As a big fan of the books, this one is quite difficult to review fairly and impartially. From a screenplay by George MacDonald Fraser based on his own novel, Royal Flash finds young Harry Flashman enjoying his newfound celebrity as a hero from the 1842 conflict in Afghanistan. A mishap with some strumpets in an illegal gaming hall results in a series of events that lead to his being kidnapped by the dastardly Otto Von Bismarck, and forced to impersonate Prince Carl of Denmark in a Prisoner of Zenda-style plot designed to unify Germany.
The novel Royal Flash is certainly a romp, and Richard Lester's direction bears all his usual hallmarks: action, humour and deft comedic touches. Fraser's screenplay is full of his own hallmarks, too; bawdy humour, swashbuckling action and a real flair for dialogue. It's more faithful to the book than not, though some small changes have been made (and the film was some thirty minutes longer before being edited down before release). The supporting cast is fantastic, including Oliver Reed as Bismarck, Alan Bates as Rudi, Britt Ekland as Princess Irma, and Alastair Sim, Christopher Cazenove, Joss Akland, Bob Hoskins, David Jason and Michael Hordern in small roles. Henry Cooper is an inspired bit of casting as John Gully in one important scene. But, the elephant in the room is Old Flashy himself, and it's a misstep that reverberates through the rest of the movie: Malcolm McDowell does what he can, but he just isn't Harry Flashman. This is compounded in his numerous scenes with Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, both of whom embody the qualities that could have easily translated Harry to the screen with more success, for Flashman isn't just a cowardly weasel or a cad, he's also an arrogant bully mistaken for a swashbuckling hero - notes that McDowell can't quite hit. Seeing Bates as Starnberg, one wonders how all involved couldn't see Flashy come to life before their very eyes; if the roles were reversed it would have been a very different film.
But, all this is not to say it's a bad film, or a complete failure; it's still a very well made romp, well played and very funny. It could never match the brilliance of the novels, even with a script by Fraser himself, and it is certainly the closest we'll ever get to an honest Flashman adaptation - by today's standards the books are unfilmable. Ultimately I came away lamenting the missed opportunities... Royal Flash could have been so much more.
The novel Royal Flash is certainly a romp, and Richard Lester's direction bears all his usual hallmarks: action, humour and deft comedic touches. Fraser's screenplay is full of his own hallmarks, too; bawdy humour, swashbuckling action and a real flair for dialogue. It's more faithful to the book than not, though some small changes have been made (and the film was some thirty minutes longer before being edited down before release). The supporting cast is fantastic, including Oliver Reed as Bismarck, Alan Bates as Rudi, Britt Ekland as Princess Irma, and Alastair Sim, Christopher Cazenove, Joss Akland, Bob Hoskins, David Jason and Michael Hordern in small roles. Henry Cooper is an inspired bit of casting as John Gully in one important scene. But, the elephant in the room is Old Flashy himself, and it's a misstep that reverberates through the rest of the movie: Malcolm McDowell does what he can, but he just isn't Harry Flashman. This is compounded in his numerous scenes with Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, both of whom embody the qualities that could have easily translated Harry to the screen with more success, for Flashman isn't just a cowardly weasel or a cad, he's also an arrogant bully mistaken for a swashbuckling hero - notes that McDowell can't quite hit. Seeing Bates as Starnberg, one wonders how all involved couldn't see Flashy come to life before their very eyes; if the roles were reversed it would have been a very different film.
But, all this is not to say it's a bad film, or a complete failure; it's still a very well made romp, well played and very funny. It could never match the brilliance of the novels, even with a script by Fraser himself, and it is certainly the closest we'll ever get to an honest Flashman adaptation - by today's standards the books are unfilmable. Ultimately I came away lamenting the missed opportunities... Royal Flash could have been so much more.