre-Columbus days. Very well made and expertly directed by Schaffner, but it's pace sometimes has a problem catching up with the material. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Charlton Heston had carried off the lead is several epics before this one, however whilst he does a decent job here the storyline is not epic material and it can get laborious in parts Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The War Lord

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