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The Vagabond King

1956, Movie, NR, 88 mins

The Vagabond King: Review

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This is by far the most lavish of all the versions of the Rudolf Friml operetta (which was based in turn on a novel by R.H. Russell). Paramount's investment in the film was not returned at the box office, perhaps because Kirkop, the Maltese tenor Paramount hoped would be their answer to Mario Lanza, just didn't have the fire to bring off the flashy role of rogue poet Francois Villon. The plot remains essentially the same: in 15th-century Paris, weak King Louis XI (Walter Hampden) is under attack from the forces of the Duke of Burgundy. There are traitors in court; on the streets, Villon and his lover, Huguette (Rita Moreno), mock the king in song. Villon is about to go over to the Burgundians, but when he discovers how much Louis really does care about his people, he switches his allegiance, taking up with the king's niece, Catherine (Kathryn Grayson), in the process. In the ensuing battle, Huguette is killed, Villon bests the villains with the help of the Parisian populace, and Catherine (who earlier offered herself in Villon's place when the poet was imprisoned for previous crimes) is reunited with her love. Only four tunes from the original operetta by Friml, Brian Hooker, and William H. Post are included; new songs by Friml (then in his 90s) and Johnny Burke take up the slack. Original tunes: "Some Day" (sung by Grayson), "Huguette's Waltz" (Moreno), "Song of the Vagabonds" (chorus), and "Love Me Tonight." The new tunes include "Vive Le You" (sung by Moreno), "Watch out for the Devil," "This Same Heart," "Bon Jour," "Comparisons," and "Lord, I'm Glad I Know Thee." Vincent Price lends his dulcet tones as the narrator of this film, which, despite its enjoyable score and terrific set and costume design, seems a bit studied under the direction of Michael Curtiz. Still, if you like your musicals old-fashioned, you'll enjoy this incarnation of THE VAGABOND KING. leave a comment
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