King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)

33% of users liked it
(75 ratings)

Roundly panned when it was first released, this CinemaScope film version of Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman can now be enjoyed on a "high camp" level. George Sanders plays King Richard the Lionhearted, while his arch-foe Saladin is over-acted by Rex Harrison. One of Richard's objectives during the… More Roundly panned when it was first released, this CinemaScope film version of Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman can now be enjoyed on a "high camp" level. George Sanders plays King Richard the Lionhearted, while his arch-foe Saladin is over-acted by Rex Harrison. One of Richard's objectives during the Crusades is to reclaim the Holy Grail from Saladin's Mohammedan hordes. On the home front, Richard must contend with a group of conspirators dedicated to toppling him from his throne. In the middle of all this is the fictional Lady Edith,a British noblewoman played by Virginia Mayo in a manner that can best be described as overbaked. It is Ms. Mayo who delivers the film's classic line "Oh, fight, fight, fight! That's all you ever think of, Dickie Plantagenet!" In his American film debut, Laurence Harvey is as hammy as the rest of the cast as Sir Kenneth, Richard's right-hand man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: David Butler (I)
Genres: Classics, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Aug 7, 1954 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Enjoyable as a fluff pic on the Third Crusade.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Cast

            Rex Harrison as Saladin

            Virginia Mayo as Lady Edith

            George Sanders as Richard III

            Laurence Harvey as Sir Kenneth

            Robert Douglas as Sir Giles Amaury

            Michael Pate as Montferrat

            Paula Raymond as Queen Berengaria

            Lester Matthews as Archbishop of Tyre

            Anthony Eustrel as Baron De Vaux

            Henry Corden as Philip of France

            Wilton Graff as Duke Leopold of Austria

            Nejla Ates as Moorish Dancing Girl

            Nick Cravat as Nectobanus

            Leslie E. Bradley as Castelain Captain

            Mark Dana as 2nd Castelain

            Peter Ortiz as Castelains

            John Alderson as Mob Leader

            Rudolph Anders as German Knight

            Larry Chance as Castelain Spokesman

            John Epper as Wounded Castelain

            Lumsden Hare
            
            Robin Hughes as King's Guard

            Bruce Lister
            
            Paul Marion as Arab Falconer

            Leonard Mudie
            
            Leonard Penn
            
            Otto Reichow
            
            Mark Hanna as Courier

            Abdullah Abbas as Arab
See full cast

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