The Vagabond King

1956
5.2| 1h26m| en
Details

Louis XI of France drafts Paris's popular "king" of criminals as Provost Marshal in his fight against usurper Charles of Burgundy and the traitorous nobles who rally around him.

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Reviews

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
HotToastyRag The Vagabond King is an old operetta from 1925, adapted first into a film in 1930 with Jeanette MacDonald, and again in 1956 with Kathryn Grayson. I haven't seen the 1930 version, but I did see the 1938 film If I Were King, the story of which-written first in 1901-was the inspiration for the musical.As much as I like Kathryn Grayson, there's just no comparison to the nonmusical version from 1938. The stories and characters are the same, but the added songs are terrible, the lead actor Oreste Kirkop is ridiculous, and the sets and costumes seemed to have been borrowed from The Court Jester. I didn't last the first five minutes without bursting into laughter, seeing all the ways in which The Court Jester had spoofed the movie. As it was, that comedy was released in 1955, so it wasn't intended to be a spoof of The Vagabond King. Still, it seems to be an incredibly funny coincidence.In case you don't know the story, Oreste plays a Robin Hood type who scorns King Louis XI and is the hero of the poor citizens of France. King Louis, played by Cedric Hardwicke, overhears a conversation of how Oreste would be a better ruler, so to humor him, he lets Oreste be "king for a day". Of course, Oreste falls for Kathryn, a noble lady, even though he has the common Rita Moreno back home.Rita Moreno sings the ridiculous song "Vive La You" and the chorus haphazardly dances behind her. Oreste's voice is much too boisterous, and his ego is even funnier than it is annoying. Kathryn is beautiful and has a lovely voice, but she isn't enough to save this terrible musical. If I Were King is a very good movie, so if you like Robin Hood stories, I highly recommend you rent that one. Leave The Vagabond King on the shelf; stick to The Court Jester instead.
duanyfinancial As a movie history lover/collector, from the Silent Era, to the present, I rank The Vagabond King, as one of my favorites of all time. This classic is not only a fine musical, with first rate music/dancing/singing, but it also has a fine love story, comic relief, passion, adventure, and drama. The acting of the principal players is quite good, thanks to it's director, the great Michael Curtiz, who's credits rank him as one of the best directors of Hollywood's Golden Era. The singing is first rate, yes it is Operatic, but it comes across as Popular music. There is no comparison here to Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald's movie operas of old, the Vagabond King is a modern 1950s vehicle. All in all, this movie is utterly satisfying, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
williams1809-2 Enjoyable version of Rudolph Friml's operetta.Beautiful score song by Oreste and Kathryn Grayson.This was Oreste's only film.I read somewhere that the moviegoing public did not take to him .I think this because younger movie goers did not have the exposure to this music.If Nelson and Jeanette had startd in the fifties,I doubt they would have enjoyed the success they had in the thirties.Personally ,I considered Oreste a fine tenor and I still enjoy his recording of The Vagabond King.I wish they would show a marathon of operettas, so that the older viewers,such as myself ,could relive the pleasant movie going memories of yesteryear
cvattard It is a great shame that one cannot find past recordings of this great movie. Also it is almost impossible to find recordings of this unique Tenor. Perhaps it is about time that "Vagabond King" will be resuscitated by the use of today's technology. Likewise digital recorings from the Archives of this great Voice can at lest give us a rest from listening to the "three Tenors" over, and over again.

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