Beloved Rogue, The (Blu-ray Review)

  • Reviewed by: Dennis Seuling
  • Review Date: Jan 02, 2025
  • Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Beloved Rogue, The (Blu-ray Review)

Director

Alan Crosland

Release Date(s)

1927 (December 17, 2024)

Studio(s)

United Artists (Kino Classics)
  • Film/Program Grade: A
  • Video Grade: A
  • Audio Grade: A
  • Extras Grade: B+

The Beloved Rogue (Blu-ray)

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Review

John Barrymore had an extensive career on stage, screen, and radio. He started in light comedy parts on stage and eventually took on classic Shakespearean roles. His most famous silent films include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and The Sea Beast (1926), an adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. When sound came in, Barrymore’s deep voice stood him in good stead and he appeared in Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933) and Twentieth Century (1934), among others. In the waning days of the silent film, in a departure for him, Barrymore appeared in a fictionalized, swashbuckling version of the life of Francois Villon, The Beloved Rogue.

Villon, born into poverty in fifteenth-century France, attended the University of Paris and established himself as the first French poet, but also came afoul of the law on numerous occasions. Using Villon and the period setting, The Beloved Rogue builds on the poet’s reputation as a rascal who thumbs his nose at authority, has an eye for pretty women, and relies on his wits to extricate himself from sticky situations. The film concentrates on Villon’s adventurous exploits with pals Jean (Slim Summerville) and Nicholas (Mack Swain) at a time when King Louis XI (Conrad Veidt) has a tense relationship with the powerful Duke of Burgundy (Lawson Butt).

Francois Villon (Barrymore) is respected by the French upper classes for his poetry and loved by the lower classes as a hard-drinking, generous trickster. The street people of Paris crown him as King of Fools for an annual celebration. The Duke Burgundy arrives during the festivities, and Villon insults him with a clever bit of verse. The duke demands that the poet be punished for his insolence, so the weak-willed king banishes him from Paris. In despair, Villon settles into an inn just outside the city walls. Then, determined to flout authority, he breaks into a warehouse and “liberates” tons of food and wine by catapulting it into the lower class section of Paris.

Meanwhile, there is political intrigue afoot. The Duke of Burgundy has his eye on the throne of France and the king is easily swayed by his astrologist not to see the extent of the impending danger. To ease tensions, the king agrees to give his ward, Charlotte de Vauxcelles (Merceline Day), in marriage to an ally of the duke, establishing an alliance between Paris and Burgundy.

The Beloved Rogue is the kind of swashbuckler that Douglas Fairbanks was known for in the silent era and would make Errol Flynn a star in the 1930s. It’s odd to see Barrymore in such an atypical role, and that’s part of the fun. Costumed like a raggedy Robin Hood, he looks as if he’s having a great time balancing comedy, drama, and action, all while making love to beautiful Charlotte.

Barrymore seldom stops running, climbing, bouncing, and rallying crowds, making for a brisk pace and plenty of action. The look of the film is lavish, thanks mostly to production designer William Cameron Menzies, who created the Arabian Nights world of The Thief of Bagdad. The sets beautifully establish the time period with castles, the interior of a gritty tavern, wintery streets with crowds of revelers celebrating amid snow-covered houses, and a tall tower.

Barrymore doesn’t take his matinee-idol status seriously in The Beloved Rogue. Though quite handsome with an athletic physique, he seems to delight in covering his features with unflattering make-up and a silly costumes. To Barrymore, it was all about the role. He throws himself into the character of a street-smart scoundrel whose wit is his greatest defense. We do get a chance to witness matinee idol Barrymore in a few close-ups, when we can appreciate “The Great Profile.”

The film features several unique set pieces, including Villon propelled by catapult into the chamber of Lady Charlotte, imprisoned in a cage and raised high above the street to hang mid-air, and improvising several clever escapes from his pursuers. Villon’s election as King of Fools is celebrated by scores upon scores of extras dressed largely in tatters, suggesting the overcrowded poor areas of the city.

Many silent films are difficult to watch because pacing is so different than in modern films, which move much quicker. But The Beloved Rogue is briskly-paced, slowing down only briefly for a love scene between Villon and Charlotte. Apart from that, the picture zips along.

Director Alan Crosland (The Jazz Singer) does a fine job of keeping Barrymore from edging his performance into parody and balancing Villon’s hijinks with a serious conflict with the King and the imminent threat of war between France and the Burgundians. The film has all the trappings of an epic, with Villon as its centerpiece.

The Beloved Rogue was shot by director of photography Joseph H. August on 35 mm black & white film with spherical lenses and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The Blu-ray edition, according to information shown on screen before the film begins, was mastered from 35 mm print materials preserved by the Library of Congress in cooperation with the British Film Institute National Archive. Scenes are tinted in various hues, including blue for outdoor wintery scenes, red for scenes of Villon being tortured with fire, and amber for interiors, and some intertitles begin with ornate capital letters in red, yellow, green, and blue. For a film nearly a hundred years old, the print looks exceptionally good. Any surface imperfections, such as embedded dirt specks, scratches, and speckling, have been eliminated to provide distraction-free viewing. The sets and costumes, which establish the film’s fifteenth-century milieu, get a high score for their lavishness and attention to detail and add considerable stature to the production.

There are two soundtrack options—English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. The new orchestral score by Robert Israel is reminiscent of epic scores for such later films as The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and The Crimson Pirate. Israel is equally adept at scoring for romantic, comic, or adventurous scenes, resulting in a perfect musical accompaniment for the silent images. The full orchestra adds richness and drama.

Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Classics include the following:

  • Introduction by Orson Welles (2:50)
  • Audio Commentary by Anthony Slide

Introduction by Orson Welles – This brief introduction comes from the 1970’s syndicated Paul Killiam TV series The Silent Years. Welles says John Barrymore was his idol and became a friend in Barrymore’s later years. They both felt that The Beloved Rogue was not Barrymore’s best work. In summary, Welles calls Barrymore a “towering personality, an unforgettable man, a real aristocrat, a beautiful person, an actor with a great genius for acting, and a dearly beloved friend.”

Audio Commentary – Film historian Anthony Slide describes Francois Villon as a multi-faceted person. The cast is composed of familiar silent film performers, and Slide gives an overview of a number of their careers. Barrymore was only 5’ 9” but came across as taller on screen. A good deal of the commentary is devoted to production designer William Cameron Menzies, a “masterful planner” who gave The Beloved Rogue its detailed, medieval look. Menzies had previously designed Douglas Fairbanks’ films The Thief of Bagdad and Robin Hood, and would go on to design Gone with the Wind and Invaders from Mars, a science-fiction cult classic. Angelo Rossitto, who plays Beppo the Dwarf, was only 2’ 11” tall and appeared as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, as a circus performer in Tod Browning’s Freaks, and in several films starring Bela Lugosi. The original title of the film was Francois Villon and was to star Vilma Banky. Later, the title was changed to The Vagabond Prince, and finally to The Beloved Rogue. The film premiered in New York and Los Angeles in March of 1927. It was given a “saturation” release to balance any negative publicity. In later years, Barrymore would appear in The Great Profile, a parody of his own career. Barrymore was so unsure of himself, he asked that cue cards be placed all around the set. He later enjoyed a career on radio, unhampered by having to memorize lines—he could simply read the script.

The Beloved Rogue is an enjoyable swashbuckler that features John Barrymore in the kind of role not usually associated with him. He’s great fun to watch as a fifteenth-century mischief-maker, patriot, lover, and catalyst of royal intrigue. There’s action a-plenty, impeccably staged by director Alan Crosland, and its sets rank with the most elaborate of silent films. The rousing orchestral score by Robert Israel enhances the on-screen excitement, making for a most enjoyable viewing experience.

- Dennis Seuling