En garde! Rousing Swashbucklers
by grendelkhan | created - 13 Dec 2011 | updated - 04 Aug 2016 | PublicFilms of great daring-do and swordplay.
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1. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
PG | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence in 1190s England, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a resistance movement.
Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley | Stars: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains
Votes: 54,480 | Gross: $3.98M
Flynn's best, mixing humor, drama, swordplay and archery. There are evil villains and pretty maidens. Still unparalleled.
2. The Sea Hawk (1940)
Approved | 127 min | Action, Adventure, History
Geoffrey Thorpe, a buccaneer, is hired by Queen Elizabeth I to nag the Spanish Armada. The Armada is waiting for the attack on England and Thorpe surprises them with attacks on their galleons where he shows his skills on the sword.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp
Votes: 10,731
The better of Flynn's pirate movies, with the actor more confident and the scenes more epically staged.
3. Captain Blood (1935)
Passed | 119 min | Action, Adventure, History
After treating a Monmouth rebel against King James II in 1680s England, a young Irish doctor is exiled as a slave to Jamaica where he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone
Votes: 16,093 | Gross: $2.96M
Flynn in his early swashbuckling days. His acting is a bit off, but there are some great battles. The first of the Rafael Sabatini adaptations.
4. The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
Approved | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
An Englishman on a Ruritarian holiday must impersonate the king when the rightful monarch, a distant cousin, is drugged and kidnapped.
Directors: John Cromwell, W.S. Van Dyke | Stars: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey
Votes: 5,066
Ronald Coleman stars in the classic dual role, with Douglas fairbanks Jr playing the villain for a change. Court intrigue, romance and an epic sabre battle make this memorable. Created the "Ruritanian" adjective.
5. The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Approved | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A young Spanish aristocrat must masquerade as a fop in order to maintain his secret identity of Zorro as he restores justice to early California.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard
Votes: 10,978 | Gross: $4.36M
In my opinion, the best of the Zorro films (sorry Douglas). Tyrone Power plays both the fop and the hero, while Basil Rathbone sneers as only he can. Rousing score adds to the excitement.
6. The Three Musketeers (1948)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
D'Artagnan and his Musketeer comrades thwart the plans of Cardinal Richelieu to usurp King Louis XIII's power.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson, Van Heflin
Votes: 6,933
Gene Kelly as D'Artagnan adds a bit of dancer flare to things, while Lana Turner is the femme fatale. Pretty good, if a bit long. I prefer the Richard Lester films, but this is very entertaining.
7. Scaramouche (1952)
Approved | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In France during the late 18th Century, a man sets out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of a master swordsman.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer
Votes: 6,364
Stewart Granger as the wronged man in search of revenge. Mel Ferrer is the villain and Janet Leigh the love interest. Granger is never as charming as Flynn, but the climactic sword battle is unequalled.
8. The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
During the 1700s, pirate Captain Vallo seizes a British warship and gets involved in various money-making schemes involving Caribbean rebels led by El Libre, British envoy Baron Jose Gruda, and a beautiful courtesan named Consuelo.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, Torin Thatcher
Votes: 6,986
Burt Lancaster shows how a pirate should be played. Tons of fun, with the craziest battle ever unleashed in the climax. Nick Cravat, Lancaster's circus partner, plays the mute Ojo, to comic effect.
9. The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
Passed | 88 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Dardo, a Robin Hood-like figure, and his loyal followers use a Roman ruin in Medieval Lombardy as their headquarters as they conduct an insurgency against their Hessian conquerors.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo, Robert Douglas, Aline MacMahon
Votes: 4,236
Burt's earlier swashbuckler, an ersatz Robin Hood-meets-William Tell. Virginia Mayo is the love interest. Pretty good, but Crimson Pirate is much better.
10. At Sword's Point (1952)
Approved | 81 min | Adventure, History
In 1648 France, it's the sons (and daughter) of the Three Musketeers to the rescue!
Director: Lewis Allen | Stars: Cornel Wilde, Maureen O'Hara, Robert Douglas, Gladys Cooper
Votes: 823
Maureen O'Hara gets to wield a rapier, alongside Cornell Wilde, Alan Hale Jr., and Dan O'Herlihy. Nice bit of intrigue and some pretty good swordplay.
11. Against All Flags (1952)
Approved | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Brian Hawke of the Royal Navy versus the pirates of Madagascar.
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Errol Flynn, Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Alice Kelley
Votes: 2,964
Not Flynn's best, but Maureen O'Hara adds a nice twist, as a female pirate captain. her fencing won't win awards, but she has a decent lunge.
12. The Black Swan (1942)
Approved | 87 min | Adventure, Drama
An ex-pirate contends with rowdy buccaneers and a love/hate relationship with an aristocratic woman who's tougher than she seems.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar, Thomas Mitchell
Votes: 5,085 | Gross: $1.01M
Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, and George Sanders make for a great pirate film. Sabatini is there only in the title, but the film is fun, even if Power isn't quite the charmer that Flynn was. He is, however, very believable when he is deadly serious.
13. Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952)
Approved | 99 min | Adventure, Romance
Honest Edward Maynard finds himself serving as ship's surgeon under the infamous pirate Blackbeard.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, William Bendix, Keith Andes
Votes: 1,698
Robert Newton really gets to chew some scenery. The hero is rather lacking, but Newton is entertaining enough to keep you interested.
14. Treasure Island (1950)
PG | 96 min | Adventure, Family
The treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate captain Long John Silver.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald
Votes: 9,462
Robert Newton stars in the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate classic. Much of the cast is rather wooden, but Newton carries things with the strength of his personality. Originator of the "arrgh" pirate jokes.
15. The Three Musketeers (1973)
PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
A young swordsman comes to Paris and faces villains, romance, adventure and intrigue with three Musketeer friends.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York
Votes: 20,136 | Gross: $22.02M
By far the best of the Dumas adaptations, faithful to both the story and the characters, as well as the elements of humor, though played more broadly. The swordplay is far closer to reality than most films, with duels far less elegant and more brutal. Faye Dunaway is delisciously evil, aided by Christopher Lee and Charlton Heston is a rare turn as a villain. Oliver Reed is perfect as Athos and Frank Finlay a wonderfully boastful Porthos.
16. The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)
PG | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Michael York, Raquel Welch, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain
Votes: 11,707 | Gross: $19.10M
More part two than sequel (it was filmed with the Three Musketeers). This is the darker half of the story, but still manages some great comedy, especially the breakfast amidst a battle.
17. Swashbuckler (1976)
PG | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
Director: James Goldstone | Stars: Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle, Geneviève Bujold
Votes: 1,882
This tries hard, and succeeds for a great portion of the time, though mostly carried by Robert Shaw and James Earl Jones. Peter Boyle is pretty evil, but lacks the seductive charm that many of the great swashbuckler villains had.
18. The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
When French King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) learns that his twin brother, Philippe (Beau Bridges), could usurp his crown, he sets out to imprison him in the Bastille prison but four loyal musketeers are protecting Philippe.
Director: Ken Annakin | Stars: Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Beau Bridges, Cornel Wilde
Votes: 853
Beau Bridges, along with father LLoyd, adapt the Man in the Iron Mask. Cornell Wilde and Alan Hale Jr. are back in their roles from At Swords Point, with Jose Ferrer as Athos. Ian McShane is the villainous Fouquet, while Rex Harrison is Colbert. It has its moments.
19. The Corsican Brothers (1941)
Passed | 111 min | Adventure, Romance
After their parents are killed, co-joined twin boys are separated, with one raised as a gentleman in Paris and the other in the mountains becoming a bandit.
Director: Gregory Ratoff | Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ruth Warrick, Akim Tamiroff, J. Carrol Naish
Votes: 757
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. stars in the classic tale of twin heroes.
20. The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
Passed | 113 min | Adventure, History, Romance
Despotic King Louis XIV discovers he has a twin brother who has grown up under the tutelage of his foster father, the patriotic musketeer D'Artagnan.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Warren William, Joseph Schildkraut
Votes: 1,904
Louis Hayward is the twin hero in this adaptation of Dumas. Not quite as rousing as the Musketeers.
21. The Count of Monte-Cristo (1975 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 103 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A young officer, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friends," escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Trevor Howard, Louis Jourdan, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 5,525
Richard Chamberlain stars in this version of the Dumas' classic tale of revenge. Chamberlain gets more to do than he did in the Lester Musketeer films and handles it well. Tony Curtis didn't quite carry his weight here.
22. The Court Jester (1955)
Approved | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.
Directors: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama | Stars: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 13,943 | Gross: $0.02M
Danny Kaye gets to play a bumbling Flynn wannabe. Lots of fun, with Kaye's signature wordplay, songs, and some pretty good stunts.
23. The Man in the Iron Mask (1977 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Adventure, History
D'Artagnan and his fellow Musketeers plot to replace the ineffectual Louis XIV of France with his secretly imprisoned twin brother Phillipe, who is the firstborn and rightful King.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Patrick McGoohan, Louis Jourdan, Jenny Agutter
Votes: 3,366
Chamberlain returns in another adaptation of Dumas, with Patrick McGoohan as Fouquet and Ralph Richardson as Colbert. Jenny Agutter is lovely as Louise.
24. The Mask of Zorro (1998)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A young thief seeking revenge for his brother's death is trained by the once-great, aging Zorro, who is pursuing his own vengeance.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, José María de Tavira
Votes: 197,729 | Gross: $94.10M
Antonio Banderas gets to live out a dream as a modern Zorro and does it quite well, with Catherine Zeta Jones as the love interest. Very well done.
25. Zorro (I) (1975)
G | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In the New World, a new Spanish governor finds the province of Nueva Aragón under the iron fist of the corrupt Colonel Huerta and vows to bring justice under the guise of a masked avenger.
Director: Duccio Tessari | Stars: Alain Delon, Stanley Baker, Ottavia Piccolo, Moustache
Votes: 4,265
Alain Delon dons the black mask, while Stanley Baker assumes the villainous role. Rousing fun, with Moustache adding some comic touches. great battle at the end.
26. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,449,296 | Gross: $322.74M
Mixing elements of the swashbuckler with westerns and war films. The swashbuckling stufff is mostly on the Death Star.
27. The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, Romance
General Gurko Lanen is the dictator of Lichtenburg, a country set in the Balkans. With the help of Napoleon II, the rightful ruler Grand Duchess Zona aims to overthrow the general. She is also helped by the visiting Count of Monte Cristo.
Director: Rowland V. Lee | Stars: Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, Florence Bates
Votes: 880
One of several Monte Cristo films, it has more in common with the Prisoner of Zenda and succeeds mostly due to George Sanders' villainy.
28. The Great Race (1965)
Passed | 160 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In the early 20th century, two rivals, the heroic Leslie and the despicable Professor Fate, engage in an epic automobile race from New York to Paris.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk
Votes: 19,825 | Gross: $25.33M
Not really a swashbuckler, but it has a great send-up of the Prisoner of Zenda in the second half, with a nice recreation of the climactic sabre battle; this time, with Tony Curtis and Ross Martin. Jack lemmon steals the film as Prof. Fate and it has probably the single greatest pie fight in cinema history.
29. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
Not Rated | 97 min | Adventure, Drama
A noblewoman discovers her husband is The Scarlet Pimpernel, a vigilante who rescues aristocrats from the blade of the guillotine.
Director: Harold Young | Stars: Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, Nigel Bruce
Votes: 4,767
Leslie Howard as Sir Percy Blakeny, with Raymond Massey as the villain. A bit low key for modern tastes, but good.
30. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 142 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Paris, 1792: After France becomes a republic, aristocrats are guillotined. The English Sir Percy tries to save as many as he can as The Scarlet Pimpernel in disguises.
Director: Clive Donner | Stars: Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, Ian McKellen, James Villiers
Votes: 5,152
Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour star in this update of the Baroness Orczy classic, with Ian McKellan in the villain role. Andrews shows a bit more here than in some of his other roles, carrying off the fop well.
31. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999–2000)
TV-14 | 540 min | Adventure, Drama
During the turmoil of the French Revolution, English aristocrat Percy Blakeney, often aided by his League of friends, secretly undertakes various daring missions as the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Stars: Richard E. Grant, Ronan Vibert, Gerard Murphy, Ron Donachie
Votes: 1,256
TV series, with Richard E Grant. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Grant captures the adventure elements and the swashbuckling well, while Martin Shaw is an excellent Cheuvelin, though somewhat less fanatical than in the stories. The Blakeny's are quite nicely essayed, as a couple, by Grant and Elizabeth McGovern.
32. Revenge of the Musketeers (1994)
R | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
France, 1654: D'Artagnan's girl grows up in a convent. When the mother superior is murdered, Eloïse suspects a plan to murder the king and hopes to prevent this and revenge the murder by finding her father and the 3 musketeers.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, Sami Frey
Votes: 3,599 | Gross: $0.31M
Nice modern take on the Musketeers, with Sophie Marceau as the daughter of D'Artagnan (Phillipe Noiret). Much better than the Randall Wallace Man in the Iron Mask and Marceau is pretty wild with the sword. There is a nice "curtain bow" at the end, featuring the main performers.
33. The Mark of Zorro (1974 TV Movie)
Approved | 78 min | Action, Adventure, Western
When Don Diego returns to California only to find the people overrun and overtaxed by corrupt politicians, he takes matters into his own hands as the masked crusader Zorro.
Director: Don McDougall | Stars: Frank Langella, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, Louise Sorel
Votes: 690
Frank Langella stars in this remake of the Tyrone Power classic, using the same script and score. Ricardo Montalban easily steals the film as the villain, stepping into Rathbone's boots. Fostered a love of Zorro in my childhood.
34. The Sign of Zorro (1958)
G | 91 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A masked vigilante battles a corrupt commandant by night while masquerading as an aristocrat by day.
Directors: Lewis R. Foster, Norman Foster | Stars: Guy Williams, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon, Romney Brent
Votes: 1,271
Feature version of the Disney TV series, starring Guy Williams. It does a decent job, even if it is a bit slower than the orignal theatric versions. The favorite of baby boomer swashbuckler fans.
35. Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
Not Rated | 113 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
The charismatic swordsman-poet helps another woo the woman he loves.
Director: Michael Gordon | Stars: José Ferrer, Mala Powers, William Prince, Morris Carnovsky
Votes: 4,573
Jose Ferrer in his Oscar winning role. More a romance than a swashbuckler, but with some great sword scenes, especially the famous theater duel, where Cyrano delivers much better insults, while cutting his opponent to ribbons.
36. The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
Approved | 96 min | Adventure, Mystery, Romance
An Englishman vacationing in a Ruritarian kingdom is recruited to impersonate his cousin, the soon-to-be-crowned king, after the monarch is drugged and kidnapped.
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Louis Calhern
Votes: 4,005
Remake of the classic. Granger isn't as good as Coleman, but the Technicolor really brings the costumes and sets alive. James Mason is excellent as Rupert of Hentzau. The sabre battle is as well done as the original.
37. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,121,200 | Gross: $309.13M
Luke gets to walk a plank, swing on a rope, do some swordplay, and jump around on a sailing ship that hovers over the desert terrain. Not too shabby.
38. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 450,875 | Gross: $30.86M
Great fun, as Rob Reiner delivers William Goldman's script, based on his own book. Cary Elwes gets to play Errol Flynn and does it well, while Mandy Patinkin gets to swing a sword as well. The duel between the pair is up there with anything from the golden era oof swashbucklers.
39. Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.
Director: Jake Scott | Stars: Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Iain Robertson, Ken Stott
Votes: 10,448 | Gross: $0.47M
More than a bit silly and anachronistic; however, it is a lot of fun. It tells the tale of a pair of highwaymen; Johnny Lee Miller as the high born MacLeane and Robert Carlysle as the more humble birthed Plunkett. Plunkett has the brains and uses MacLeane's position in society to get close to their targets. It's pulpy fun and not to be taken seriously. Alan Cumming steals the film, though.
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