Royal Flash (1975)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

George MacDonald Fraser (novel)
George MacDonald Fraser (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1975 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

See Capt. Harry Flashman surrender his way to victory!

Plot:

Ne'er-do-well Harry Flashman is coerced by Otto von Bismark into impersonating a prince. |

Plot Keywords:

1840s | Sword Fighting | British Soldier | Boxing | Treachery

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	Captain Harry Flashman
Alan Bates	...	Rudi Von Sternberg
Florinda Bolkan	...	Lola Montez
Oliver Reed	...	Otto von Bismarck
Tom Bell	...	De Gautet
Joss Ackland	...	Sapten
Christopher Cazenove	...	Eric Hansen
Henry Cooper	...	John Gully MP
Lionel Jeffries	...	Kraftstein
Alastair Sim	...	Mr. Greig
Michael Hordern	...	Headmaster
Britt Ekland	...	Dutchess Irma
Richard Pearson
Alan Howland
Bob Hoskins	...	Police Constable

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Bedford School, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Arthur Lowe was cast in this film but was replaced.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Harry Flashman: So, the last thing I have to tell you young fellows is this: play up and play the game, honor your queen and country, mind what your masters tell you, say your prayers each night, keep your minds and your bodies clean, take a cold bath each day, and you'll find you can always look the world in the eye like an English gentleman...

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Prisoner of Zenda (1922)

A Royal Time at the Movies

Director Lester's rollicking comedic follow-up to his two Musketeers movies, this is not quite up there, but still doesn't explain why this is almost an unknown film or worse, an almost lost film. McDowell captures much of the spirit of the notorious, lecherous Capt.Flashman of the books (by G.MacDonald Fraser), a devout coward when pressed, but possessed of so much British insolence and bluff, he gets by quite well. The film lacks much of any other interesting, truly humorous characters, but Oliver Reed is a hoot as the humorless Otto von Bismarck, planning to begin a new Reich in Europe, with Flashman as one of his pawns (this is the mid 19th century, by the way). He and Flashman begin a contentious relationship near the beginning, with Flashman usually taunting him and Otto swearing a retribution. Those are some of the best scenes, including Otto's boxing challenge with real-life boxer Cooper.

Alan Bates, on the other hand, never quite warms to the part as the suave adventurer Rudi, a more polished version of Flashman, always dressed in white and quite dashing. He pops up almost a half hour into the film and maybe is too suave; his scenes lack a certain something, such as the droll atmosphere pervading everything else. Overall, it's an impressive cast, including well-known Brits Tom Bell and Lionel Jeffries hamming it up as Otto's henchmen. But, like Bates, they're not given a chance to really shine, usually relegated to an odd mixture of slapstick and serious threats against Flashman's life. A thinner than we're used to seeing Bob Hoskins shows up briefly near the beginning as a copper. Britt Ekland, as a duchess, also seems to make only a token appearance. McDowell however, even gets a chance to play a second role, that of Flashman's double, a more noble prince. The first half of this picture is really promising, delivering period entertainment; it doesn't quite live up to its promise later, but it's still a royal good time. It's a shame this film is best available only as a DVD-R, if one can find it. Update: new DVD arrived in April, 2007!