Dashing heroes and dastardly villains, lavish costumes and sets, a damsel in distress. Swashbuckling films have captured the eye and imagination of the public since the advent of cinema. The final confrontation---where hero and villain duel to the death through castle halls---never ceases to thrill and captivate an eager audience.
Douglas Fairbanks brought the genre to new heights in the 1920s, portraying such famous characters as Robin Hood, Don Diego, and D'Artagnan. It was screen-newcomer Errol Flynn who became an overnight success in 1935 with his portrayal of Rafael Sabatini's hero, Captain Blood. (Flynn would go on to appear in many other swashbuckling films, including what many people consider the best swashbuckler ever made, The Adventures of Robin Hood.) In the 1940s, Tyrone Power fenced with skillful ease (as Don Diego in The Mark of Zorro), and the '50s brought us Stewart Granger, who achieved the height of cinematic glory with the swashbuckling-dream finale in Scaramouche.
Let us not forget, though, that the heroes could not be brave and grand without those classic villains. Basil Rathbone, the greatest swashbuckling villain of them all (considered the best fencer in Hollywood). Henry Daniell. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. James Mason. Mel Ferrer. All dastardly antagonists, with one common purpose: to thwart the hero's plans. These are the actors that you love to hate!
Equally important to the story is the heroine. Always beautiful. Always proud. Pathetically, also always starting out on the wrong side. Just think of Olivia de Havilland in Robin Hood. Brenda Marshall in The Sea Hawk. Many pretty damsels who simply sat and looked pretty. Until they had to rally to rescue the hero, of course. And they always ended on the right side.
Impressive costumes, grand sets, richly orchestrated scores. All of these give us the suitable backdrop for the classic story. The story where good always triumphs over evil. Just don't forget to throw in a little romance, adventure, comedy and action. And it always helps if the hero looks good in those tights . . .
(Faces in the filmstrip: Henry Daniell, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, Stewart Granger, Alan Hale.)
