With a sword in a negligee In the 80s of the last century, the genre of “cloak and swords” experienced not the best times. The glorious era of Jean Marais has long passed, and the historical and adventure films that were periodically shot in different countries did not often cause a stir among the public. Failed to do this and the Frenchman Pierre Caste – the idea to give the very sword in the hands of a nice lady and send her to adventure instead of a brutal man will work a little later, Bertrand Tavernier in “Daughter of d’Artagnan”. Meanwhile, the charming Agostina Belli failed to overcome the stereotype, even with the help of the equally charming Victoria Abril.
Still, ideas, and without a brutal man with a sharp blade (Lieutenant Rzhevsky, be silent!), the director did not dare, and Jean-Pierre Cassel in the image of the brave Colonel Larzac with an unflinching hand attention from the beautiful, albeit armed to the teeth, ladies ruthlessly distract. And the truth, Victoria Abril topless will be more interesting Victoria Abril in an embrace with a huge flint gun. In the end, the gun is more Spanish, and it is almost not visible because of it.
This fact was well known to the director, so all sorts of nonsense, such as shootouts and fights on cold weapons, he paid not the most close attention. But the ladies in the negligee he wanders all the time, and those younger - so often and without it at all. But since the film he shot all the same historical and adventure, then without battles (and very numerous) it was impossible to do – here and useful Jean-Pierre Cassel, who in uniform and with a sword looks like... Well, not the notorious Jean Marais, of course, but it seems.
So, torn between a regular historical adventure in the spirit of Dumas peer and unpretentious exploitation, seemingly long ago disappeared with the decade of the 70s, Cust shot not too clear and rather strange movie. In addition, created under the auspices of the French film giant Gaumont, the film was a Franco-Spanish co-production. The issue of tolerance has already arisen. History told about the time of the Napoleonic wars, when France and Spain were irreconcilable enemies: who to make villains, who heroes was absolutely unclear. As a result, the characters went to adventure in Portugal, and their main opponents were the lost detachment of Prussian dragoons (or Ulan - damn them!), attacking everyone in a row.
Thus, the former captives of the brave partisan Catalina (in the French version - Catherine) become her allies and together they go on a quest in war-torn Portugal. On the road, the squad rapidly decreases in number until it reaches gender balance. So that each creature, so to speak, found a pair. Colonel Larzac, of course, got the main partisan. However, the rest were not offended either. After all, on the way, brave warriors repulsed two cute Portuguese marauders, so the number of the detachment did not have to be greatly reduced.
It would seem that we still need love and war in the most concentrated form! And the cast of Caste was not at all bad, but his film was today almost in complete oblivion. Most likely, the reason for this is not very deft balancing the director on the verge between the picture intended for the widest release, and exploitation. In the '70s, that number might have passed. But there was another era in the yard.
And yet, if we distract from all these “why” and “why” and do not pay attention to all sorts of absurdities like starched shirts for a week wandering through the forests of the detachment, then there will be a not so hopeless film “cloak and swords”. With beautiful and brave heroes, numerous adventures, unobtrusive eroticism and good actors. And the fact that the director slightly pumped up - well, it happens ...