Lucrezia Borgia

First effort in the Martine Carol (then the director's wife) period for director Christian -Jaque :"Lucrece " was followed by a horrible sketch in "Destinées" ,then two costume dramas ("Nana" "Madame Du Barry");"Nathalie" an undistinguished spy thriller was the end of the era .

UNlike the best works of the thirties and forties ,these glossy productions, filmed in color ,were icily impersonal ,but Christian- Jaque knows the tricks of the trade : impressive settings ,glistening colors ,prestige cast (Carol ,Christian Marquand,Pedro Armendariz ,even dwarf Pieral ,Maurice Ronet).Who cares if Martine is too old for the part? (In Delannoy's sketch in " Destinées ,Michele Morgan ,thirty-four,portrayed Joan of Arc!)enter Who cares if a whole sequence is borrowed from "the most dangerous game" ,complete with spears and dogs ?Who cares if the orgies were inspired by Abel Gance 's own version (1935)?

Lucrezia was essentially a pawn in her dad's and her brother's games ,a political way to enter into alliance with a potential enemy :so who cares if she really loves the duke of Aragon?On this point,the movie is accurate.

There's a sadistic scene in which two old men fight for their lives over fires :Lucrezia gladly watches this dubious show. Historians generally agree that the heroine 's bad reputation has been blown out of all proportion ,and she was mainly a patron ,protecting the arts.

It's not among Christian-Jaque's best films ,but it's perfect Saturday-night-at-the -movies stuff.Why deny yourself an entertaining yarn?