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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Star Is Born, October 3, 2000
This review is from: Lloyd's of London [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Freddie Bartholomew steals each scene he's in during the first half-hour or so of this lavish production, and then he grows up into Tyrone Power and we forget him until the very last scene. This was the film that made Tyrone Power a star. With all the costumes and the historical names being used and the moral clash of patriotism and monetary gain, the plot's more than a little leaden at times, and we're left to ponder if the end does in fact justify the means. The plot sometimes lectures, sometimes enlightens, but mostly yawns for two hours. It takes someone with considerable charm to all but carry such a film, and that's just what Tyrone Power does. The character of Johnathan Blake is that much more likeable and sympathetic because of him. And top it all off with his famous good looks, which the camera made sure to capture, and you have yourself the birth of a star. This isn't at all one of the best historical movie ever made, but it's worth the viewing for Tyrone Power fans, if only for the close-ups. That's eye candy, to be sure, and then some. Just don't expect a British accent. Nobody's perfect.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
+1/2. Nice early glimpse at Tyrone Power's charm, July 21, 2003
This review is from: Lloyd's of London [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This semi-historical drama features a young, rail-thin Tyrone Power in his first starring role, as Jonathan Blake, a fictional English entrepreneur who has a rags-to-riches career at the famed Lloyd's insurance company. He is also the (again, fictional) childhood friend of Lord Horatio Nelson, naval hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British turned aside and decisively defeated the combined armada of Napoleonic France and his Spanish allies. Power is attractive, but a bit stiff; the film is surprisingly engaging, though a bit disappointing due to the liberties it takes with history. Mostly, though, this is good, clean fun, classic 'Thirties fluff. Plenty of good character actors, too!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Plenty of star power in this swashbuckler-hymn to the British empire, December 30, 2009
This review is from: Lloyd's of London [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It's pretty easy to understand why Tyrone Power became a huge name given his dramatic presence in this, his first starring role as Jonathan Blake, a 19th century barmaid's son who rises to fame and glory as the top man at the famous early insurance firm while his best pal, Horatio Nelson, goes on to fight Napolean at Trafalgar. Elements of the swashbuckler mingle with some obvious rah-rah pro-England flagwaving and plenty of romantic intrigue; I doubt the insurance industry was so exciting even two centuries past in London, but we can forgive some artistic license here.
On hand to provide extra enticements if Power isn't enough are Freddie Bartholomew as Blake's younger version, spotting apparent pirates who are really insurance frauds in the early minutes, which eventually leads him to the position at Lloyd's; C. Aubrey Smith as a typically randy old aristocrat; Madeleine Carroll and Virginia Field as the two women - upper-class and barmaid - vying for his affection; and George Sanders playing the same wonderful sneering scoundrel that he seemed to play in every film but which never gets tiresome. The production is first-rate "A" level grandeur, with director Henry King moving things along nicely amidst the sumptuous sets. One wonders whether or not this is a film that might have been considered as a Technicolor project, but the early scenes of the boys playing at discovering smugglers looks just right in sharp-toned monocolor. In any case, if not on the level of the best of the Errol Flynn adventures from this era, worth a look at least and very much deserving of a DVD release.
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