Fighting Eagle

It is the early years of the 19th Century, and Napoleon Bonaparte is at the height of his power. Talleyrand, his Minister of Foreign Affairs, seeks to fan the flames of war by having the beautiful spy Countess de Launay arrested before she can arrive with a plea for peace from Spain. Etienne Gerard, a ne'er-do-well who longs to prove himself to Napoleon, observes the attempted arrest of the Countess and helps her escape to Paris. Thus begins a series of adventures which will expose Talleyrand's treachery - and make Gerard infamous as the boldest brigadier in all of France.

The Fighting Eagle is based on the "Brigadier Gerard" short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Though nowhere near as famous as Doyle's other creation, Sherlock Holmes, Gerard had already been adapted to the screen twice prior: in Brigadier Gerard (1915) starring Lewis Waller, and in the French film Un drame sous Napoléon (1921). This was one of several movies produced by legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille as part of a deal with Pathé Exchange; DeMille's dissatisfaction with how Pathé marketed these films eventually led to him signing with MGM in 1929. Pathé's lack of enthusiasm may have been due to DeMille not directing the films himself - on The Fighting Eagle, C.B. ceded the director's chair to Donald Crisp. Though best known for his performances in classics such as How Green Was My Valley (1941) and National Velvet (1944), during the silent years Crisp staked out an impressive resume behind the camera, directing big movies like Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) with Douglas Fairbanks. Dashing leading man Rod La Rocque rocketed to fame after appearing in DeMille's first version of The Ten Commandments (1923). Though he was the first actor to portray the famous radio hero, the Shadow, on film (in The Shadow Strikes, 1937) success mostly eluded him in the sound era. After a small role in Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), La Rocque retired from acting to sell real estate. Also featured is a young Sally Rand, during her days as a Hollywood bit player. In a few years she would move into the much more lucrative world of burlesque and exotic dancing, becoming famous for her "bubble dance" in which she performed with a strategically placed balloon covering her nudity. (1927)

Upplagd i sortimentet: 17 februari, 2025