The Brigand

The Brigand is an entertaining and engaging costume romp that is well filmed, and features an appealing and understated performance by that much underrated actor, Anthony Dexter, in the duo-lead roles. Able backing is provided by Anthony Quinn as the treacherous and slimy villain of the piece. So many movies of this type are throw-away and forgettable, but this one has sufficient pace, as well as a good storyline, to retain the viewers interest throughout. It's such a fine movie that it's difficult to understand why it's never been released commercially, and remains to this day very much of a rarity. It's also interesting to note that it was the follow-up feature to Valentino, for Anthony Dexter, and it's perfectly clear that only bad luck prevented him from going on to be a top Hollywood star. Far lesser actors managed to forge long, star-studded careers for themselves, so it will always remain something of a mystery as to why Mr Dexter never reached the heights. If the chance to view this movie ever comes your way, it's well worth seeing.

The previous successful "Valentino", Columbia runs to offer to Anthony Dexter something alike of its roots Portuguese heritage an Iberian adventure about his natural born skills in dancing scenes as did in Valentino, a swashbuckler story on 18th century supposedly in north of Spain bordering France where Napoleon was a devil ruler eager for new territories, it's freely based in Alexander Dumas's twin's brother "The Iron Mask" moved to phony country Mandorra and umbilical alliance with north Africa Marocco.

Then Dexter plays a dual role due his unbelievable resemblance with the King of Mandorra whom spending his time courting girls and learning dancing with her lover, meanwhile Capt. Carlos Delargo is accused of murder in Marocco of the Mandorra's ambassador concerning an previous affair with diplomat's wife with the womanizer Delargo, actually Carlos Delargo has a royal decent, his family were overthrown of the Mandorra's throne in recently time, advised by Prime Minister Triano (Carl Benton Reid) over it the King decides release Delargo in dark hour toward Portugal as escapee.

At Mandorra's court his cousin Prince Ramon (Anthony Quinn) aims to the throne due he is the next in line, thus he settles a plan to kill the King and replace him in order to make another deal with Napoleon, instead the King is wiiling make an alliance with border Kingdom to faces Napoleon in equal terms in a upcoming invasion, the scheme got its effect, however the King survives, not enough to marry in next days, then came up the phony King at Delargo body to impersonate for a couple weeks or so, to hinder the greedy Ramon onslaught at the throne for good.

Sadly the picture aside Dexter-Quinn is a B-picture, largely full of holes on lame screenplay, how someone else could explain no enough security guards at Delargo's chamber when he was easily kidnaped from there by his cousin, also in external shooting a clean landscape on those roads looks like a garden at backyard mansion, implausible storyline just saved by the hero and the villain by the way, frankly I found it impossible to be release on DVD due so low feature, if it come out I'm ready to buy a copy quite sure.

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First watch: 1985 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.5.

In an attempt to capitalize on Dexter's first film for Columbia, VALENTINO, the studio promptly gave him another assignment in which he would emulate the silent screen star who made his mark in sand and sandal epics. Not only that, they gave him a dual role requiring the actor to carry the film.

It's only half-successful. Dexter looks good in the period costumes, even acquits himself well in a couple of nicely choreographed dance scenes and makes a dashing hero in the Alexander Dumas style. He even makes a distinction between the true King and his giddy laughter and the brave imposter. But somehow, the total effect is lacking, partly due to a lackluster script and the fact that his leading lady is no more than a cardboard heroine.

JODY LAWRENCE exhibits almost no emotion in her role as the Princess who falls in love with the imposter. She speaks all her lines in a dull monotone and rarely changes her expression. This turns out to be a liability for a costume romance to stir up the proper amount of interest.

Dexter carries the main burden, while GALE ROBBINS, RON RANDELL, CARL BENTON REID and even ANTHONY QUINN as the villain Ramon are mere ciphers. It's a shame, because Columbia gave the film the benefit of lavish sets and costumes, obviously expecting a good return for their money. What they got is the same old Dumas story about a commoner impersonating royalty while the villains plot and plan how to win their way to the throne.

Summing up: Moderately interesting and not Dexter's fault that the project fails to become a spirited enough adventure.

This was one swashbuckler I had been looking forward to for some time but, while it did not disappoint, the overall experience was tarnished, first, by the fact that the copy acquired was of merely adequate picture quality (TCM-sourced but bearing washed-out colours – bordering on monochrome during outdoor night sequences!) when it was issued as a MOD DVD-R last year and, worse, the print was missing some footage at the climax (given away by an abrupt cut from exterior to interior!) suggesting there had been a hiccup with the recording!! Now, considering the film was an unauthorized riff on "The Prisoner Of Zenda" (albeit acknowledging inspiration from an unnamed Alexandre Dumas tale, unless they were just alluding to the central dual role of his "The Man In The Iron Mask"!), it is ironic to note that, when the definitive 1937 version of the Anthony Hope classic was scheduled on local TV in the mid-1980s, I had myself erroneously pressed the pause button while taping that broadcast!!

Anyway, the title of the movie is not only generic (which is perhaps why we begin in the Moroccan desert and then move on to a more typical Ruritanian setting!) but a misnomer – since protagonist Anthony Dexter was an officer in the service of the Sultan entrusted with routing brigands rather than one himself!! Even so, that very epithet is indeed applied to him by the schemers involved when the ruse of his taking over for a foppish and indisposed (via a freak hunting 'accident') lookalike ruler is discovered. A more charismatic Anthony Quinn reprises villainous usurper duties for director Karlson from the Zorro/Monte Cristo hybrid MASK OF THE AVENGER (1951), as does Jody Lawrance – now dark-haired as opposed to brunette – in the female lead stakes (though she has to romantically vie with Gale Robbins for the star's attention here…thus demoting Quinn's second billing in the previous film to a lowly fourth in this case!). While that had been a quite pleasant effort, this is altogether superior – though Dexter (his frequent dancing routines imply that he was somewhat cursed by his own resemblance to Rudolph Valentino, whom he had portrayed in a fictionalized biopic the previous year!) was essentially small improvement over John Derek, the supporting cast does include the likes of Carl Benton Reid and Ron Randell as the hero's adviser and protector respectively (functions also performed by characters found in "Zenda"!).

While such shameless borrowings (including the naturalized Arab's unfamiliarity with court etiquette…but, then, the ballroom skills he displays are easily explained by his Portuguese heritage!) would normally condemn a 'B' movie such as this to mediocrity – tellingly, that same year, a merely average remake (despite being a scene-for-scene copy!) of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA was released by MGM – the film under review has an undeniable flair to it that one readily forgives the flaws, preferring to be engaged in the simple joys of the familiar yet still thrilling narrative (whose ending, at least, differs from its prototype)!! For the record, I have another Dexter adventure on the back-burner, namely THE BLACK PIRATES (1954), and would also be interested in checking out the similarly historical CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS (1953) and CAPTAIN KIDD AND THE SLAVE GIRL (1954)

In the 1800s, after an assassination attempt by Prince Ramon against the king of Mandorra, a brigand resembling the king surreptitiously impersonates the incapacitated monarch in order to throw off the plotters.

Anthony Dexter does a double role, one as a Sultan guard called Carlos who brandishes a fair sword and other a frivolous king Lorenzo who loves dancing with ladies and has this annoying tendency of doing a "ha ha" laugh every few seconds. He fairs well in these roles, making a good contrast between the two, and he's got a certain style and charisma, and he's good at the action bits. Anthony Quinn plays the royal cousin of King Lorenzo who plans a "premeditated accident" to King Lorenzo by giving him a hunting weapon that is rigged to fire backwards so he can push himself on the throne and marry the princess, and he's at his usually slippery self as the villain. Jody Lawrence is ok as the princess but someone more striking and more expressive would've been good.

The Brigand has an uncanny resemblance to the Prisoner of Zenda, and though it's not as striking or as exciting as that film ( the Ronald Colman and Stewart Granger versions), it's a competently made and an adequate viewing with lavishness, colour, some style, set pieces and some good swordplay. Phil Karlson keeps everything zipping along. Unlike the Prisoner of Zenda, it has a more happier ending for Dexter's Sultan guard in regards to the princess.