Cheap Scaramouche (DVD) (Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh) (George Sidney (II)) Price

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Customer Reviews of Scaramouche

SWORD PLAY AND SWASHBUCKLING - MGM STYLE
"Scaramouche" is the somewhat convoluted tale of a womanizing rogue, Andrea Moreau (Stewart Granger) who courts a gypsy player, Lenore (Eleanor Parker) but ultimately falls for the purity and grace of courtesan, Aline de Gavrillac de Bourbon (Janet Leigh). Mel Ferrer appears as the villain, Noel, the Marquis de Maynes. Andrea's heart is set upon revenge after Noel brutally assassinates his best friend in a dual. But the Marquis has powerful friends who attempt to hunt down Andrea. Masquerading as Scaramouche, the bit player of a traveling theatrical troupe, Andrea draws himself nearer to Noel's confidence, all the while falling in love with Aline, who is at first erroneously mistaken to be Andrea's sister. The swashbuckling climaxes with a death-defying dual inside an opera house (actually an MGM set). Both Granger and Ferrer do their own sword play and stunt work, often teetering three stories above the gathered crowd on the edge of their balconies. There's plenty of sword play, excitement and thrills in this lavishly produced spectacle from MGM which, quite frankly, beats most like-minded contemporary fluff by about a mile and a half.
Warner Home Video has given us an adequate transfer. Even though no attempt has been made to minimize or clean up the age related artifacts that are present throughout, this transfer has held up remarkably well over time. Colors are fully saturated, bold and, at times, incredibly life like. However, there is an inconsistency in the color balancing, not even from scene to scene, but shot to shot. The entire image has a decidedly "warm" look to it which is in keeping with the lushness of its original photography, but several scenes suffer from a mis-registration problem that creates ghostly halos. Nevertheless, pixelization, edge enhancement, aliasing and shimmering are all absent, making for a smooth visual presentation. During the darker scenes, black levels, though deep and rich, tend to lose fine detail, but once again, for a bare bones restoration effort, the visual quality holds up remarkably well. The audio is mono but nicely balanced.
Extras include Mel Ferrer recollecting the making of the film. You also get the film's theatrical trailer. I recommend "Scaramouche" as a swashbuckling highlight of the 1950's. Though nobody did this sort of picture better than perhaps Errol Flynn, Stewart Granger is an ample successor and the production values associated with this film set it apart from anything seen on the screen - before or since.

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Best Swordfights in movies ever!!!
One of the few instances where the movie is far better than the book which inspired it, this version of 'Scaramouche' has some of the most fantastic sword fights ever put on film.
A favorite of my childhood, it is still in my 'top ten' list of adventure movies; Hyperkinetic, humorous, it never gets dull.
Stewart Granger never has been better, even as in other favorites of mine as 'Prisoner of Zenda' or 'North to Alaska'. Mel Ferrer is the suavest villain you can get, Eleanor Parker never has been so attractive, and Janet Leigh is a vision of Heaven.
Why the current adventure movies are not so enjoyable anymore?

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Forget the swordplay--LOOK at it!
Scaramouche has possibly the most beautiful Technicolor cinematography of any MGM film. It's just gorgeous! The film, of course, is a delight in the great Errol Flynn tradition, but with Janet Leigh and Eleanor Parker, it's primarily a feast for the eyes. Incidentally, this is the only film I know of that gives an accurate representation of commedia dell'arte, and the theatrical scenes are a delight.