''The Brigand'' is a 1952 American

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

Phil Karlson Phil Karlson (born Philip N. Karlstein; July 2, 1908 – December 12, 1982) was an American film director. Karlson directed '' 99 River Street'', ''Kansas City Confidential'' and ''Hell's Island'', all with actor John Payne, in the early 1950s ...

. It is the second film that

Anthony Dexter Anthony John Dexter (born Walter Reinhold Alfred Fleischmann, January 19, 1913 – March 27, 2001) was an American actor known for his striking resemblance to silent film hero Rudolph Valentino, whom he portrayed in the 1951 biographic '' Valent ...

made for producer

Edward Small Edward Small (born Edward Schmalheiser, February 1, 1891, Brooklyn, New York – January 25, 1977, Los Angeles) was a film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movi ...

for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

after his debut in '' Valentino''.

Plot

A rogue exile impersonates a King and a virtuous person wants to be so because he is the rightful heir to the throne. Loosely based on ''The Brigand'' by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

, the film is set in the Napoleonic era in 1804 in the mythical Iberian nation of "Mandorra". The film bears a resemblance to ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in order ...

'' with Dexter playing a dual role of a rogue exile who impersonates a King in danger of being overthrown by his cousin played by

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

. The scheming Quinn plans a "premeditated accident" to King Lorenzo by giving him a hunting weapon that is rigged to fire backwards; an idea reused by director Phil Karlson in his ''

The Silencers ''The Silencers'' is the title of a 1962 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, the fourth in a series of books featuring assassin Matt Helm. Plot summary When a female agent in Mexico is killed before Helm can complete his mission to extract her, he f ...

''. With the real King unable to perform his duties, the swashbuckling distant relative Carlos DeLago, late of the Sultan of Morocco's Guard steps in to save the Kingdom.

Cast

as Captain Carlos Delargo/King Lorenzo of Mandorra *

Jody Lawrance Jody Lawrance (born Nona Josephine Goddard; October 19, 1930 – July 10, 1986) was an American actress who starred in many Hollywood films during the 1950s through the early 1960s. Biography She was born October 19, 1930 as Nona Josephi ...

as Princess Teresa *

Gale Robbins Gale Robbins (born Betty Gale Robbins or Betty Gale Murphy, May 7, 1921 – February 18, 1980) was an American actress and singer. Early years Born in Chicago, Illinois, although one source claims she was born in Mitchell, Indiana and her fami ...

as Countess Flora *

as Prince Ramon *

Carl Benton Reid Carl Benton Reid (August 14, 1893 – March 16, 1973) was an American actor. Early years Reid was born in Lansing, Michigan. He used his full name professionally because when he worked in radio, four other people in the business were named Ca ...

as Prime Minister Triano *

Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...

as Maj. Schrock *

Lester Matthews Arthur Lester Matthews (6 June 1900 – 5 June 1975) was an English actor. In his career, the handsome Englishman made more than 180 appearances in film and on television. He was erroneously credited in later years as Les Matthews. Matthews pla ...

as Dr. Lopez *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1882 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the Lo ...

Sultan of Morocco This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used. The present King of Moroc ...

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...

as Archbishop *

George Melford George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and director. Often taken for granted as a director today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B. DeMil ...

as Majordomo (uncredited)

Production

There is no producer credit on the film but the movie was produced by Edward Small just before he left Columbia to return to

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

. In May 1949 it was reported that Small had hired Robert Libott and Frank Burt to write the script in 1949. In December 1949 Small signed a two-year contract with Columbia to make "two to six" films, which would include ''Lorna Doone'' and ''The Brigand'', "projects he had been developing for some time." This contract was separate to one Small had signed with Columbia to distribute ''Valentino''. In August 1950 Small announced that he would make two films starring Anthony Dexter, who had made ''Valentino'' for the producer. The films would be ''The Brigand'' and a remake of ''The Sheik''. In May 1951 Jesse Lasky Jr was reportedly writing the script. The same month Phil Karlson was announced as director. Ron Randell had appeared in ''Lorna Doone'' for Small. In August 1951 he signed to appear in ''The Brigand''; he was to do it at the same time as appearing in ''Broadway Bill'' at the Pasadena Playhouse''. Filming started 9 July 1951.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' called it "no great shakes. But neither, as a standard sample of this type of entertainment, is it hard to take." ''Variety'' called it "a program swashbuckler". The ''Los Angeles Times'' said "serious characterisation gives way to dash and colour."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brigand 1952 films 1950s English-language films 1952 adventure films Romantic period films Columbia Pictures films Films set in the 1800s Films set in Europe Films set in a fictional country Films directed by Phil Karlson Films adapted into comics Films produced by Edward Small Films scored by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco American adventure films 1950s American films