Scaramouche (1952)

Directed by George Sidney. Starring Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer, Janet Leigh, Henry Wilcoxon, Richard Anderson, Robert Coote, Nina Foch.

Flamboyant swashbuckler—sometimes serious, sometimes parodic—with a womanizing heel at the center, but whether as French nobleman Andre Moreau or burlesque clown alter-ego Scaramouche, we root for him anyway on his quest for revenge against the master swordsman (Ferrer) who provoked his good friend into a duel and killed him. Offers two kinds of leading ladies—Eleanor Parker (aggressive) and Janet Leigh (demure)—from which the hero can choose, but the difference between Moreau and Scaramouche is less defined; Granger didn’t have much range as an actor, and his congested pomposity makes one wonder if his virtue is found in phlegm. Humor and earnestness count for a lot to alleviate the overbearing costumer frippery, but its best asset is the swordplay, which is plentiful, and choreographed for both energy and elegance. The climactic fight between Granger and Ferrer in a crowded theater is one of the longest and most exciting sequences of its kind on film. Ramón Novarro previously essayed the title role in a 1923 silent production.

71/100