the audience applauded

A Masterpiece!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Was there ever a greater villain than Basil Rathbone, who gave us such great performances as the abusive Mr. Murdstone in "David Copperfield" (1935), the deadly Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" (1936), evil Sir Guy in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), Baron von Frankenstein in "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) and the evil Captain Esteban in "The Mark of Zorro" (1940). From 1939 to 1946 he focused on Sherlock Holmes films with only an occasional second film in any given year. He made the transition early to TV where he was a popular guest star, and continued to do films (e.g., "We're No Angels", "The Last Hurrah").Yet in all the excellent work he did over the decades, you've never seen him like he appears in this film. You may not even recognize him despite his distinct looks and voice.The rest of the film is pretty ordinary, but fans of Basil Rathbone need to see it.

This is my least favorite of all the Ronald Colman talkies, and I consider myself a huge fan of Colman. But, at least through the early parts of the film, this is not the Colman most of us want to see -- handsome, suave, sophisticated. Instead, until later in the film we have an unshaven and shabby figure...though of course, the voice shines through. So I will take "A Tale Of Two Cities", "The Prisoner Of Zenda", "Lost Horizon", and especially "Random Harvest" (and several others of Colman's films) over this one.Yet, I must admit that, perhaps, this is as good acting Colman does in any of his films...because early on it is so against character. Here, Colman plays François Villon -- a real (and popular) 15th-century French poet who disappeared in 1463 after banishment. Google describes him as a "ne'er-do-well who was involved in criminal behavior and got into numerous scrapes with authorities, Villon wrote about some of these experiences in his poems". No one claims this film is an accurate biopic of Villon, but it loosely follows a tale about him and King Louis XI. It's my impression that Colman had a great deal of fun with his depiction of the rapscallion.I'm not usually a fan of Basil Rathbone, but his performance here is superb...perhaps one of his very best. So good as the King, that if you don't know it's Rathbone, it won't occur to you! Other supporting character include Frances Dee as a lady-in-waiting whom Villon falls in love with, Ellen Drew as Villon's sort-of girlfriend (and wench), and C.V. France as Father Villon. Henry Wilcoxon is interesting as Captain of the Watch -- a type of role he played later in "The Ten Commandments". All these supporting actors do their jobs in this film, but none are particularly outstanding. The multi-untalented Sidney Toler is also here in a small part as the owner of a tavern.The production is a handsome one, with quite a few relatively elaborate sets.As the film proceeded, I got more and more into it, and more and more into Colman's performance. Please do see for yourself. It's definitely worth watching, and although far from my favorite Colman picture, it's on my DVD shelf.

Colman was not only good looking, suave, sophisticated, and dashing, but he had a lyrical voice, an absolute necessity for a great actor. Recall the speech and voices of Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier: when they spoke, it was not mere prose but verse. So who better to play the poet, Francois Villon, than Ronald Colman, who possessed the voice of a poet.Ronald Colman is my favorite actor of all time. I loved his performance in this film as well as his performances in "Random Harvest", "The Prisoner of Zenda", "The Lost Horizon", and "The Talk of the Town".There were other great performances in this film besides that of Ronald Colman. Basil Rathbone's performance as King Louis XI is perhaps one of his finest, and deserving of an Academy Award as best supporting actor, while Frances Dee's performance as Villon's beloved is mesmerizing, the images to relive forever in one's dreams: the perfection of beauty and femininity. And Ellen Drew's portrayal of Huguette is touching without being maudlin.Great film, great performances. Hollywood at its very best.

I knew I was in for a treat when I saw Preston Sturges was scriptwriter for this film, which was clever and energetic, but I didn't expect such wonderful performances from both Basil Rathbone (who received an Oscar nomination) and Ronald Colman. I always felt Colman didn't pick up his lines fast enough (at least in his later years), but he's perfect playing the poet François Villon. Colman sounds like a poet whenever he speaks in all his roles! You've never seen Rathbone in any role quite like that of Louis XI. He sounds at first almost childlike, but it is a mask - he's pretty wily and knows what he is doing all the time. The script, of course, is pure hokum. You can't imagine for one moment that a king would make Grand Constable a man who was caught stealing food from the royal storehouse. As Grand Constable, he runs France! The extended scene where he, while hidden, metes out sentences to his friends who were also caught stealing, is pure delight, and very worthy of Sturges. I found fault with Villon's earlier escape, as it was too easy, and with the casting of Ellen Drew in the role of one of the wenches at the Fir Cone tavern, and who loves Villon. There was too much to enjoy in the film so those were easy to forgive. His other love is Frances Dee, playing one of the nobles at court, and she is always stunningly dressed in Edith Head's costumes. The rest of the cast was all first rate, and the Oscar-nominated sets were excellent. Curiously, the film is set in 1463, the approximate year that Villon died at the age of 32. Also, William Farnum, who plays General Barbezier in this film, played Villon in the 1920 silent of the same name as this film.