''The Beloved Rogue'' is a 1927 American silent

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

, loosely based on the life of the 15th century French poet, François Villon. The film was directed by Alan Crosland for United Artists.''The Beloved Rogue'' at silentera.com
/ref> François Villon is played by John Barrymore, and other cast members include Conrad Veidt as King Louis XI and

Marceline Day Marceline Day (born Marceline Newlin; April 24, 1908 – February 16, 2000) was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s. Early life Marceline Newlin was born in Colorado Springs, Color ...

as Charlotte de Vauxcelles. The story had been filmed in 1920 as '' If I Were King'' with William Farnum. The film was later re-made in the sound era again reverting to its original title '' If I Were King'' (1938) with

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

. And as an operetta, '' The Vagabond King'' (1930), and again in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

Plot

François Villon is a poet and avid patriot whose father was burned at the stake. François is particularly committed to helping the oppressed and the weak. The Duke of Burgundy is out for the French throne. With cunning and deceit he tries to deceive the superstitious king, who is warned by his astrologers about a war with Burgundy. So the king also gives in to the demand that his ward Charlotte marry the Burgundian Count Thibault d'Aussigny. On "All Fools' Day" François is elected King of Fools by the population. During the festivities, the Duke of Burgundy encounters the rabble and wants to end the celebration. François Villon recognizes the Duke and demands that the crowd remove him from his horse. The melee is interrupted by the arrival of King Louis and his entourage. The King, fearing an affront to the duke, banishes François from Paris. Soon thereafter, while Villon endures his banishment at a hostel outside of Paris, a wagon filled with food, which the Duke has sent to the King, stops outside of the hostel. Villon's desire to ridicule the King gets the better of him, and with his two loyal friends, Little Jehan and Nicholas, they steal the wagon in order to send the food to the people instead of the king. Climbing the treacherous walls of the city, they use the King's catapult to shuttle the food into town to care for the poor. François is accidentally catapulted into the city. He ends up literally flying head first into the room of Charlotte de Vauxcelles. She and Count Thibault d'Aussigny have been forced to take refuge at an inn during a snow storm when Charlotte's sleigh breaks down. Entering the room to interrupt Charlotte's and Villon's encounter, the count pursues the surprised poet. A comical battle ensues in which François defeats Thibault. Charlotte decides to run away with the poet. But François is captured and Charlotte surrenders to her fate. François is brought to Burgundy, tortured and, as a special wedding surprise, locked in a cage. Surprisingly, soldiers attack the king who has been convinced that the wedding is part of an intrigue against him. The soldiers free François and Charlotte, who now want to get married.

Cast

* John Barrymore— François Villon * Conrad Veidt—King Louis XI * Hans Conried as King Louis XI's son *

—Charlotte de Vauxcelles * W. Lawson Butt—Duke of Burgundy * Henry Victor—Thibault d'Aussigny * Slim Summerville—Jehan *

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—Nicholas *

Angelo Rossitto Angelo Salvatore Rossitto (February 18, 1908 – September 21, 1991) was an American actor and voice artist. He had dwarfism and was 2'11" (89 cm) tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opp ...

—Beppo the Dwarf * Nigel De Brulier—Astrologer * Lucy Beaumont—Villon's mother * Otto Matieson—Olivier (as Otto Mattiesen) * Jane Winton—The Abbess * Rose Dione—Margot * Bertram Grassby—Duke of Orleans * Dick Sutherland—Tristan l'Hermite * Martha Franklin—Maid (uncredited) * Stubby Kruger -- (uncredited) * Dickie Moore—Baby Francois (uncredited) Cast member Dick Sutherland, like

Rondo Hatton Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headli ...

a couple of decades later, suffered from

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Production and preservation status

According to "Hazard of the Game", an episode of the Thames documentary ''

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

'', Paul Malvern, John Barrymore's stunt double, insisted on extensively testing a stunt involving a catapult and a net with sandbags before performing it, because he had doubts about the initial mathematics used for coordinating the stunt. The only surviving domestic print of "The Beloved Rogue" was found in John Barrymore's former mansion by its subsequent occupant,

Edgar Bergen Edgar John Bergen (born Edgar John Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, actor, comedian, vaudevillian and radio performer, best known for his proficiency in ventriloquism and his characters Ch ...

, who donated it to the American Film Institute. It was subsequently preserved by the Library of Congress.

Reception

John Barrymore viewed the premiere of the film with a large picture palace audience. Unknown to the audience, he was standing at the back of the movie house. Barrymore apparently was discontented or bemused or perhaps being self-effacingly charming regarding his own performance stating "what a ham".

References

External links

* * * * * *
The Beloved Rogue
' at Kino Video *

' at Silents Are Golden

Wayback version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Beloved Rogue, The (1927 Film) 1927 films 1920s historical adventure films American silent feature films American historical adventure films American black-and-white films American swashbuckler films Films set in the 15th century Films directed by Alan Crosland Films about François Villon Cultural depictions of Louis XI of France Cultural depictions of François Villon Cultural depictions of Charles the Bold United Artists films 1920s rediscovered films Rediscovered American films 1920s American films Silent adventure films