BURT LANCASTER’S SWASHBUCKLER MOVIES

Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster starred in several big-name films. Early in his career he played the hero in a few swashbuckler movies.

THE FLAME AND THE ARROW (1950) – In 1100s Lombardy, evil Count Ulrich (Frank Allenby) rules on behalf of Emperor Frederick the First. Ulrich abuses his power and even takes the unfaithful wife of Dardo Bartoli (Burt Lancaster) into his own court as one of his mistresses. This drives archer and swordsman Dardo into opposition against him.   

One day Dardo shows off by shooting Count Ulrich’s prized hunting hawk out of the sky with an arrow. The Count has his men try capturing our hero, but his son Rudi helps him escape only to wind up a prisoner in Ulrich’s household where he is reunited with his mother.

Dardo now goes all out against the Count, leading rebels both high born and low in Robin Hood style banditry against Ulrich from an old Roman fortress in the hills. At one point Dardo and his allies abduct Count Ulrich’s niece Anne (Virginia Mayo) in hopes of exchanging her for Rudi. The Count instead captures Dardo’s father and several other villagers, threatening to kill them all unless the rebel and outlaw surrenders.

Posing as a traveling troupe of acrobats (Lancaster had been a circus acrobat before becoming an actor), Dardo and his followers – now including Anne, who has fallen in love with our star – daringly infiltrate Ulrich’s palace and mount an attack.

In the end, Dardo Bartoli and his men triumph, Rudi and the other hostages are saved, and Count Ulrich is killed by our hero.

Dardo’s unfaithful wife was also killed, leaving him free to marry Anne for an even happier ending. Robert Clary’s film debut. 88 minutes. 

THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952) – The words “wild romp” are often overused but they more than apply to this movie. In the late 1700s, Caribbean pirates led by Captain Vallo the Crimson Pirate (Lancaster) and his First Mate Ojo (Nick Cravat) have a series of adventures.

At one point they capture a British frigate carrying Baron Gruda (Leslie Bradley), the King’s agent sent to crush a rebellion on the Caribbean island called Cobra. Gruda shrewdly appeals to the greed of his buccaneer captors by offering an enormous reward if they let him go and bring him Cobra’s rebel leader El Libre.

Our Crimson Pirate agrees and after enduring a mutiny from some of his men over the bargain sails for Cobra. Captain Vallo leads a daring raid to capture El Libre, his beautiful daughter Consuelo (Eva Bartok) and El Libre’s brilliant inventor friend Professor Prudence.

Following further maneuvering by our heroes and villains, Baron Gruda double-crosses the pirates, kills El Libre and makes off with Consuelo for himself. The heroine’s rebel zeal had captured Vallo’s heart, so he plans to rescue her, kill Gruda and liberate Cobra.

The pirates and rebels join forces and – in the most infamously over the top aspect of The Crimson Pirate – use several of Professor Prudence’s steam-punk inventions in the battle. Anachronistic tanks, Gatling guns, flame-throwers and even a primitive submarine are put to use by our heroes in the wild finale.

Naturally, the good guys win and Vallo & Consuelo pair up. Christopher Lee has a small role. 105 minutes.       

THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE (1959) – Burt Lancaster plays Parson Anthony Anderson and Kirk Douglas is American rebel Dick Dudgeon in this Revolutionary War adventure. Anderson has been tending to the souls of his American parishioners while practicing passive resistance to the British.

When the parson crosses paths with wild and irreverent revolutionary Dudgeon it kicks off escapades that force Anderson to take a more active role in the conflict. 

This was written (sort of) by George Bernard Shaw, who more than lived up to his famous remark about giving your villains the best lines. Laurence Olivier as real-life British General “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne is the kind of bad guy you almost hate to root against as he wittily banters with rebels Anderson and Dudgeon.

At one point amid all the action, Anderson’s home is raided by the Redcoats when the parson’s not there. Dudgeon lets himself be mistaken for Anthony and be arrested to prevent any violence against the parson’s wife Judith (Janette Scott).

Anderson buckskins up and leads a band of American rebels in an attempt to save Dudgeon from execution. Obviously, the good guys prevail and Lancaster leaves the clergy so that he can fight more freely against the British. 83 minutes.