The Flame and the Arrow

In twelfth-century Lombardy a mountain man rises against the German barons. His wife has chosen the baron and taken their son with her. Dardo puts himself at the head of the revolt to get the boy back. Jacques Tourneur directed. Burt Lancaster plays Dardo, Nick Cravat his mute friend Piccolo. Both had been circus acrobats and performed together for years. All the acrobatic work in the film is theirs; the tower climbs, the swings and the falls were shot without doubles. Warner Bros. put that at the centre of the promotion, running a campaign offering a reward to anyone who could prove doubles had been used. Nick Cravat's character being mute was necessity rather than choice; his pronounced Brooklyn accent did not fit a period film and the part was written silent. The colour and design continue the Robin Hood tradition directly. Who it is for: viewers who like classic swashbucklers and want to see real acrobatics. Who it is not for: anyone after historical seriousness; the film is entertainment throughout.