In 11th century Normandy, a Norman duke sends one of his knights to build a defensive fortress in order to guard the borders against Frisian raiders.In 11th century Normandy, a Norman duke sends one of his knights to build a defensive fortress in order to guard the borders against Frisian raiders.In 11th century Normandy, a Norman duke sends one of his knights to build a defensive fortress in order to guard the borders against Frisian raiders.
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- TriviaThis was a dream project for Charlton Heston, and he had a heavy input into all aspects of the production. His strong feeling was that the film should be essentially an intimate drama, but he found that Universal expected a sort of historical epic, such as he had made many times before. He could not shake them from this goal, and the studio re-edited the film so that the action scenes were more prolonged, whilst several more intimate scenes were cut. He had wanted Stanley Baker for the Guy Stockwell role. The film was a box-office flop, and the experience was one which rankled Heston for the remainder of his life.
- GoofsThe action supposedly takes place in Normandy, in land belonging to the Duke of Ghent. However, Normandy was entirely under the rule of its own Duke; Ghent was a separate territory under the Count of Flanders.
- Quotes
Priest: Well, now, fertility. Some say it's pagan. But who's not pagan in some matters?
Draco: True, true! I love the speech of scholars.
Priest: These young folks here think of nothing but frolic. "Desist!" I tell them, but they will go a-wantoning. So, lest the Devil take them, I preach them a text from holy writ. "Increase and multiply," I say. "Replenish the earth." And oh! how they obey me.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Biography: Charlton Heston: For All Seasons (1995)
Maybe a little talky in places, but the talk does go somewhere. I could have used a few more action scenes, like the viking raiders attempt to storm Chucks tower. That was some epic battle sequence.
The cast all act like theyre medieval guys. Richard Boone,with his tremendous face,has a great role as Boris. They even got a dwarf/mascot in there who fits right in. Rosemary Forsyth is about the only one out of place, she looks like shes been growing up on a Malibu beach, not a filthy hovel in a cold swamp village. Her hair just doesent look like 1060.
Theres no real hero to this story, Chuck plays a tough soldier defending a village who lets his weaknesses carry him away (women). As the story develops, you see him lose the trust and control of his command. I found myself shouting at the screen. This same story has played out countless times since the dawn of man...On top of the world, and just cant resist that mystic female power. Hey, maybe Monica Lewinsky could have replaced Forsyth.
Even better than Chuck is Guy Stockwell. I think he died recently. This was one of his major roles, and he was always a seriously underated actor. He plays Draco, and hes cool. He had a great voice, but wasnt in too many good films. This was a great performance he will always be remembered for.
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Box office
- Budget
- $3,500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1