Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

bernard-keeffe A peripheral pleasure was the sight of those great English character actors, the backbone of so many heroic films. Alec Clunes for example, whose son, Martin, is such a favourite today. Wilfred Hyde White, usually an elegant toff, was here a barber with a delightful wig shaving Robert Morley. He of course was in danger of stealing the show, a villain with a winning smile and wonderful accent. I relished the sight of a Kay Kendall in what appeared to be a white nightdress; but even more more striking was the speed with which she added a robe, whilst running round the castle with Taylor. We so easily take the music for granted; here it was expertly matched to the action, wonderfully orchestrated and brilliantly played and conducted - but by whom? The composer Bronislaw Kaper? Was it recorded in London or Hollywood? The professional skill that these musicians displayed deserves far more attention. Too often today the score is synthesised, or inanely repetitious regardless of the scene and the action.

Boba_Fett1138 It isn't until the end that the movie turns into a spectacular and true swashbuckler. In between there are too many long moments in which basically nothing is happening. Also often the action just seems to drop out of nowhere and the movie features some awkward and forced humor, that perhaps even is a bit embarrassing to watch. But hey, everyone knows that the greatest swashbucklers were not made in the '50's.The story is just a great one. It's an absolutely top-class and solidly constructed story. It had lots of potential in it and interesting characters and motivations. The movie however never really fully uses all this potential You can't help when looking at this movie thinking how much better it all could had been, or at least more entertaining, if it just went that one step further. The movie gets obviously restrained by its low budget but that's no excuses in my opinion. The directing is rather bland and imaging-less. Strange though, since Richard Thorpe is obviously a capable director.The love-story feels forced, as if it was simply a needed ingredient. It of course always has been a part of the swashbuckler genre but in this particular case they would had been better off skipping it, since it's simply not believable in the story and there is no chemistry between the two lovers, played by Robert Taylor and Kay Kendall.The end still makes up a lot for the movie, when the main hero and villain are clashing their weapons, while swinging in a bell tower. Great swashbuckling stuff.The movie has some great characters in it but non of them quite work out, since they are being portrayed too formulaic. You know this is the sort of movie in which the villains all wear black and the good guys are all colorful and stuff. A shame, since it again, showed some real good potential.Robert Taylor did a good job, although he really ain't no Errol Flynn. He also was perhaps a little bit too old for his role already. He was 44 at the time and he really looked like it. It's also not hard to see why Kay Kendall nothing really had a sparkling career, though her early dead in 1959 also of course contributed to this.Not a that bad movie but the Sir Walter Scott novel deserved a better treatment.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

William Giesin This pleasant 1950's Sir Walter Scott Knight's Tale is a nice jaunt down memory lane. Robert Taylor, a poor man's Errol Flynn, contributes a capable performance as the Scottish Knight, Quentin Durward. What Durward lacks in riches, he more than makes up for in the lost values of chivalry, loyalty and humility. His elderly uncle Lord Crawford (Ernest Thesiger) sends him as an emissary to ask for the lovely, wealthy Isabelle, Countess of Marcroy's (Kay Kendall)hand in marriage. In doing so, Quentin Durward falls in love with her and struggles to fulfill his oath of loyalty to his uncle as he attempts to quell his passion for the Countess. In addition to this, add the political intrigue of two ruling cousins King Louis XI (Robert Morley) and Charles, Duke of Burgandy (Alec Clunes). Both have designs on finding her a suitable spouse that will support their own political intrigue. Consequently, this film has the makings of a full fledged adventure complete with sinister characters such as the evil conniving Count William De la Marek (Duncan Lamont) who has his own ideas to further his ambitions.The Technicolor photography is brilliant, and several actual historical castles were used in the film. The action in the film keeps the audience interested throughout. There are several lapses in transition of the filming which I found questionable. On one occasion the bad guys led by Count William De la Marek have a head start on Quentin Durward as they chase the Countess through the woods. Miraculously, Quentin Durward somehow arrives at a bridge and pulls off an ambush well before the fleeing Countess and the pursuing villains. I could never figure out how he pulled that off! Sadly, this is one of Kay Kendall last films. Actor Rex Harrison's beautiful wife passed away in 1959 of leukemia.

Nazi_Fighter_David Richard Thorpe managed a few amusing moments in "The Adventures of Quentin Durward" which has a trapped Kay Kendall, whose only hard way to escape was to get rid from the evil black villain William De La Marck (Ducan Lamont).Robert Taylor (Quentin Durward) engaged with De La Marck a rare but extremely exciting duel to-the-death with ax and dagger in the burning bell tower, swinging on the bell ropes in a rhythmic motion, getting from side to side with the sound of the ringing bells, until the destruction of the vile Count...The best part of the film is the performance of the delicious heroine, Kay Kendall, 'one of the Cinema's few outstanding Comediennes,'whose beauty and artistic talent flourished the story, set in the 15th-Century France...Kay Kendall (1926-59) went away much too young of leukemia...Kay performed the maiden in distress, the medieval heroine fitting well into a motion picture which caught beautifully Scott's novel... The plot was simple: an elderly English Lord (Ernest Thesiger) sends his nephew (Robert Taylor) to seek in marriage a French Lady (Kay Kendall) on his behalf... He falls in love with her himself..Sir Walter Scott wrote the novel in 1823... His 'Ivanhoe, 'The Talisman' and 'Rob Roy' have received most attention from filmmakers...Another quality of "The Adventures of Quentin Durward" is the good acting of Robert Morley as the cunning, outrageous, very winding King, a characterization so different to his great performance as the weak-minded Louis XVI in "Marie-Antoinette" opposite Norma Shearer... This delightful British actor played excellent supporting roles in good-humored or pretentious roles...Robert Taylor was the perfect cavalier, the man of word and sword, the romantic adventurer who appeared to relieve a charming Lady..