1955. Errol was still in his European respite. Made in between the doubly horrible King's Rhapsody and Let's Make Up, The Dark Avenger, also released at The Warriors, isn't that bad a movie. It's actually a pretty decent film, for a Class B Saturday matinee type movie from the mid-50s. The plot is pretty good, if not even remotely historically accurate (the relationship, and the age difference, between Prince Edward and Joan of Kent was distinctly different). But at least the history was closer to reality than Robin Hood or They Died With Their Boots On. {Plus, there are some surprising costars in this movie, including Peter Finch as an evil Frenchman (aren't they all), Christopher Lee in a minor part, as well as Patrick McGoohan in an equally bit part in his first movie role. The female lead, Joanne Dru, it has been said my some reviewers, looked "bored". Perhaps so. But this was a woman who started her career in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Red River, and All The King's Men. Unfortunately, by 1955, her career was already on a slow, second-rate auto-pilot. Ah, Hollywood.
Errol looks a bit bloated for his 46 years, but does very well in the action sequences and his horesemanship. Overall, not a bad movie. Of his bad European movies, this was perhaps the best of the lot.
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