If I were the king ( If I Were King ) - American historical film of 1938, based on the play of the same name and the novel by Justin Hantley McCarthy (1901).
If i were king | |
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If i were king | |
Genre | drama |
Producer | Frank Lloyd |
Producer | Frank Lloyd |
Author script | Justin huntley mccarthy (novel and play) Preston sturges |
In the main cast | Ronald colman Rathbone, Basil Francis Dee |
Operator | Theodore Shparkul |
Composer | Richard Hageman Milan Roder (not mentioned) |
Film company | Paramount pictures |
Duration | 101 min. |
A country | |
Tongue | English |
Year | 1938 |
IMDb | ID 0030265 |
Content
Plot
King Louis XI of France ( Basil Rathbone ) is in dire straits. The Burgundians laid siege to Paris , and a traitor wound up in the immediate neighborhood. Having changed clothes, the king goes to the tavern to find out who receives letters from enemies. Here he encounters the poet Francois Villon , who stole food from the royal warehouse. Villon criticizes the king and brags about how much better it would be if he were in Louis's place.
The traitor is the constable of France D'Ossigny ( John Milian ), but he does not have time to fall into the hands of justice: Villon kills him in a fight. For fun, Louis appoints Villon to the new conscript, secretly planning to execute him a week later.
The low origin of the new courtier remains secret, and Villon falls in love with the maid of honor Catherine DeVochelle ( Francis Dee ), who reciprocates his love. However, the king informs Villon that death awaits him, and Villon escapes. But at the same time, the Burgundians break the city gates, and Villon gathers militia, expels the enemy and stops the siege of the city. Forced to put up with the arrogance of Villon, but not wanting to endure his audacity in the future, Louis leaves him alive and permanently expels him from Paris. Villon leaves on foot, and after him, in the cart, is followed by Catherine.
Cast
- Ronald Coleman - Francois Villon
- Basil Rathbone - King Louis XI
- Francis Dee - Catherine Devosel
- Ellen Drew - Yugette, Villon's girlfriend
- John Milian - Constable of France Thibault D'Ossigny
- William Farnum - General Barbezier
- Heather Thatcher - Queen
Production
Preparation for the film in France took nine months. With the permission of the French government, a copy of the royal throne from the Louvre was created [1] .
Whether Preston Sturges , who was the lead screenwriter at the time of Paramount Pictures [2] , wrote the script of the film in collaboration with someone, was not reliably established. However, on the draft there are two names: Jackson and Sturges. The identity of the first could not be determined. Sturges ended the script by February 1938. [1] The final version also includes the poems of Villon in Sturges' own translation [3] .
Filming continued from May 12 to mid-July 1938. [4] Ralph Faulkner, who played the guard, also served as stunt director and taught actors fencing. About 900 people from the crowd participated in the battle scenes; one of these scenes was cut out by the director from the final film’s release [1] [2] Dangerous as His Sword-Play ) [5] .
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: [6] [7]
- for Best Supporting Actor - Basil Rathbone
- for the best work of art director - Hans Dreyer and John B. Goodman
- for the best music - Richard Hageman
- for the best sound - Lauren L. Ryder
Hans Dreyer was previously nominated for an Oscar for the film “ The King of the Tramp ” (1930) - the same story told in the musical genre [8] .
Other versions
McCarthy’s play was first staged on Broadway in 1901 and resumed five times until 1916 [9] . The first film adaptation took place in 1920 [10] .
In 1925, composer Rudolf Friml and libreists Brian Hooker and W. H. Post turned the play into a successful Broadway operetta The Vagabond King , which included the arias "Only a Rose", "Some Day" and "Song of the Vagabonds" [11] . The operetta was transferred to screens twice: in 1930, with Janet MacDonald and Dennis King in the title roles [8] , and in 1956, when Michael Curtis acted as the director [12] . Both films differed only partially using the original music of Rudolf Friml.
The story of Francois Villon is also told in the film “ Favorite Dodger ” (1927) with John Barrymore in the title role [13] .
The radio show based on the movie was aired on Lux-Radio on October 16, 1939, the main role was played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Radio Ekademi-Evo put the play on May 11, 1946, as Villon, as in the film, was performed by Ronald Coleman.
The film and the play are not related to Adi Adam ’s comic opera Si j'étais roi (“If I were the King”).
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 TCM Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Miller, Frank "If I Were King" (TCM article)
- ↑ Eder, Bruce Plot synopsis (Allmovie)
- ↑ TCM Overview
- ↑ IMDB Taglines
- ↑ The 11th Academy Awards (1939) Nominees and Winners . oscars.org . The appeal date is August 10, 2011.
- ↑ NY Times: If I Were King . NY Times . The appeal date is December 10, 2008.
- ↑ 1 2 The Vagabond King ( Internet ) on the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ If I were the king (film) at the Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ Error in footnotes ? : Invalid
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text is not specified for footnotes - ↑ The Vagabond King at the Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ The Vagabond King ( Internet ) on the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Beloved Rogue (English) on the Internet Movie Database
Links
- If I Were King ( Internet ) on the Internet Movie Database
- If I Were King (English) on the website allmovie
Streaming audio