This entertaining swashbuckler does not deserve such a low rating; if you forget history ,you can appreciate the nice cinematography ,particularly the scenes in the Pyrénées mountain , Jean-Claude Pascal as the dashing hero and mainly the great Madeleine Robinson, very convincing as François Premier's mother ,Louise De Savoie ,who played a prominent part during her regencies .
The Connétable de Bourbon, whose accomplice is no other than the governor of Languedoc , embraced Charles Quint's cause and fought against his king who was defeated in Pavie and was held in captivity in Madrid .This traitor had ,at least in history ,some excuses:after the death of his wife,Suzanne De Bourbon , the queenmother seized her properties and fiefs ;moreover, the Connetable was handsome and Louise had reportedly a crush on him , which turned into hatred .
In the first scene , the queenmother who puts her trust in her southsayer(Michel Galabru) is closer to the king's future daughter-in-law ,Catherine De Medicis.
Jean -Claude Pascal is in charge of carrying the ransom to Spain and he wields the sword with gusto ;apart from Robinson,the female characters ( including Valérie Lagrange ,later ...a rock singer) are purely decorative ; on should note that the king's young sons were sent to Charles Quint as hostages first ,and that they were released when the gold arrived.
The Connétable de Bourbon, whose accomplice is no other than the governor of Languedoc , embraced Charles Quint's cause and fought against his king who was defeated in Pavie and was held in captivity in Madrid .This traitor had ,at least in history ,some excuses:after the death of his wife,Suzanne De Bourbon , the queenmother seized her properties and fiefs ;moreover, the Connetable was handsome and Louise had reportedly a crush on him , which turned into hatred .
In the first scene , the queenmother who puts her trust in her southsayer(Michel Galabru) is closer to the king's future daughter-in-law ,Catherine De Medicis.
Jean -Claude Pascal is in charge of carrying the ransom to Spain and he wields the sword with gusto ;apart from Robinson,the female characters ( including Valérie Lagrange ,later ...a rock singer) are purely decorative ; on should note that the king's young sons were sent to Charles Quint as hostages first ,and that they were released when the gold arrived.
