If I Were King
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| If I Were King | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Frank Lloyd |
| Produced by | Frank Lloyd |
| Written by | Justin Huntly McCarthy (play) Preston Sturges |
| Starring | Ronald Colman Basil Rathbone Frances Dee |
| Release date(s) | 1938 |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
If I Were King is a 1938 film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon. It is based on the play and novel, both of the same name, by Justin Huntly McCarthy.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
King Louis XI of France (Basil Rathbone) is in desperate straits. He is besieged in Paris by the Burgundians and suspects that there is a traitor in his court. He goes in disguise to a tavern to see who accepts a message from the enemy. While there, he is amused by the antics of poet François Villon (Ronald Colman), who has stolen food from the royal storehouse. The rascal criticizes the king and brags about how much better he would do if he were in Louis' place.
The traitor is revealed to be Grand Constable D'Aussigny (John Miljan), but before he can be arrested, the turncoat is killed in a brawl by Villon. As a jest, Louis rewards Villon by making him the new Constable, though the king secretly intends to have him executed after a week.
His low-born origin kept a secret, Villon falls in love with lady-in-waiting Katherine DeVaucelles (Frances Dee) and she with him. Then Louis informs Villon about his grim fate. Villon escapes, but when the Burgundians break down the city gates, he rallies the common people in routing them and lifting the siege. Having had to put up with Villon's impudence and wanting less aggravation in his life, Louis decides to permanently exile him from Paris. Villon leaves on foot, with Katherine following at a discreet distance in her carriage.
[edit] Cast
- Ronald Colman as François Villon
- Basil Rathbone as King Louis XI
- Frances Dee as Katherine DeVaucelles
- Ellen Drew as Huguette, Villon's girlfriend
- C. V. France as Father Villon
- Henry Wilcoxon as Captain of the Watch
- Heather Thatcher as the Queen
- Stanley Ridges as Rene de Montigny
- Bruce Lester as Noel de Jolys
- Alma Lloyd as Colette
- Walter Kingsford as Tristan l'Hermite
- Sidney Toler as Robin Turgis
- Colin Tapley as Jehan Le Loup
- Ralph Forbes as Oliver le Dain
- John Miljan as Grand Constable Thibaut D'Aussigny
[edit] Academy Award nominations
- Supporting Actor - Basil Rathbone
- Art Direction - Hans Dreier and John B. Goodman
- Music, Original Score - Richard Hageman
- Sound, Recording - Loren L. Ryder
[edit] Other versions
The play was also adapted in 1920 as a silent film.[1] In 1925, composer Rudolf Friml and librettists Brian Hooker and W.H. Post turned it into a successful Broadway operetta, The Vagabond King, which featured the songs Only a Rose, Some Day, and Song of the Vagabonds. The operetta was filmed twice - in 1930, and in 1956. Both film versions used only a little of Friml's original score.
