Should I watch the movie "The Adventures of Quentin Dorward, Rifleman of the Royal Guard"?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The film adaptations of historical novels have always been very popular. One of the confirmations of this are 3 films based on the book by W alter Scott. More than half a century ago, the premiere of the American version of the film "Quentin Dorward" took place, and in 1971 - a joint French-German work, released in the format of a TV series.

But the film released in 1988 by the domestic "Mosfilm" and the Romanian film studio "Bucaresti" deserves special attention. The director of the film is Sergey Tarasov, a recognized master of the adaptation of historical novels. Is it worth wasting your time watching this movie? Let's try to understand the article by evaluating the movie according to several criteria.

Correct to the original

In the realities of modern life, it often happens that a person first watches a movie, and then reads a book. The plot is as close as possible to the work of W alter Scott, which allows you to get to know the writer's work as closely as possible. The episodes of the movie almost completely correspond to the chapters of the book. When viewing, the feeling that the director has a script in his hands does not leavethere was a book by W alter Scott.

In other existing film adaptations of the adventures of Quentin Durward, the plot "lives its own life." The differences from the book in the American version are especially noticeable. For example, at the very beginning of the film, a priori poor (literally on the verge of poverty) main character appears in a chic velvet suit and on an expensive thoroughbred horse.

Acting

The depth of acting is a trump card that distinguishes domestic cinema from most foreign films. A whole galaxy of bright and talented actors is involved in the film by Sergei Tarasov: Olga Kabo, Alexander Koznov, Leonid Kulagin, Alexander Lazarev, Yuri Kuznetsov, Alexander Pashutin, Alexander Yakovlev.

The skill of the actors made it possible to convey to the viewer all the ambiguity and depth of France in the 15th century. For example, Alexander Lazarev (Karl XI) and Alexander Yakovlev (Karl the Bold) masterfully played the roles of monarchs fighting for political influence. On the one hand, longtime adversaries are ready to do anything to strengthen their positions. The look of the king of France is the look of a kite, just waiting for the opportunity to grab the gaping prey, and the Duke of Burgundy sleeps and sees how to teach his arrogant overlord a lesson. On the other hand, under the masks of cruel and determined rulers, sentimental notes sometimes appear, allowing you to see ordinary people in them.

The main roles were played by the then very young Alexander Koznov (Quentin Dorward) and Olga Kabo (Countess Isabella de Croix). Actorsmanaged to show not just love or sympathy for each other. On the screen, the viewer sees real, high, all-conquering love, worthy of admiration.

Despite the fact that for Olga Kabo this role was one of the first works in the cinema, she did it brilliantly. The image of the young countess, forced to flee from her own castle under the auspices of the king of France, perfectly suited the future movie star. The phrase of the actress “Farewell, Burgundy! Farewell, my Brockemon,” said at the very beginning of the tape, many associate with the entire film.

Alexander Koznov in the role of the royal shooter Quentin Dorward is an example of chivalry and nobility. In the actor's game there is neither pathos, nor ridiculous antics, nor the pursuit of every skirt, which favorably distinguishes the domestic film adaptation from foreign versions. At the same time, the protagonist looks very dignified and impressive in the frame.

Interesting fact: director Sergei Tarasov also starred in the film, playing the role of the bishop of the city of Liege, who was killed by robbers.

Music for the film

The musical accompaniment of the film is made at the highest level. Instrumental music creates the effect of maximum immersion in the historical era. Melodies are not intrusive and pleasantly complement an interesting plot. The song "Oh, my knight …", performed by the heroine Olga Kabo, deserves special attention. It is not surprising that the heart of Quentin Durward, who became an involuntary listener, was kindled with love for the young girl.

Costumes

You can't say the costumes in the movie are bad. Themmany, they are bright and quite consistent with the descriptions of W alter Scott.

Questions are raised by the costumes used in the battle scenes. In almost all battles, the fighting heroes are dressed in metal closed helmets. At the same time, there is practically no other armor on them.

In those scenes where the heroes appear in full armor, they look like tin cans and move with such a terrible gnashing that they cramp their teeth. What's this? Directorial move, lack of props, or an overzealous attempt to match the historical era? However, the film was released almost 30 years ago, and for that time the costumes are very good.

Interestingly, in American and European films, shot much earlier, the quality of the costumes is in no way inferior, and sometimes even superior to the domestic version. Perhaps the matter is in the limited budget of the Soviet tape, released in difficult times for the country.

In the end

The main advantages of the picture are excellent acting, pleasant music and compliance with the original source, successfully "packed" in a relatively short running time - 97 minutes.

"The Adventures of Quentin Dorward, Rifleman of the King's Guard" is a must-see film not only for lovers of historical novels, but also for ordinary viewers.