TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Lawbolisted Powerful

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

ma-cortes Amusing and entertaining swashbuckler has Don Juán (Errol Flynn in his self-mocking best) saving Queen Margarita (Viveca Lindfords) who secretly loves her champion from her evil First Minister , (the British Robert Douglas) . He , then swashbuckles his way across England and Spain in effort to win her heart . At the end Don Juan finds a worthy fencing adversary in the treacherous Duc of Lorca (actually , Duke of Lerma , favorite of King Felipe III) at an exciting final duel .Errol's last spectacular and overwhelming epic features impressive duels , elegant costuming , impressive production design , marvelous gowns , and loads of action . It is so crammed with fights and action , there hardly seems to be a set-piece that doesn't start or end with a duel , fencing or brawl . This was the major ¨Sword and Swagger¨ film mounted by First National Pictures and Warner Brothers for its superstar of swashbucklers , Errol Flynn . Errol is still nearly at his most agile and deft style . Errol Flynn was 38 when he made this movie , but his wild lifestyle had diminished his health and made him less able to perform his own stunts, as he had in earlier films . Previously , Flynn made his best swashbucklers and played successes as ¨Captain Blood¨ , ¨Adventures of Robin Hood¨, ¨The prince and the pauper¨ , ¨Sea Hawk¨, ¨The private lives of Elizabeth and Essex¨ , ¨Gentleman Jim¨ . Flynn performed splendidly the mass battle royal at the ending and the ultimate romantic gesture for the queen , he certainly gave his enthusiasts something to remember him by . It was all downhill for Errol after this , as he followed his successive flops as ¨The warriors¨, ¨Against all flags¨, ¨The Master of Ballantree¨ and ¨Adventures captain Fabian . Support cast is pretty well , such as Alan Hale Jr as his squire , Rommy Brent playing the silly King Felipe III and Robert Douglas is too good for his baddie role . And other notorious secondaries in brief apparitions as Robert Warwick , Douglas Kennedy , Barbara Bates , Monte Blue , Raymond Burr , Helen Westcott , Fortunio Bonanova and forthright as well as sympathetic Una O'Connor , as usual . Richly costumed , including luxurious gowns and in glamorous Technicolor by cameraman Elwood Bredell . Breathtaking and luxury set design and art design by Edward Carrere and Harry Platt , though mostly interiors . Thrilling and evocative musical score by the great maestro and prolific Max Steiner . The picture is not a masterpiece , but being made with huge confidence and fair play by Vincent Sherman . Vincent directed all kinds of genres : drama , suspense , Western , biography , such as ¨Cervantes¨, ¨Lone Star¨, ¨Affair in Trinidad¨, ¨The Young Philadelphians , ¨Ice palace¨, ¨All through the night¨ , ¨Underground¨. Being his best films : ¨Mr Skeffington¨and this ¨Adventures of Don Juan¨.

Edgar Allan Pooh " . . . but sheep remain sheep," the power-hungry Duke De Lorca tells DON JUAN in the key line from the latter's 1948 namesake flick. On The Day That Will Live On With Infamy (Pearl Harbor Sneak Attack, Dec. 7, 1941), the non-Democratic side of Congress had the top executives of DON JUAN's Warner Bros. under subpoena because Warner had dared warn American's about that party's buddy, Der Fuhrer, in countless movies. THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, for instance, was REALLY about Churchill and Hitler (the latter sharing Essex' fate, when all was said and done). Similarly, DON JUAN seems to be about the Spanish Royal Court in the last 1500s, but it ACTUALLY concerns Truman (Margaret) versus Tommy Dewey (De Lorca). DON JUAN himself represents the American G.I.s. Fresh from beating Hitler, they rode in to Margaret\Truman's rescue, even though the "fix" was in to elevate Dewey as a new "shepherd" for a nation of sheep. Since Warner Bros. took their eye off the eight ball in the early 1950s, General "I-Like-Ike" Eisenhower was able to pull off a military coup in 1952, and the only True Democrat since then--CAMELOT's John F. Kennedy--was rubbed out by the Mordred-like shrubbery in Texas.

Mikel3 Last night I again watched one of my all time favorites, 'The Adventures of Don Juan' starring the amazing Errol Flynn and talented, lovely Viveca Lindfors. I've seen it many times before, this was the first time I viewed the copy from my TCM Errol Flynn collection DVD set. The quality of this video was excellent, better than I had ever seen the film look before. In fact I can not imagine it looking any sharper even on a blue-ray version. Perhaps because my blu-ray player is supposed to enhance DVDs too, not sure. Each scene was colorful sharp and impressively detailed, almost like a painting needing to be paused and admired. I can see why it won an Oscar for 'Best Costume Design, Color'. Also it was nominated for 'Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color'. The music by Max Steiner is as good as any swashbuckler ever had IMO. Sadly the movie was a box office flop at that time and the budgets on later Errol Flynn films were cut dramatically. Too bad cause it deserved better. This was the last of his greatest costume action movies, IMO. The special features section on the DVD includes a commentary on the film by director Vincent Sherman, I look forward to listening to that and the insights he shares.There were a few more Flynn action swashbucklers yet to come, they never achieved the grander of this work and those before it. I know most would consider one of his earlier films better examples of Flynn at his best, for me this has a special place among them as a favorite. Perhaps it's because Errol Flynn was so much like Don Juan, even in the last scene you could substitute his name for that of the famous Spanish lover when he says to Leporello (Alan Hale) " My dear friend, there's a little bit of Don Juan in every man, and since I am Don Juan, there must be more of it in me! " I love that line.

jpdoherty The most eagerly awaited Flynn movie has at last made it to DVD! Unavailable for some years except on a VHS tape and an obscure over priced Korean disc it, thankfully, is back in the Warner Bros. stable where it belongs. The wait was worth it for the disc is simply pluperfect! With rich vibrant three-strip Technicolor and sharply defined images it is a joy to behold! Flynn is terrific in the title role of the great lover and roue. Not withstanding perhaps a nod to the actor's own lifestyle the part was nevertheless taylor made for him. And although it was said at the time that he was slowing down and that he hit the booze while filming there is no evidence of it on screen. The great swashbuckler cuts a fine figure in his many fabulous costume changes throughout the picture. These costumes - designed by the great Travilla - won the 1948 Acadamy Award for best costume design.The supporting cast were well chosen too! Robert Douglas is great as Flynn's adversary - the evil Duke DeLorca. His dark eyes blackened even more to make him look that bit extra villainous. Alan Hale is once again Flynn's faithful sidekick but after 12 movies this was to be their final picture together. He died the following year. The female lead is taken by the beautiful Swedish actress Vivica Lindfors. Here she plays Margaret Queen of Spain and the one true love of Juan. Lindfors' final film was "Stargate" in 1994! She died in 1995 at the age of 75."The Adventures of Don Juan" is well directed by Vincent Sherman and is probably his best remembered movie. The atmosphere, the colour and the sets in the court scenes are really very impressive. But now and then the film gets a little bogged down with some palace intrigue until the picture's famous set piece - the brilliantly staged sword-fight on the magnificent palace staircase. It ranks as one of the cinema's finest duels and Flynn will always be remembered for it even though that amazing leap with the knife was performed by stuntman and B picture actor Jock Mahoney.Then, of course there is the music by Max Steiner - one of his very best scores! Particularly splendid is his music for Juan's Parade into London with its masterful use of bells and chimes. Also the wistful Ballade which accompanies Juan on his many and various balcony climbings, the driving action music for the fight in the palace and the gorgeous love theme for the scenes with Juan and the Queen especially for the sequence near the end. Here the theme is heard in full bloom as the lovers say farewell to each other forever ("I shall be the only one who knew, for just a little while, that there was no Queen"). Interestingly Flynn's usual swashbuckling composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold - who had served him brilliantly on past successes such as "Captain Blood", "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" and "The Sea Hawk" -was originally slated to score "The Adventures Of Don Juan" as far back as 1945, but by the time the picture went into production the esteemed composer had left Hollywood and returned to his birthplace Vienna. As brilliant a composer as Korngold was it's difficult to imagine he would have topped Steiner's exceptional score. But alas we will never know!So quite a wonderful disc all round with good extras consisting of a commentary by director the late Vincent Sherman and Flynn authority Rudy Behlmer, a trailer and some instantly forgettable old fashioned shorts but the movie is all, so enjoy. En Garde!