The War Lord [Blu-ray]

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner Franklin J. Schaffner

Overview

The painstakingly accurate historical drama The War Lord is predicated on the old practice of le droit du seigneur. Norman knight Charlton Heston, in charge of an 11th century Druid community, exercises his right to claim bride Rosemary Forsyth on the night of her wedding to James Farentino. Forsyth becomes enamored of her abductor, refusing to leave his side. Seeking vengeance, Farentino, the son of Druidic leader Niall McGinniss, foments an all-out war between Heston and Heston's covetous brother Guy Stockwell. Despite the impressive scope of the battle scenes, The War Lord, based on a stage play by Leslie Stevens, is essentially an intimate human drama (in contrast, look what "droit du seigneur" sparked in the 1995 epic Braveheart). The surehanded direction of Franklyn Schaffner and the credible performances of Heston et. al. are brilliantly complemented by Jerome Morross' Stravinsky-like musical score.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/21/2020
UPC:	0738329242251
Original Release:	1965
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	2:03:00
Sales rank:	23,059

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Sergio Mims; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charlton Heston	Chrysagon
Rosemary Forsyth	Bronwyn
Richard Boone	Bors
Maurice Evans	Priest
Guy Stockwell	Draco
Niall MacGinnis	Odins
Henry Wilcoxon	Frisian Prince
James Farentino	Marc
Sammy Ross	Volc
Woodrow Parfrey	Piet
John Alderson	Holbracht
Allen Jaffe	Tybald
Michael Conrad	Rainault
Dal Jenkins	Dirck
Johnny Jensen	Boy Prince
Forrest Wood	Chrysagon Man
Belle Mitchell	Old Woman
H.J. Salter	Composer

Technical Credits

Franklin J. Schaffner	Director
Walter Seltzer	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Sporting a bowl haircut and a chestful of chainmail, Charlton Heston portrays Norman man-at-arms Chrysagon de la Crue in this 1965 medieval flick, exhibiting the kind of imposing charisma and nobility that distinguished him in Ben-Hur and El Cid. The motion picture features plenty of action and romance as Chrysagon crosses swords with nasty Frisians and woos comely village maiden Bronwyn (Rosemary Forsyth). However, the environment in which Heston de la Crue operates--the dank, dark, dirty Middle Ages--is anything but noble and charismatic. And that is one of the strong points of this film. It presents the medieval period, in particular the 11th Century, as it was: crude, gray, miasmic--a breath of Hades. Never mind that the production was filmed entirely in California; it looks and feels like feudal France. The music score captures the mood of the age, and the combat scenes ring with the sound of metal striking metal. Unfortunately, Forsyth is not quite up to her role. Although wholesomely pretty, she lacks the spit and fire required to love one man desperately, Chrysagon, while betrothed to another, Marc, (James Farentino), a village lad. When Chrysagon invokes a law allowing a lord to lie with the bride of another man on her wedding night, Marc and the gadfly Frisians attack. Historians may balk at this turn of events, for no law ever existed allowing a lord to sleep with another man's bride. It's a fiction (promulgated as "le droigt de seigneur," "le droight de cuissage," and "primae noctis") that was repeated in Braveheart. No mind, though. The zinging arrows, clashing swords, and beheading axes--as well as the Dark Ages ambience--more than make up for historical faux pas. Further enhancing the film are the villainy of Guy Stockwell as Chysagon's traitorous brother, the stiff-lipped heroism of Richard Boone as Chrysagon's loyal manservant, and the feistiness of aging Henry Wilcoxon as a Frisian prince.

All Movie Guide - Mike Cummings