Blu-ray Review If I Were King Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Poet and king face off for a battle of wits and witticisms in Frank Lloyd’s If I Were King, the 1938 remake of Justin Huntly McCarthy’s much filmed play with rogue poet François Villon and King Louis XI of France as principal protagonist and antagonist.



If I Were King (1938)



Released: 11 Nov 1938
Rated: Passed
Runtime: 101 min




Director: Frank Lloyd
Genre: Adventure, History



Cast: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee
Writer(s): Justin Huntly McCarthy, Lou Smith, Preston Sturges



Plot: Vagabond poet François Villon rises to high office in 1463 Paris.



IMDB rating: 7.1
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: Paramount
Distributed By: Kino Lorber
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC...

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[David_B_K]

Great review. Watched this enjoyable disc a couple of weeks ago. It inspired me to pick up A Double Life, which I'd somehow managed to miss adding to my Ronald Colman collection.

 

[Indy Guy]

Excellent review! I viewed the blu ray last night and agreed with everything you detailed about the transfer and the story content.
As I watched, I couldn't help but think of the potential to musicalize the story, and your review mentions that this was actually done...
Since Paramount has not released that musical VistaVision version called "The Vagabond King," it must have been a major misfire. Has anyone seen the film to know if this is true?

 

[PODER]

Excellent review! I viewed the blu ray last night and agreed with everything you detailed about the transfer and the story content.
As I watched, I couldn't help but think of the potential to musicalize the story, and your review mentions that this was actually done...
Since Paramount has not released that musical VistaVision version called "The Vagabond King," it must have been a major misfire. Has anyone seen the film to know if this is true?

Both the 1930 and the 1956 version are covered at some length on IMDb. The '56 version had Oreste Kirkop, one of those One Film Wonders, as Villon. Kathryn Grayson and Rita Morena are the female stars. Neither version has yet received a legal DVD issue, although DVDr versions are available from the usual sources.

 

[Matt Hough]

The 1956 The Vagabond King was a box-office flop, but if you like the operetta genre, it's an enjoyable watch, and the score is gloriously sung. I have it on a VHS tape (open matte, of course). If I'm not mistaken, the 1930 version was also a disappontment at the box-office.

 

[Indy Guy]

The 1956 The Vagabond King was a box-office flop, but if you like the operetta genre, it's an enjoyable watch, and the score is gloriously sung. I have it on a VHS tape (open matte, of course). If I'm not mistaken, the 1930 version was also a disappontment at the box-office.

Thanks for the info!
I found a bad YouTube print...(less than 90 minutes?) It was interesting by comparison to the earlier Colman film. For a frothy musical it felt less comical and more labored than the brilliant banter in this earlier version.