Yes. This film has a lot in common with "The Scarlet Pimpernel" which was set a century later in France, and just like this, during a troubled time for the monarchy. For the future King Charles II. It was the usurping of the government by the Cromwells which sent him into hiding, and according to this, he is protected by a mysterious figure called the Moonraker, no relation to the later James Bond movie. It's a rare treat to see George Baker, best known to American audiences as Emperor Tiberius of Rome in the "I Claudius" miniseries, looking for different than he did as the stepson of Emperor Augustus who aged from young man to disfigured ruler, quite handsome here and with that voice still familiar from those familiar with that award-winning British miniseries made 17 years after this.
The fantastic featured cast includes the gorgeous Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond as the deposed prince, Peter Arne, John Le Mesurier as the powerful Oliver Cromwell and Patrick Troughton. Beautifully filmed in color and exciting for its action and adventure, it's easy to overlook any implausibilities or unfactual details that the history books have recorded, but for me, even as a fictionalized account of the mid 17th century, it is a film worth seeing simply because it is so sumptuous and exciting throughout. There are sword fights of course (like any swashbuckler), and a lot of romance with subtle humor making the film consistently fun to watch. Baker is up there with every swashbuckling hero I've ever seen for his ruggedness and romantic ability to swoop in and charm the women, and the villains of course are dastardly and hissable. There are conversations about what the Cromwell government wants to do with Charles Stuart and the title character, aka Anthony, Earl of Dawlish, and they are pretty graphic. It was outsidiously still a brutal time, and even governments against the monarchy proved they wanted solid power with no one else threatening their regime. For fans of HBO's historical miniseries, this is an absolute must.
The fantastic featured cast includes the gorgeous Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond as the deposed prince, Peter Arne, John Le Mesurier as the powerful Oliver Cromwell and Patrick Troughton. Beautifully filmed in color and exciting for its action and adventure, it's easy to overlook any implausibilities or unfactual details that the history books have recorded, but for me, even as a fictionalized account of the mid 17th century, it is a film worth seeing simply because it is so sumptuous and exciting throughout. There are sword fights of course (like any swashbuckler), and a lot of romance with subtle humor making the film consistently fun to watch. Baker is up there with every swashbuckling hero I've ever seen for his ruggedness and romantic ability to swoop in and charm the women, and the villains of course are dastardly and hissable. There are conversations about what the Cromwell government wants to do with Charles Stuart and the title character, aka Anthony, Earl of Dawlish, and they are pretty graphic. It was outsidiously still a brutal time, and even governments against the monarchy proved they wanted solid power with no one else threatening their regime. For fans of HBO's historical miniseries, this is an absolute must.