1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Beau Brummel" is not as bad as you might expect..., January 26, 2009
This review is from: Beau Brummell [VHS] (VHS Tape)
With its lavish appointments and its excessively theatrical scene-stealing from Peter Ustinov and Robert Morley as the silly Prince of Wales and his even sillier father King George III, "Beau Brummel" is not as bad as you might expect...
The rooms look authentic, and, when Ustinov is jabbering some nonsense as the trivial, vain, empty monarch to be, the film even sounds authentic...
As Lady Patricia, Taylor is allowed to move on a sea of romantic indecision... She must choose between the impetuous adventurer and a serious court Politician... A little bourgeoise at heart, she makes her choice finally for the harbor rather than the tempest...
The movie is based on Clyde Fitch's play, but with a pallid Stewart Granger as the widely known sartorial dandy, the focus is wisely shifted to the crazy Regent... Ustinov's Regent has more glamor than Granger's soldier of fortune, and the movie becomes the story of the misguided, easily manipulated, finally rather pathetic Prince of Wales rather than a showcase for the skill and panache of Captain Beau Brummell...
As a character study of fashion-crazed royalty, Bernhardt's film is pompously entertaining; as romance, or as insight into the historical Beau himself, the movie is impoverished... Granger and his leading lady are responsible for the dead weight that surrounds Ustinov's spirited silliness...
The rich, willful Taylor contained intimations of the Southern belles to follow, but even at her maturity, in "A Place in the Sun" or "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Liz had not fully awakened to the best that was in her...
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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Beau Brummel, December 30, 2000
This review is from: Beau Brummell [VHS] (VHS Tape)
One of Stewart Granger's classic movies. This is the way all movies should be. The good ole days of fancy costume movies are long gone.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stew Granger is an excellent actor, BUT ..., February 11, 2007
This review is from: Beau Brummell [VHS] (VHS Tape)
... I didn't feel he was really into his performance in this movie, the way he was in 'Scaramouche'. This movie, for me, was just 'okay', not horrible, not great, just somewhere in between. I own this movie, and I will watch it again, but I must say I'm not in any particular hurry to do so. I would like for the 2006 James Purefoy version to show up on dvd. As for this version, I imagine it will be on dvd once Purefoy's version comes out.
Part of my problem with this movie is (and it is not the movie's fault) I'm not a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor. She's okay, but I just can't get thrilled with her for some reason. And, Stewie Granger just didn't put himself into this movie the way he did in 'Scaramouche', at least I didn't think he did. I just felt like he didn't care that much about this movie to bother putting in a noteworthy performance.
On the 1-10 scale, I'd put this movie somewhere between 6.5 and 8.0. Good, not bad, but not great or outstanding.
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