Okay I'll admit this now I was always likely to enjoy this "romp" as I'm a fan of George MacDonald Fraser's scripts, director Richard Lester and actor Malcolm McDowell, who in terms of physique is completely miscast as the title character Harry Flashman (either Oliver Reed or Alan Bates, both co-stars here would have been much more in keeping) but if you don't know that it doesn't matter!
As with all Lester films much of the fun is in the cartoon-like staging of the action (Flashmans attempted escape from Von Bismark's castle by wooden horse is a particular highlight) and deployment of dialogue in the margins - a comment from a background character here, an insult from someone unseen among the thong there. Anyone watching this in Britain can have the added pleasure of playing spot the future star under a carpets of facial hair and out-sized head wear. The locations are both beautifully regal and dismally damp and dark during a Bavarian winter caught by the ever so slightly diffused lenses of DP Geoffrey Unsworth.
If you enjoyed the Three and Four Musketeers films you'll probably find this slice of derring-do well worth your time. One day we might even get the chance to see a full length restoration edit MacDonald Fraser was disappointed with the handling of the film by 20th Century Fox and swore he'd not become involved with any adaptations again, with his death now 10 year ago it's surely time for someone to consider bring Flashman back to the screen - anyone from the BBC reading this? A short series of 90 min Sherlock type dramas would surely sell far and wide.
As with all Lester films much of the fun is in the cartoon-like staging of the action (Flashmans attempted escape from Von Bismark's castle by wooden horse is a particular highlight) and deployment of dialogue in the margins - a comment from a background character here, an insult from someone unseen among the thong there. Anyone watching this in Britain can have the added pleasure of playing spot the future star under a carpets of facial hair and out-sized head wear. The locations are both beautifully regal and dismally damp and dark during a Bavarian winter caught by the ever so slightly diffused lenses of DP Geoffrey Unsworth.
If you enjoyed the Three and Four Musketeers films you'll probably find this slice of derring-do well worth your time. One day we might even get the chance to see a full length restoration edit MacDonald Fraser was disappointed with the handling of the film by 20th Century Fox and swore he'd not become involved with any adaptations again, with his death now 10 year ago it's surely time for someone to consider bring Flashman back to the screen - anyone from the BBC reading this? A short series of 90 min Sherlock type dramas would surely sell far and wide.