Plot: What’s it about?
Andre Moreau (Stewart Granger) was a witness to the death of his adopted brother, an event which shook him to the core. Of course, seeing such a horrific vision would shake anyone, but the event was burned into Moreau’s mind. The death was no accident or natural cause either, as he was slain in a duel of honor. But the duel wasn’t one that needed to be executed, though the other man involved made sure it was. That man is the Marquis de Maynes (Mel Ferrer), a sadistic duellist with a passion for slaying his opponents. He doesn’t just dispatch them in the name of honor, he takes immense pleasure in sending them to their demise. But this time, his brutal methods could cause him harm down the road, at least if Moreau has his druthers. He has not only been rocked by his brother’s death, but he has vowed to change his life as a result. He used to be a womanizer, after only the pleasures of the flesh, but now he has newfound focus. His time will be spent learning the ways of the sword, perfecting his craft in preparation for the day when he will confront Maynes. At that time, he plans to challenge the sadistic Maynes to a duel of his own and thanks to his honed skills, he hopes to run the madman through. But can he become good enough to challenge such a master swordsman, all while living a second life as the stage clown Scaramouche and enduring the toils of the revolution around him?
In the mood for some great swordplay? Then rush out and grab Warner’s DVD of Scaramouche, as it is a must own for swashbuckling devotees. Even if you don’t like the story, you’ll be dazzled by the swordfights, romance, and gorgeous visuals. Scaramouche is right up there with some of the best swordplay pictures of all time, even though it can’t quite match up to the very best, but it comes damn close at times. The battles are wild, but expertly executed and really build up the action to a fevered pitch. In fact, if you watch the genre efforts that follow Scaramouche, you’ll be able to see numerous movies that were inspired by this one. I still wouldn’t rank this picture with the very elite of the swashbucklers however, as the story and performances come up a shade short. But then again, you don’t always pop in a movie like Scaramouche for complex, intelligent entertainment, you just want to sit back and be dazzled. So by those standards, its hard to come down on this movie, as it delivers in the most important of areas, sheer entertainment. You could dissect this movie and pick out all the faults, but unlike most of today’s mindless action productions, Scaramouche at least has some heart within. So if you’re a fan of swordfights, romance, and sweeping epics, then be sure to check out Scaramouche.
Video: How does it look?
Scaramouche is presented in full frame, as intended. Warner has been excellent of late in terms of catalog release treatments, so it should come as no surprise that Scaramouche looks terrific here. A few instances of jagged edges and moire patterns aside, this is a great looking effort that should delight fans. The print also has some isolated nicks, marks, and slight grain, but given the film’s age, that’s understandable. The colors are superb here also, thanks to the wonders of Technicolor that are so well preserved in this treatment. I found the hues to be bright and bold, with minimal signs of age related flaws. No real complaints in terms of contrast either, as black levels remain accurate and detail never falls short. So another great catalog movie receives a great visual presentation, kudos to Warner once again.
Audio: How does it sound?
In addition to the great digital restoration work on the video, Warner has also spent some time with the audio materials, so it sounds terrific here. One of the better mono tracks I’ve heard of late, in fact, certainly the best from this era, I think. The elements have a clean, never thin sound and while it is mono, it is a rich mono and that’s enough. The music and sound effects are in fine form also, but this one is mostly about the dialogue. No worries there however, as vocals come through in clean, crisp form at all times. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an interview with star Mel Ferrer, a text guide to great cinematic swordfights, a special animated television spot, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
