Main Cast: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell
Release Year: 1965
Country: US
Run Time: 121 minutes
Plot
The painstakingly accurate historical drama The War Lord is predicated on the old practice of le droit du seigneur. Norman knight Charlton Heston, in charge of an 11th century Druid community, exercises his right to claim bride Rosemary Forsyth on the night of her wedding to James Farentino. Forsyth becomes enamored of her abductor, refusing to leave his side. Seeking vengeance, Farentino, the son of Druidic leader Niall McGinniss, foments an all-out war between Heston and Heston's covetous brother Guy Stockwell. Despite the impressive scope of the battle scenes, The War Lord, based on a stage play by Leslie Stevens, is essentially an intimate human drama (in contrast, look what "droit du seigneur" sparked in the 1995 epic Braveheart). The surehanded direction of Franklyn Schaffner and the credible performances of Heston et. al. are brilliantly complemented by Jerome Morross' Stravinsky-like musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Sporting a bowl haircut and a chestful of chainmail, Charlton Heston portrays Norman man-at-arms Chrysagon de la Crue in this 1965 medieval flick, exhibiting the kind of imposing charisma and nobility that distinguished him in Ben-Hur and El Cid. The motion picture features plenty of action and romance as Chrysagon crosses swords with nasty Frisians and woos comely village maiden Bronwyn (Rosemary Forsyth). However, the environment in which Heston de la Crue operates--the dank, dark, dirty Middle Ages--is anything but noble and charismatic. And that is one of the strong points of this film. It presents the medieval period, in particular the 11th Century, as it was: crude, gray, miasmic--a breath of Hades. Never mind that the production was filmed entirely in California; it looks and feels like feudal France. The music score captures the mood of the age, and the combat scenes ring with the sound of metal striking metal. Unfortunately, Forsyth is not quite up to her role. Although wholesomely pretty, she lacks the spit and fire required to love one man desperately, Chrysagon, while betrothed to another, Marc, (James Farentino), a village lad. When Chrysagon invokes a law allowing a lord to lie with the bride of another man on her wedding night, Marc and the gadfly Frisians attack. Historians may balk at this turn of events, for no law ever existed allowing a lord to sleep with another man's bride. It's a fiction (promulgated as "le droigt de seigneur," "le droight de cuissage," and "primae noctis") that was repeated in Braveheart. No mind, though. The zinging arrows, clashing swords, and beheading axes--as well as the Dark Ages ambience--more than make up for historical faux pas. Further enhancing the film are the villainy of Guy Stockwell as Chysagon's traitorous brother, the stiff-lipped heroism of Richard Boone as Chrysagon's loyal manservant, and the feistiness of aging Henry Wilcoxon as a Frisian prince. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Henry Bumstead - Art Director, Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Kenny Williams - Choreography, Vittorio Nino Novarese - Costume Designer, Douglas Green - First Assistant Director, Franklin J. Schaffner - Director, Folmar Blangsted - Editor, Jerome Moross - Composer (Music Score), Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, Russell Metty - Cinematographer, Richard Metty - Cinematographer, Norman Deming - Production Manager, Walter Seltzer - Producer, Henry Bumstead - Set Designer, Oliver Emert - Set Designer, Alexander Golitzen - Set Designer, John McCarthy - Set Designer, Albert J. Whitlock - Special Effects, Waldon O. Watson - Sound/Sound Designer, William Russell - Sound/Sound Designer, Millard Kaufman - Screenwriter, John Collier - Screenwriter, Leslie Stevens - Play Author
Up until this film, most Hollywood representations of feudal life were glamorized. The War Lord attempts to portray the 11th century in a more accurate fashion as dirty, violent and ruled by brute force. The social stratification imposed by feudalism governed every human relationship, with power devolving from the duke, to the knight, to the men at arms, the church and the peasantry at the very bottom.
Plot
Charlton Heston plays Chrysagon de la Cruex, a Norman knight charged with defending a Druid village. At the heart of the story is a doomed romance which defies the social norms and sparks a growing confrontation with Chrysagon's brother, Draco, played by Guy Stockwell.
Chrysagon encounters Bronwyn, his future love, as she is harassed by his own men. Gradually he finds himself falling for the girl he's rescued. Bronwyn's father, the village chief, later asks Chrysagon's permission for Bronwyn to marry. Chrysagon approves, but soon regrets the decision. He wants Bronwyn for himself.
He later learns of "Droit de seigneur", a right which permits the Lord of the Domain to sleep with any virgin woman on her wedding night. But custom demands Bronwyn be given up by dawn. The following day, Bronwyn is not returned. What the village doesn't realize is that she's chosen to stay of her own free will.
All of this takes place against the background of war against Frisian (Viking) raiders who plague the Norman coast.
The complexity of this film can be seen in the ambiguity of Chrysagon's character. At times, he seems to cross into gray areas, suggesting a possible dark side. But he always ends up doing the right thing; the upbeat note in this otherwise uneasy tale.
The intensity of acting may well have been Heston's best, and Guy Stockwell matched him every step of the way. The remaining cast performed at a very high level. The musical score set both uplifting as well as very eerie moods.
Heston notes in his autobiography that a film student by the name of Steven Spielberg hung around the sets during the making of the film.
