The Flame and the Arrow

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I love Talvi for being so smug, confident with a bit of mischief whenever he talked to Annika. He is quite a protective and caring character. There are just so many good qualities about Talvi. From his past of what Annika knew about him, Talvi really grew from the shallow character he was before meeting Annika. We keep coming up with these Double Bill promotions – what about this one for two great adventures stories :- BELOW – I have cropped the picture a little to see how it would have looked on the screen – although a still photographer is in the foreground – doing a good job I am sure It is though Burt Lancaster that is the central focus of the film. His first 'independent' production he knew if he did not carry it well it would have failed. Every time he is on the screen he is the focus of attention and fortunately he is on very often. Whether exchanging insults, engaging in acrobatics or romance he is hitting the target every time. He is ably supported by Virginia Mayo as his leading lady. A underrated actress with a attractive and strong physical presence. Lets be frank, does anyone believe that DARDO would fall for some skinny twit like Audrey Hepburn (or today Angelina Jolie) no way. We did not believe that when Sean Connery did in ROBIN AND MARIAN! Allenby and Douglas prove to have the best parts as confirmed villains. But Lancaster along with Mayo as the love interest don't fare as well, as their fate seems wholly improbable (one scene in which Dardo survives hanging on the gallows with a special harness proves to be the most absurd moment in the entire drama).

Instead of showing what this kind of crazy thrill ride could be, we just get more scenes of the brats fighting and calling each other names, while they conducted their relationship with all the maturity of a couple of middle schoolers. Want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "Dardo, a Robin Hood-like figure, and his loyal followers use a Roman ruin in Medieval Lombardy as their headquarters as they conduct an insurgency against their Hessian conquerors." Cannaday did do a good job with the alternate world, the family, the other worldly creatures, etc, in book 1 -- but all that goes away when Annika goes home in book 2. The screaming queen, the fairy jokes, the unquestioning acceptance of her friends -- without any real discussion -- these aggravated me even as I mourned the gold Cannaday left on the ground.The last film has Michaelangelo in center stage with the Pope, courtesy of Charleton Heston and Rex Harrison, but it also had an actor playing Raphael briefly. Leonardo has yet to get on film (for some unknown reason he is not seen fit for characterization in a film biography). St. Francis of Assisi has managed to get into one film: BROTHER SON, SISTER MOON, wherein the imperious Pope Innocence III (Alec Guiness) admits that meeting St. Francis only brings him a sense of shame for his other-worldliness. Considering that Innocence III was the most powerful Pope of all time (he humiliated the Holy Roman Emperor once) that is a statement slightly hard to believe. Yet it is one of the few scenes dealing with Renaissance Italy on screen, and the only notable appearance of that Pope.

Dardo sends a message to the count, offering an exchange of prisoners, but Ulrich threatens to execute papa Pietro unless Anne is released. Dardo and the others race to the village and rescue Bartoli. Then Dardo learns from his aunt Nonna ( Aline MacMahon) that five more prisoners have been taken to hang in Papa's place. Dardo gives himself up to save the others and is hanged in front of his son. Ulrich takes the rest of the rebels prisoner, including the marchese. Piccolo comes up with a plan for getting into the castle by the men posing as some of the acrobats providing entertainment. The ruse works. When they are ready, they remove their disguises and a battle ensues. During the melee, Anne warns Dardo that Ulrich has gone for his son. When Dardo catches up to Ulrich, he is in the company of the marchese. The count leaves Dardo and the marchese to fight. Though Dardo tries to persuade the marchese to stand aside, the marchese refuses, trusting in his swordsmanship. But, Dardo manages to plunge the room into darkness, where his hunter's instinct gives him the fatal edge. Lancaster is marvellous to watch! Performing all his own stunts his high flying antics are a joy to behold. No other actor, before or since, would prove to be so agile and provide such a spirited performance! His athletic prowess is outstanding and little wonder he was Warner's first choice to play the great native American athlete Jim Thorpe in their biographical "Jim Thorpe-All American" (aka "Man Of Bronz") in 1952. Although he did a kind of follow-up to "The Flame & The Arrow" two years later with the more comical "The Crimson Pirate" it is a shame he then ceased doing this type of movie as we could have tolerated him in quite a few more of them. I think his later "acrobatic" films were better, especially "The Crimson Pirate", which had a far better, more amusing script, and "His Majesty O'Keefe," which provoked some serious sub rosa thought, in people given to serious thought. He kept fit for the rest of his life, even doing some clearly dangerous stunt work as late as "The Professionals" in 1968. Like some other tall, sinewy actors -- Clint Eastwood, for instance -- Lancaster seemed to have such delicate hands and fingers. What one character says of Leopold Bloom in Joyce's "Ulysses" could as easily be said about Lancaster -- "He'd have a soft hand under a hen." If this film gave a boost to his career, and it probably did, he certainly hit the ground running. One of the more enjoyable swinging-from-the-chandelier-with-a- -sword adventures made a la Erroll Flynn. A lively pace, loads of action, a witty-if-fluffy script, an enchanting score, good performances, and above all an incredible number of acrobatic stunts make this utterly enjoyable. Lancaster had been a circus acrobat before he got into films, and managed to work every stunt he could do into the script. He even balances and poses on the top of a 20-foot pole, for real. I'm still amazed that a guy that big could be so good.On the other hand, the hero is a douch-bag of epic proportions. He's petulant, spoiled, arrogant, cruel, and loves to brag about all the women he's had. He also enjoys belittling and torturing the woman he claims to love, and constantly lies to her -- when he isn't stomping out in a huff over some slight to his fragile ego. He is the most unlikable hero I've ever read. I would not recommend this book because I found it to be very slow. Nothing exciting happened in my opinion until we got closer to the end. Good thing this was a long book because there's a whole different parallel world to be described. This isn't one of those wordy "have-to-mention-every-object" scripts but one full of movement, characters and new situations. I get some feel of a YA read but there is graphic sex at the adult level... Not too much though (darn). No heavy violence or language (unless you consider "shit" a no-no. While staying in Derbedrossivic, Annika discovered that she has an ancestor who from from the fae world. Her relationship with Talvi grew closer as he continued to court her. Even though she was warned by her new friends that Talvi is a womanizer and a heartbreaker, it was too late to protect her heart from Talvi. The courtship of Annika and Talvi is so sweet. There are so many clues on how Talvi felt about Annika but Annika kept flying into the wrong conclusions about Talvi. Talvi only revealed what Annika needs to know when she is ready to listen. In Annika's defense, she is scared of what would happen when she returned to her own world. Talvi can't follow her there since he doesn't have a job there and has never been to the States. She is scared that she and Talvi might not have a future in the human world.

My thanks to a couple of prior reviewers for this film in mentioning that Burt Lancaster had an athletic circus career prior to Hollywood. I didn't know that, but it confirms what I thought I saw in the picture, that Lancaster must have been doing a fair share of his own stunts. There were a couple of flips and rolls I wouldn't have expected but it sure looked like he wasn't using a stunt double, so one has to appreciate the gymnastic ability involved. The Flame and the Arrow is a sweet romance between Annika and Talvi. Both are from different worlds. One from the human world and the other from the fae world. Now however Allenby at Baggett's suggestion comes in and takes Gebert away from a wounded Lancaster. Up to this time Lancaster has lived isolated in the mountains. Now he finally decides to join the rebels in revolt against Allenby and the Empire. Nothing like a little child stealing to provide motivation.

I am looking forward to the next two books in this series to find out where the next adventures will take Annika and Talvi. Talvi acts immature sometimes and he is meant to be many years old. He acted like a horny teenager not a century old elf! The final scene involves Dardo and Piccolo pretending to circus performers and in a Trojan Horse maneuver gain access to the castle where they use their acrobatic skills to defeat their oppressors. The studio claimed Lancaster did all of his own stunts and offered money if someone could prove otherwise. As it turned out, there were claims that some of the stunts were done by a stunt double but those claims were eventually thrown out of Court. I am not familiar with the musical score from the film but it must have been pretty exceptional to be released as a record at that time Narration was wonderful. A slightly British accent, with a not too deep voice. But when he went into different male characters, he pulled off thedeep and gravely just fine. Acceptable female renditions but I will always say that the male/female narration duo is the best.