The Flame and the Arrow
Tags: action

Plot synopsis:
In the time of Frederick Barbarossa, in the area of Italy known as Lombardy, Dardo Bartoli (Lancaster) is walking with his son Rudi (Gordon Gebert) when they encounter Count Ulrich (Frank Allenby), known as "the Hawk", together with his niece, Lady Anne (Mayo), and his lover, Dardo's unfaithful wife Francesca (Lynn Baggett). Dardo shows off his skill as an archer by shooting down Ulrich's expensive hunting hawk. In revenge, the count takes Dardo's son to his castle. Dardo is struck by an arrow while rescuing Rudi, so the boy allows himself to be recaptured in order to draw the soldiers away.
At the palace, young Marchese Alessandro de Granazia (Robert Douglas) asks for Anne's hand in marriage, but is rejected. Ulrich arrests de Granazia for not paying his taxes. After his rescue by Dardo, the marchese joins Dardo's band of rebels. Dardo makes another attempt to free his son. Upon the advice of his uncle (Papa Bartoli, played by Francis Pierlot), Dardo obtains the help of Anne's maid (one of Dardo's many lovers) to sneak into Ulrich's castle along with his best friend Piccolo (Cravat), but they are unsuccessful. When they find themselves in Lady Anne's apartment, Piccolo suggests they kidnap her instead. They take her to their secret hideout. She tries several times to escape, but Dardo is too crafty for her.
Dardo sends a message to the count, offering an exchange of prisoners, but Ulrich threatens to execute Bartoli unless Anne is released. Dardo and the others race to the village and rescue Bartoli. Then, Dardo learns from his aunt Nonna (Aline MacMahon) that five more prisoners have been taken to hang in Papa's place. Dardo gives himself up to save the others and is hanged in front of his son. Ulrich takes the rest of the rebels prisoner, including the marchese.
The marchese informs Ulrich that the rebels are planning an attack the next day and that Dardo is alive (the executioner had been replaced by Dardo's friend). As a reward for this betrayal, Ulrich agrees to the marchese's marriage to Anne. When she finds out their plans, she warns Nonna Bartoli, with Dardo and his men hiding around the corner.
They decide that they must attack at once. Piccolo comes up a plan for getting into the castle by posing as some of the acrobats providing entertainment. The ruse works. When they are ready, they remove their disguises and a battle ensues. During the melee, Anne warns Dardo that Ulrich has gone for his son. When Dardo catches up to Ulrich, he is in the company of the marchese. The count leaves Dardo and the marchese to fight. Though Dardo tries to persuade the marchese to stand aside, the marchese refuses and is killed.
Afterwards, Dardo finds his wife dead, killed by a knife in the back. Then, he finds the count holding Rudi at sword-point. Dardo finds a bow and, aiming carefully, kills Ulrich and frees his son. With the battle won, Dardo embraces Anne.

Review: It was originally planned as a vehicle for Errol Flynn but by the time the picture went into production the erstwhile heroic Flynn was past his sell-by date and would be unable for the knockabout antics the part demanded (he had barely got through "The Adventures Of Don Juan" two years previously thanks to many short takes and having doubles perform a lot of his action scenes).
Instead, a young and stunningly acrobatic Burt Lancaster was cast as Dardo, a sort of Robin Hood in medieval Italy fighting the oppression of the occupying Hessions.Produced by Lancaster's Norma Productions (named after his wife) it was fully fleshed out with a splendid cast.
Playing Dardo's mute friend Piccolo was Nick Cravat - Lancaster's friend and fellow performer from their circus days.The lovely Virginia Mayo played the love interest Anne of Hess.
Robert Douglas is a likable rogue through most of the picture until he gets a taste of power and turns bad and Frank Allenby, looking remarkably like the Great Profile John Barrymore, played the villainous Hawk (the original title of the movie was "The Hawk & The Arrow").Lancaster is marvellous to watch!
Although he did a kind of follow-up to "The Flame & The Arrow" two years later with the more comical "The Crimson Pirate" it is a shame he then ceased doing this type of movie as we could have tolerated him in quite a few more of them.Beautifully photographed in colour by the great Ernest Haller the movie has all the hallmarks of Warner's high production values.
Lively, colorful period romp in the Warners’ style made in the wake of ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) – featuring the same villain, Robert Douglas, no less – but actually fashioned after their most successful swashbuckler, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).Burt Lancaster – with his acrobatic training and cheerful countenance in full bloom – is perfect casting for the heroic role of Dardo, a kind of Italian Robin Hood (even down to displaying similar prowess as an archer); Virginia Mayo, then, makes for an ideal heroine – like Olivia De Havilland’s Maid Marian, playing a noble woman who’s gradually drawn to the outlaw’s cause.
Again, like the 1938 Robin Hood film, we have two villains: Frank Allenby as a tyrant known as “The Hawk” and the afore-mentioned Douglas as a Marquis; the latter’s role is interesting in that, banished by the former for tax evasion, he manages to infiltrate Lancaster’s band (along with his smart companion, a troubadour played by Norman Lloyd) and outwardly reform – but, when the opportunity arises, proceeds to reveal their plan of attack to Allenby!Other twists and quirks to the Robin Hood formula (the sharp script was written by Waldo Salt, later an Oscar winner for MIDNIGHT COWBOY [1969]!) are the fact that Lancaster’s wife has left him for Allenby - their spirited son has remained with Lancaster, whom he idolizes, but is eventually captured and thought good manners against his will; when Lancaster imprisons Mayo in exchange for his son’s freedom, he keeps her chained by the neck to a tree!; for no apparent reason other than that he's able to, one of Lancaster’s men uses his feet to write ransom notes, etc.; Lancaster is sent to the gallows but, here, he gives himself up rather than being captured and actually fakes his own death!; and the climactic struggle inside the castle, which the gang penetrate incognito (this time dressed-up as a band of strolling players).
The film itself received a couple of Oscar nominations for Ernest Haller’s gorgeous cinematography and Max Steiner’s marvelous score (it too bears a striking resemblance to Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s unforgettable work on THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD – as do the castle interiors – but this takes nothing away from the quality of THE FLAME AND THE ARROW itself!).
Also worth noting in the cast is Nick Cravat as Lancaster’s mute sidekick: in the star’s days as an acrobat, he had been his partner and would often work with him in films – basically reprising his role here in Lancaster’s next swashbuckler, the seafaring THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952; incidentally, also surprisingly but vigorously helmed by an expert in film noir, Robert Siodmak).
When discussing Lancaster's career even with Oscar nominations and one Oscar for roles vastly different than who he plays in The Flame And The Arrow, I find it fascinating that so many still refer back to these films and label Lancaster a swashbuckling star like Errol Flynn.Taking place in medieval Lombardy, the province is part of the Holy Roman Empire and they have a particularly evil Hessian provincial governor in Frank Allenby, known as "the Hawk" for his partiality to falconry and for his rapacious designs.
Nothing like a little child stealing to provide motivation.Before taking up acting Lancaster and his partner Nick Cravat were circus performers and his natural abilities in that direction made producers want to cast him in films like The Flame And The Arrow.
He never did want to have the career of Errol Flynn.Burt also gets the opportunity to romance Allenby's niece Virginia Mayo who is being offered to a recently impoverished count Robert Douglas in the hopes of peace and unity.
Plenty of action!The film is a flamboyant spoof of the Robin Hood genre, set against the castle battlements and banquet halls of medieval Lombardy...
Ideally cast opposite Lancaster's swashbuckling Dardo were Virginia Mayo as the obligatory lady-fair, and Robert Douglas and Frank Allenby as the suavest of villains...
Together they battled spearmen with blazing torches, and leaped around castle balconies..."The Flame and the Arrow" is a colorful adventure film with a great closing shot: Lancaster swinging in a series of circular movements on metalwork high above the courtyard of an old castle...Lancaster's acrobatics boosted his box-office value, and so did another swashbuckler, 'The Crimson Pirate.'...I saw this movie, with my little brother Paul, when it first came out in Lebanon, in Beirut, 47 years ago...
Lancaster repeated the experience two years later and very successfully too with "The Crinsom Pirate" and then he turned to westerns and more compromising roles which he did very well indeed too.In "The Flame and the Arrow" Lancaster is side kicked by his friend and previous days circus mate Nick Cravat and both deliver their acrobatic skills while fighting tyranny in the person of mean Hessian ruler "The Hawk" played by Frank Allenby.
That's because the star, Burt Lancaster, does most of his own stunts--having been a circus performer in a previous career along with his partner, Nick Cravat!
A couple years after making this film, Lancaster returned for THE CRIMSON PIRATE--a better film, but one that features less of the athleticism of THE FLAME AND THE ARROW.
It is interesting that Lancaster's circus partner, Nick Cravat, also plays his best friend in this film and several others (such as THE CRIMSON PIRATE).
Some of their stunt-work together is truly amazing.As far as the plot goes, it's a reworking of the Robin Hood story, but this time it's set in Lombardy (a region in North-central Italy that includes Milan) and the invaders are Hessians (from the region around Frankfurt, Germany).
The Robin Hood figure is Dardo Bartoli, a hunter and skilled archer who leads a group of rebels against Ulrich after being outlawed, with the mute Piccolo the equivalent of Little John.
Burt Lancaster, who had previously been a gymnast and a circus acrobat, was an obvious choice to play Dardo, the sort of swashbuckling role which Flynn had made his own in the late thirties and forties.
Francesca is a minor figure who plays little part in the action, and Dardo's climactic duel at the end of the film (paralleling the one between Flynn and Basil Rathbone in "Robin Hood) is with the secondary villain Granazia, not with Ulrich, who is portrayed as being too cowardly to face his rival man-to-man.
Although it is enjoyable enough it is not, however, among the best of the genre- certainly not when compared with films like "The Adventures of Robin Hood".
Dardo (Burt Lancaster) The Arrow , a Robin Hood-like outlaw in Medieval Italy under power of Federico I Redbeard leads his gang of mountain freedom fighters versus a mercenary warlord , Count 'The Hawk' Ulrich (Frank Allenby who provides personable villainy) who has seduced his spouse Francesca (as Lynne Baggett) and abducted his child .
This is a joyous adventure movie with spectacular acrobatics , action-filled , including thrills , fights , duels , marvelous outdoors , a cast of thousands as well as Lancaster and Cravat performing their own stunts adding interest to the ordinary swashbuckling .
Lancaster teamed with his ex-circus colleague Nick Cravat , long-time acrobatic partner appeared with Burt in nine films .
swashbuckler "The Flame and the Arrow" finds its star, Burt Lancaster, showing off his great acrobatic prowess for the first time on screen.
Thus, accompanied by his friend Piccolo (Lancaster's boyhood pal Nick Cravat), the two attempt a rescue, but must ultimately content themselves with the kidnapping of the count's luscious niece, Anne of Hesse (beautiful-as-always Virginia Mayo), in the hopes of an exchange.
But complications, both logistical and romantic, naturally ensue...."The Flame and the Arrow" is a film that seems to be not as highly regarded as Lancaster and Cravat's follow-up swashbuckler, 1952's "The Crimson Pirate," which, in the interest of complete honesty--and to my own personal embarrassment--I must admit to not having seen.
Lancaster and Cravat--who had formed the Lang and Cravat acrobatic team in the 1930s and performed extensively in circuses and nightclubs--get to show off their physical stunts here in various action situations, and although the two were hardly youngsters at this point (Burt was 37; Nick, 39), they are still remarkably impressive.
The film throws in a number of rousing combat scenes, and concludes with one of the great unsung swordfights in screen history, between Dardo and the traitorous Marchese Granazia (a nicely ambiguous performance from Robert Douglas); just look at how ferociously Burt swings his sword around in this scene!
And thus, how little sympathy the viewer has for Dardo's wife, Francesca (Lynn Baggett), who would give up this man, as well as her cute son (appealingly played by young Gordon Gebert), in order to live with the evil but wealthy count!"The Flame and the Arrow" was directed by the great Jacques Tourneur, the French-born filmmaker who is perhaps best remembered today for his 1940s RKO horror films--"The Cat People," "I Walked With a Zombie" and "The Leopard Man" (all made for producer Val Lewton)--as well as for the cult item "Curse of the Demon"; here, Tourneur demonstrates that he could be just as skilled and effective in another, nonhorror genre.
Jacques Tourneur's movie casts Burt Lancaster - sporting what looks like a Buddy Holly hairdo - as Dardo, a freedom fighter in medieval Lombardy.
He and his mute friend Piccolo (Nick Cravat) employed lots of cool acrobatics in their raids on the castle.There was one thing that looked very unrealistic, although it may have been accurate: Dardo's love interest Anne (Virginia Mayo) wears pants in some scenes, and even wears shorts in some scenes.
Burt Lancaster and his old circus performing pal Nick Cravat dazzle with flings and flops, arrows and lances, and it all works for what I term perfect Sunday afternoon entertainment.All that and Viginia Mayo has a smile that could stop an army in its tracks, what more do you want ?, hooray !
The acting is also very good,especially by one of my personal favorites Burt Lancaster(Dardo) and Nick Cravat(Piccolo),who both clearly enjoy their role and that's why they did it again in "the Crimson Pirate".The acrobatic sequences are sublime and really done by both actors,since they were old acrobat buddies.Like Steve Macqueen would do later on on a bike,Lancaster is the hero who can show his acrobatic skills.Especially the last sequence of the movie shows that.
Another great part of the film is the presence of the always beautiful Virginia Mayo,in my opinion the most beautiful actress ever together with Grace Kelly.The story is not very hard to follow,which makes it more entertaining to pay attention to the several great action sequences,like the first attempt of Dardo to rescue his son and the final battle,which is maybe a bit chaotic.Still,it has some weird and sometimes even unexplainable moments.For instance,when young Rudi is captured by Ullrich's men he laughs in the camera where he should be crying.
"The Flame and the Arrow" must've looked like old news even when first released, though it does have Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo, and enough breathless matinée-idol pizazz to make it a middling time-filler.
The original script (by Waldo Salt, of all people) chronicles the war between Italy and Germany in the 12th Century, with lots of action giving Lancaster the opportunity to utilize the acrobatic skills he learned before becoming an actor.
Yet it is one of the few scenes dealing with Renaissance Italy on screen, and the only notable appearance of that Pope.THE FLAME AND THE ARROW deals with Lancaster's attempts to reclaim his son, whom his first wife has taken to live with her in the castle of the ruling German Prince.
Lancaster is assisted in his attempt by Virginia Mayo (his new love interest - his first wife has become the Prince's mistress), Nick Cravat, assorted villagers.
The copy I just saw was just as sharp and colourful and lively as I remembered – maybe the world has turned so much duller by contrast for me since?Burt Lancaster plays Italian Robin Hood, battles against Italian Sheriff with his Italian Merrie Men and falls for Italian Marion (Virginia Mayo).
Favourite bits: Cravat explaining to Mayo in a long winded way that Lancaster was a free spirit; the carnival players scene in the Hawk's castle hall; Lancaster's iconic acrobatic exuberance at freeing his son Rudi.Wonderful colourful roller-coaster escapism, in fact I feel like watching it again tomorrow night..
An entertaining swashbuckler with Burt Lancaster as a sort of Continental Robin Hood, who with his band of not always merry men (and women) rails against the strictures of the rich evil count who controls the district with an iron fist.
In one of a number of unusual plot strands, Burt's son by the Count's daughter becomes the focus of a kidnapping which sets up the climactic finale when the castle is stormed and as you'd expect, almost every wrong, (bar the fate of the boy's mother) is righted.Perhaps too many similarities from the legend of Robin Hood are employed for the story's own good, but familiarity breeds content as Dardo escapes death at the gallows, falls in love with the beautiful Virginia Mayo, engages in a do-or-die sword fight near the end and generally runs, jumps and swings about everywhere like the trained acrobat he was.
At his side is his faithful, mute sidekick Piccolo, played by Nick Cravat, although quite how Burt makes sense of the latter's bowdlerised sign language is a mystery to me.What I liked about the film was that Dardo isn't the gold-plated hero you'd expect.
Robert Douglas as the dashing but double-dealing Marquese and Frank Allenby as the tyrannical count are both very good in support.I'm still scratching my head a little as to the relevance of its title to the film itself other than to advertise its action-packed credentials, but as swashbuckling entertainment, this lively movie was a fun, undemanding watch..
This 1950 technicolor feature rises above B status because of its incisive direction by Jacques Tourneur, a veteran Hollywood genre film maker best remembered for the noir classic Out of the Past and the horror classic Cat People, and also because of the spectacular athletics of an astonishingly youthful Burt Lancaster.There's also an effective sound track by major film composers Max Steiner; Virginia Mayo as the love interest stands around very prettily, which is about all you expect the female love interest in a movie like this to do.
A man, Dardo Bartoli, emerges to defy the rulers.The movie is essentially Robin Hood set in Italy, and not a good adaptation either.
The film has a good deal of swordplay and action (most fun to watch are the acrobatics by Lancaster and Cravat) but the plot doesn't really take hold of this audience member or run smoothly for that matter.
Burt Lancaster: The Robin Hood of Italy..
The evil Hessian King Ulrich is known as "The Hawk." He has a saucy daughter, Anne (Virginia Mayo) who is kidnapped from her father's castle by the brigand Dardo (Burt Lancaster) and his merry men.
Tourneur missed one cliché, though -- the shadows of fiercely dueling men on the castle walls.The most striking thing about the film, at least for me, was Burt Lancaster as action/adventure hero in a period flick.
Burt Lancaster and his real-life trapeze partner Nick Cravat perform some pretty astonishing acrobatic stunts in "Out of the Past" director Jacques Tourneur's nimble Technicolor swashbuckler "The Flame and the Arrow" as they tangle with the villains and rescue gorgeous damsel-in-distress Virginia Mayo.
At first the story seems very much a clone of "Robin Hood", with Burt Lancaster's athleticism on display as he portrays a mountain man engaged in a rebellion against the Hessians when they kidnap his boy and try to raise him as a gentleman.
The scenes where he has her literally chained up are hilarious and very sexy.Lancaster himself reminded me in this movie of why he was a star -- he has a ton of charisma, and his physical prowess puts Errol Flynn to shame and reminds one more of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. I liked how the acrobatic ability of Dardo and his mute friend Piccolo (Nick Cravat) was incorporated into their ruse towards the end.
There may be swashbuckling galore but the story line is so convoluted.Burt Lancaster shows his trapeze skills which would serve him well years later in a film with that very name-Trapeze.