Under the Red Robe

This 1937 film was the third version of a rather creaky Victorian era play Under The Red Robe written by Edward E. Rose and debuting on Broadway in 1896. This British production is the only sound version and given the material is rather arcane we're not likely to see another version made.

The Red Robe of the title refers to the vestments of Cardinal Richelieu, minister to King Louis XIII in 17th century France and first statesman of Europe. The man who said on his deathbed that he had no enemies save those of the state is played with a combination of subtlety and fanaticism by Raymond Massey, two qualities normally not compatible.

Massey has a mission and it requires a guy who can think fast on his feet and be both a courtier and a duelist. He's got such a man in Conrad Veidt. But Veidt is under a death sentence for violating the Cardinal's edict against dueling.

But if Veidt brings in the leader of the Huguenot Protestants who hops back and forth over the Pyrenees to Spain stirring up revolt, he can get the sentence commuted. To aid and assist Veidt, Massey assigns his man Romney Brent.

One small complication Veidt falls for Annabella whom he thinks is the Countess. A real mess all around.

The cast does well by the material, but it's ancient and dated and some of the motivations are a bit hard to follow. The play was written in a far more romantic era and was old fashioned when it got to the screen in 1937 let alone seeing it now.

But as a curiosity it might be worth a look.

With the aid of the Swedish Film Institute, a collection of Victor Sjöström's movies will "tour" around the world to various film clubs and like so I have had the pleasure of watching most of the movies he directed. Sadly though, Sjöström's final effort proves to be the most disappointing. Conrad Veidt is without a doubt less dashing than Errol Flynn playing a debonair French swordsman - with a German accent.

He's not the only one though with an accent, Annabella with a thick French one, her sister the countess speaks the Queen's English and the men at the inn sounds like peasants from the English countryside. It is all rather confusing.

I don't know why Sjöström accepted the direct this movie, perhaps he was eager to direct again but too many constraints were put on him. The end result looks like any movie that includes musketeers or cardinal Richeliu.

Victor Sjöström's last movie as a director, is a mixed result of a try at a prestige movie to celebrate Denham Studio's opening, what with a script co-written by Lajos Biros and camera-work by James Wong Howe. Raymond Massey is Cardinal Richelieu. To thwart an uprising by Hugenots, he reprieves Conrad Veidt from hanging and sends him to capture Wyndham Goldie, the leader of the Protestants. Veidt is a rogue, but when he falls in love with Goldie's sister, Annabella....

It all starts out very well, given strong compositions and a typically Sjöström-like storm raging as he slips the leash of his watchdog, Romney Brent, recovers the diamonds and offers to duel the soldiers sent to arrest anyone they can. By the end of the movie, alas, the director is overwhelmed by the rigors of dramatic form and having Mr. Brent as his dialogue director. Sjöström retired from directing movies, although he would distinguish them as an actor for the next twenty years.

For the first half, it's a great movie. Too bad it couldn't finish that way.

Admired by Stevenson, Wilde, Sabatini and Conan Doyle, the romantic historical novels of Stanley Weyman are largely forgotten now. This one, extremely popular on publication, has since been dramatised on stage and adapted three times for the screen.

An Anglo-American curio from 1937 this third version is primarily of interest to cinéphiles as the final filmic fling of the 'Father of Swedish Cinema' Victor Sjostrom(changed to Seastrom for the benefit of North American viewers)

It is alas in pretty poor shape nowadays both visually and aurally but the cinematography by two masters of their craft Georges Périnal and James Wong Howe still impresses as does the score by Arthur Benjamin.

As one would expect from this director the emphasis is more on character than action and he has the services of some truly fascinating personalities. Delicious French actress Annabella gets first billing and most of the close-ups but who's complaining whilst her leading man is the mesmerising Conrad Veidt, perfectly cast as a gambling, duelling scoundrel who is redeemed by his sense of honour, a virtue which in today's world is dead in the water. The film is weakened alas by a total lack of chemistry between the two whilst the less said about his unfortunate wig the better. Comic relief is supplied by the excellent Romney Brent and gravitas by the powerful presence of Raymond Massey's Cardinal Richelieu. The rest of the cast comprises rather stagey, twee English actors with only Ralph Truman making an impression.

The film is not without its moments but one would ideally have hoped that Sjostrom would finish his distinguished directorial career with material worthy of his talents. He is however in very good company for he is one of a number of great directors who have gone out with a whimper rather than a bang.

This is an enjoyable period drama that combines a little history, some action, some romance, some dry and occasionally macabre humor, and most of all plenty of intrigue. It has an interesting historical setting, centering on the devious Cardinal Richelieu, one of history's more interesting (if hardly admirable) figures. While there isn't much here to take seriously, it is good light entertainment.

Conrad Veidt stars as a dreaded duelist under sentence of death, to whom Richelieu offers a pardon if he can bring in a Huguenot duke whose plans for an uprising have the Cardinal in a panic. Raymond Massey is very well cast as the Cardinal, and he does full justice to the role. Veidt is believable as Gil, and his deadpan style works rather well with some of the occasional lines of dry humor.

Veidt's character is accompanied by a slippery servant played with good humor by Romney Brent. The heart of the movie comes in Veidt's interactions with the duke's sister, played by Annabella, who makes her a worthy adversary for the swordsman, both with her beauty and with her brains.

Beyond the basic details of the anticipated conflict, the story relies less on the historical background than on the easily understood human drams among the characters. Veidt finds himself torn between his word, his affection for Annabella, and his fear of death. The servant and the duke's sister likewise have their own dilemmas to face, and these give some depth to the story, which is nothing deep, but is rather entertaining and interesting in its own right.