When exactly Hollywood ceased to be Classic Hollywood is a matter of debate among film historians. However, it is somewhat more certain that the process at least began after the Second World War when the old studio system began to be undermined by more independent-minded actors who would start their own production companies. The most prominent among them was Burt Lancaster, who would, with the help of his agent and producer Harold Hecht, create a number of popular films in the 1950s.
One of his earliest successes was The Flame and the Arrow, a 1950 period adventure film directed by Jacques Tourneur. The plot takes place in the northern Italian region of Lombardy in the 12th century, at the time when the area was under the rule of German monarchs of the Holy Roman Empire. The protagonist, played by Lancaster, is Dardo Bartoli, a hunter who enjoys a reputation as an expert archer and popularity among the local people. His wife Francesca (played by Lynn Baggett) has left him and his young son Rudi (played by Gary Gebert) in order to enjoy a rich life in the castle owned by Count Ulrich of Hesse (played by Frank Allenby), who took her as his concubine. There is little love lost between the two men and when Dardo shoots one of Ulrich’s hunting hawks, he retaliates by abducting Rudi and taking him to the castle. Dardo, who tried to prevent it, is wounded in a scuffle with Ulrich’s soldiers, but later gets medical treatment from his friends, many of whom share his desire to get rid of German rule. Dardo, with their help, goes to Ulrich’s castle on a daring mission to bring back his son, but instead takes Ulrich’s beautiful niece Lady Anne (played by Virginia Mayo) captive and later hopes to exchange her for Rudi.
The script by Waldo Salt, inspired by medieval legends of Robin Hood and William Tell, was, according to some sources, originally developed for Errol Flynn. However, by the time of production, Flynn’s deteriorating health precluded his taking part in a physically demanding swashbuckling film, so the role was quite enthusiastically taken by Lancaster, a trained acrobat who loved the opportunity to show his skills. Directed by Jacques Tourneur, a director best known for B-films and film noir, The Flame and the Arrow benefited a lot from a relatively large budget provided by Warner Bros., a solid music soundtrack by renowned composer Max Steiner, and cinematography by Ernest Haller in Technicolor which, by that time, was becoming standard for this sort of film.
Inevitable comparison with classics of the genre, including The Adventures of Robin Hood, with which this film has a lot in common in terms of content, would, however, point towards Tourneur’s film as visibly inferior. The main reason might be in Dardo’s family and love life being a little bit too complicated and an apparent lack of proper chemistry with Virginia Mayo. Frank Allenby as the main villain is forgettable. This is, on the other hand, compensated by the film’s short running time and some impressive stunts, including those which Lancaster took on himself.
But the most memorable element of The Flame and the Arrow is Nick Cravat, an actor with short stature and impressive athletic ability who was also Lancaster’s lifelong friend and collaborator. Lancaster had him cast as Dardo’s comic sidekick Piccolo. Cravat, however, couldn’t shake off his heavy Brooklyn accent which sounded improper for a period film. Lancaster solved this problem by making Piccolo mute and giving his character more excuses for physical comedy. This formula worked well, turning The Flame and the Arrow into a major hit. Lancaster and Cravat would soon afterwards be reunited in The Crimson Pirate, another swashbuckling film that would be remembered as one of Lancaster’s most popular works.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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