A 16th-century Spanish overlord hires Thomas Stanswood (Stewart Granger) to protect his, less than eager, fiancee (Sylva Koscina) from rebels. Thomas finds himself drawn to both the fiancee and the rebels side.
Compared to Granger's other fine swashbucklers - Scaramouche and Prisoner of Zenda - Swordsman of Siena, a French-Italian production, is lesser known, which is a shame because it's fast-plotted, full of intrigue, colour, zest and great swordplay, not to forget the thrilling horserace at the end. The location is exquisite, the town and castles come alive, towering over participants- there's atmosphere, and suspense with a nice twist at the end.
Stewart Granger, in his last swashbuckler, executes his role as a British mercenary with much panache, suaveness and wit - his swordplay is very impressive. The scene in the town square where he takes on the bad guys is exciting, as is the scene where he fences in the barn, swinging on ropes, balancing on ladders. That's a well-staged sequence. The only drawback is that there should've been a duel between the main villain and Granger. The beautiful Sylvia Koscina and Christine Kauffman co-star and enact their roles well.
An excellent old- fashioned swashbuckling adventure imbued with positiveness - a tale of good over tyranny.
Compared to Granger's other fine swashbucklers - Scaramouche and Prisoner of Zenda - Swordsman of Siena, a French-Italian production, is lesser known, which is a shame because it's fast-plotted, full of intrigue, colour, zest and great swordplay, not to forget the thrilling horserace at the end. The location is exquisite, the town and castles come alive, towering over participants- there's atmosphere, and suspense with a nice twist at the end.
Stewart Granger, in his last swashbuckler, executes his role as a British mercenary with much panache, suaveness and wit - his swordplay is very impressive. The scene in the town square where he takes on the bad guys is exciting, as is the scene where he fences in the barn, swinging on ropes, balancing on ladders. That's a well-staged sequence. The only drawback is that there should've been a duel between the main villain and Granger. The beautiful Sylvia Koscina and Christine Kauffman co-star and enact their roles well.
An excellent old- fashioned swashbuckling adventure imbued with positiveness - a tale of good over tyranny.