Prince of Foxes

In 1500 Cesare Borgia wants to marry his sister to the heir of Ferrara in order to clear the obstacle in front of his plan to take central Italy. He assigns Andrea Orsini to the job: a man as unprincipled as himself and clear about what he wants. On the road Orsini meets Camilla, the wife of the count of Citta del Monte, and starts feeling something that runs against his master. Nobody betrays Borgia twice. Henry King shot the film in Italy, in real castles and around Siena; the battle and siege scenes are on location rather than on a stage. Orson Welles plays Cesare Borgia and takes up a great deal of room in very few scenes. The production is in black and white, and Leon Shamroy's photography is counted its strongest element. The balance between Tyrone Power and Welles is what holds it up.