This is French silent film is one that a viewer could easily believe was written by Alexander Dumas--the author of "The Three Musketeers". Like this tale, "Captain Fracasse" is set during the reign of Louis XIII in the 17th century and is full of swashbuckling sorts of adventure and good triumphing over evil. As a fan of Dumas and Rafael Sabatini (the wonderful author of "Captain Blood" and "Sea Hawk"), this sort of film is exactly what I like--pure escapist fun in a historical setting.
The film begins at the crappy estate of Captain Fracasse. He's a very poor but kind nobleman whose family has fallen on hard times. He meets up with a traveling theater troupe and eventually joins them and travels with them to Paris. On the way, he falls in love with a sweet young lady. Unfortunately, also on the way to Paris, a despicable young Duke (Charles Boyer) sees the lady and falls head over heels in lust. Being a genuine jerk, he decides to kidnap the lady and despoil her--after all, she's poor and he can do what he wants because he's rich! However, the Duke does not count on Fracasse' expertise with the sword or the tenacity and resourcefulness of the actors in the company. Overall, it's a well-paced, well-acted and fun film from start to finish...and it's quite a romance as well. Well worth your time.
By the way, although a sound film and made many decades later, if you like this film, try watching "Le Bossu"--another charming and generally forgotten little adventure set during this same time period. Or, for another nice silent (and later sound film) from a slightly later time period but also involving a traveling French acting troupe, try either the 1923 or 1952 versions of "Scaramouche" (also by Sabatini).
The film begins at the crappy estate of Captain Fracasse. He's a very poor but kind nobleman whose family has fallen on hard times. He meets up with a traveling theater troupe and eventually joins them and travels with them to Paris. On the way, he falls in love with a sweet young lady. Unfortunately, also on the way to Paris, a despicable young Duke (Charles Boyer) sees the lady and falls head over heels in lust. Being a genuine jerk, he decides to kidnap the lady and despoil her--after all, she's poor and he can do what he wants because he's rich! However, the Duke does not count on Fracasse' expertise with the sword or the tenacity and resourcefulness of the actors in the company. Overall, it's a well-paced, well-acted and fun film from start to finish...and it's quite a romance as well. Well worth your time.
By the way, although a sound film and made many decades later, if you like this film, try watching "Le Bossu"--another charming and generally forgotten little adventure set during this same time period. Or, for another nice silent (and later sound film) from a slightly later time period but also involving a traveling French acting troupe, try either the 1923 or 1952 versions of "Scaramouche" (also by Sabatini).