Charlton Heston really needs to get laid in this Medieval actioner. Charged by Ducal Authority with holding a defensive tower in Normandy; vanquishing Frisian raiders; and controlling the border territory, Chuck suddenly goes all aflame for a fair local bride. No problem, droit du seigneur and all that. But when his screw of convenience blossoms into mutual love, something’s gotta give! And before Heston can even get his clothes back on, local peasants unite with those temporarily defeated Frisian warriors to play capture the castle, leaving Chas fighting for his life wearing nothing but Medieval BVDs. Yikes! Something of a clanging follow up to his big success in EL CID/'61 (no doubt, hoping to reclaim some box-office mojo after a six-pic run of the blahs), this unevenly directed historical from Franklin Schaffner, trying on action chops after his talky debut in THE BEST MAN, has its moments, mostly in the second half.* But is held back by Universal Studio’s glossy, over-lit ‘60s house-style; a script that makes the story feel more diffuse than it is; and too many poorly dubbed bad actors in prominent roles. Not Richard Boone though! Protector to Heston since childhood, his puppy-dog devotion the purest/weirdest love match in the pic. Growling with affection, you keep expecting him to lick his master.
DOUBLE-BILL: *On action, Schaffner proved a fast learner with PATTON in 1970 after reuniting with Heston (and Maurice Evans, up from Top Priest to Top Chimp) for PLANET OF THE APES/’68.
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