Prince of Foxes (1949)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is a film with nearly all the elements to have been a great film, yet somehow it is merely good. We have the great Orson Welles during his "acting" career in Europe, and he is still young and full of vitality. His protegee Everett Sloan is there to support him and steal the scenes when he can, and Tyrone Power is at the top of his game, never more attractive nor more charming. We also have one of my favorite character actors, Felix Aylmer (Polonius in Olivier's "Hamlet").The music and photography are excellent although this film could have benefited from Technicolor. And Director Henry King does his usual great job of giving us action as well as character development.So where does it fall down? It's the female lead. She is terribly miscast and this fails to give us any real involvement at critical points.If you like good acting, this film should be viewed.

One of the first grand scale Hollywood historical melodramas shot entirely on location throughout Italy and at Cinecitta in 1948-9 only a few years after the Second World War, this film benefits from its believable historical settings. Superbly composed and photographed in B&W by one of Zanuck's best cinematographers, Leon Shamroy, and costumed lavishly by the great Vittorio Nino Novarese, the visual aspects of this film add an unusual authenticity to the story. In addition, we have some grand theatrical acting from such classic scene-stealers as the great Katina Paxinao from Greece, England's Felix Alymer (Polonius to Olivier's Hamlet) and America's own wunderkind Orson Welles reunited with his Bernstein from Citizen Kane, Everett Sloane. (Watching Sloane's performance in this film one can only regret that he did not play Iago to Orson's Othello.) The beautiful but rather wooden Wanda Hendrix as Camilla Verana can't compete in this superb ensemble, all directed masterfully by the underestimated Henry King, but the overall effect is magnificent. Who said you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Not if the sow is Italian!

You have to understand that Samuel Shellabarger who wrote Prince of Foxes and Captain from Castile, along with several other sabre-rattling novels of the renaissance, was a very popular writer in the 40s and this movie captures much of the romantic mood of his novels. Tyrone Power had appeared earlier in Captain from Castile which had been a hit and this effort including the great Orson Welles as Cesare Borgia, and two great character actors, Katrina Paxinou and Everett Sloane, was a fantastic production. Wanda Hendrix, who was never any great shakes beyond presenting a pretty Hollywood face, did not distract from the film but the scene chewing between Power, Sloane and, of course, Welles (before he became so obese), is classic. Power with his dark handsome Irish face was always delightful in these heroic roles tinged with darkness. Recall that this film was of the same time period as his classic Nightmare Alley. It is an entertaining yarn but, alas, no video or DVD at this writing, so you'll just have to look for it on the late show. Do so because if you like the romantic golden oldies with a bit of swash and buckle, you'll dang sure like this one.

Henry King was the prince of a genre which has completely disappeared today:storybook adventures,with never a dull moment;"Lloyds of London" "captain of Castillo" ,"Untamed" or "the bravados" ,to name but four were absorbing flicks.He wanted to film "Price of foxes" in color:it's unfortunate that he did not get his wish cause the lavish settings ,the beautiful landscapes (filmed on location in Italy) and the painstaking reconstruction deserved that.Of course ,Orson Welles steals every scene he's in,the best Cesar Borgia one ever saw on a screen.But the rest of the cast is excellent as well,particularly Katrina Paxinou,as Andrea's peasant mother.Tyrone Power was perfectly cast in the swashbuckler genre.Roughly,the film consists of three parts -Orsini helps Borgia with his problem:marrying his sister Lucrecia with Alfonso D'Este,in order to enter into an alliance with the dukedom of Ferrare.-Orsini must help Borgia with another problem :doing away with an old lord -who is married to a gorgeous young girl who "could be his granddaughter"Borgia dixit.-Having betrayed the Master , he will have to accept the consequences.Biggest flaw: the "enucleation":how can a man as smart as Borgia be fooled like a child?