8/10
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde meets the Wizard of Oz meets King Kong's bride
9 November 2017
Benvenuto Cellini is probably not the most famous figure from Renaissance-era Italy. I had never heard of the man until I saw "The Affairs of Cellini". Nonetheless, the movie makes him look like one fun-loving guy. Assuming that it's accurate, Cellini (played by Fredric March) was someone who just wanted to get romantic...even if it was with a married woman.

A lot of the lines come across as comic relief, and there's no shortage of sword-fighting. Just nice, harmless fun for a movie that purports to be historical. I guess that I wouldn't call the movie any sort of masterpiece, but it's still a fun movie. Fay Wray - hot off her role as the love interest of a certain giant ape - looks especially glam in some of those dresses; I suspect that between this movie and her most famous role, she turned a lot of boys into men back in the '30s.

Anyway, it's nice, corny fun. Playing the duke is Frank Morgan, a few years before playing a certain man behind the curtain.
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