MovieChat Forums > The War Lord (1965) Discussion > Memorable Moments from THE WAR LORD

Memorable Moments from THE WAR LORD

posted 15 years ago by jeffyoung1
6 replies | jump to latest

Folks, please indulge me. I love THE WAR LORD so much that I can't help but comment many times on it.
I own two (2) VHS copies. One copy is still unopened and is my reserve copy. I keep re-watching only one of the VHS copies. Already the beginning part of the tape is showing signs of fading. I can't find a DVD copy, Region 1.

This movie has a lot of enjoyable, sometimes unintentionally funny, sometimes sentimental, heart-moving scenes. Here are some of mine.

1) This is a time where good manners and courtesy seem not to have evolved yet.
Chrysagon tells Bronwyn that he thought all marsh people had spotted bellies
and webbed toes. Bronwyn asks Chrysagon, "Do you believe that?"
"Not since I saw you in the lake." replies Chrysagon. Try imagine yourself
making a comment like that about someone else's ethnic or racial group
today.

2) I love the giant, white, crested hawk that comes with the castle and is a
permanent resident in Chrysagon's bed chamber. The hawk gets to watch all
the action going on between Chrysagon and Bronwyn and in turn doesn't have
to do anything or any work, just sit on his perch all day and night, making
screeching/squawking noises. He's just a big, oversized parrot-pet who
can't mimic human speech.

3) Scene where Chrysagon first meets Bronwyn in the marsh where she's been
tending a small herd of pigs: Chrysagon's main henchmen make sport and
ribald remarks about Bronwyn. These are well-mannered henchmen who don't
use curse words or sex talk. Hey, it's a 1965 movie. Bors sends the
henchmen on their way along with the hunting dogs. Seeing the naked
Bronwyn in the water and looking back at Chrysagon, Bors gives Chrysagon a
sly, mischievious look in his own eyes, not speaking a single word, before
galloping off, leaving Chrysagon alone with Bronwyn, presumably for
Chrysagon to enjoy some 'quality' time with the local girl. I just LOVE
that sly look in Bors' eyes and the only time we see something of a smile
in the tough man's face through the entire movie.

4) Bors is definitely a paternalistic, big-brother, male-nanny type figure
to Sir Chrysagon de la Croix. Even in this time period of he-man, slash and
slay, no-pain, all guts, take-no-prisoners, machoman warriors, there's room
for warmth and deep-seated affection between men that doesn't have to invoke
homosexuality or homophobia. I found myself moved very sentimentally by it
all.
In the last scenes, Chrysagon has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt
by Bronwyn's legal husband, Marc. Wounded by Marc, Chrysagon leans by a big
oak tree. He is weary, weary in body, weary in spirit and soul, despairing
in that all the fighting he's done throughout his life...all the bloodshed
up to now has been pointless and for nothing. Chrysagon realizes the only
thing that's ever mattered in his life now has been his love for Bronwyn,
a young, village nubile maiden who's even beneath his social class. Bors
intuitively senses and feels the weariness, emotional anguish, and despair
of his son-like figure, Chrysagon. Bors hugs Chrysagon as Chrysagon sighs
that he is tired, very tired. Bors tenderly touches the hair on Chrysagon's
head. When I first saw this movie as a youngster, I could have sworn that
I saw Bors affectionately kiss Chrysagon on the top of his head. But in my
VHS copy I don't see it.

5) The unfolding love between Chrysagon and Bronwyn is very riveting, even for
dudes like me.
A woman writer once wrote that women are drawn most to the men that can
hurt them the most.
Bronwyn is terrified, at least initially, of Chrysagon, yet finds herself
compellingly drawn to him.
This helps support my personal theory that women are prisoners as much of
their own primal mating instincts as are men. Women can't resist tough,
dangerous men like Chrysagon. Their thinking brains might be crying out
'danger', but their libidos, their ids, their instincts and reproductive
systems are all going into overdrive. Bronwyn at first fears the strength
and masculine power of Chrysagon, but from the moment she's touched him, in
the bedchamber where she held his wrists, she's drawn magnetically to this
man whom she first feared as a her possible rapist.

6) I loved that scene where tough man, surrogate big-brother, male nanny BORS
tells Bronwyn to hold Chrysagon's wrists as he applies a red-hot iron to
Chrysagon's infected shoulder wound. "...take ten men to hold.." explains
Bors, "...or one woman".

[–] wmarkley 15 years ago

I enjoyed your comments jeffyoung1. Do you have any other favorite medieval-period movies? I've been disappointed by more recent movies which are ruined by political correctness. I think "The War Lord" does a much better job of showing the Middle Ages. I especially like the following about "The War Lord" (Spoilers warnings):

--The scene you already mentioned, when Bors comforts Chrysagon after the latter has been wounded. Its one of my all-time favorite movie scenes.

--Early in the movie when Chrysagon shakes off Draco's mocking of the place they've been sent to defend, and Chrysagon looks with pride on the place.

--Chrysagon's moral struggles and feelings of guilt about his relations with the local people. One time its shown is when Chrysagon finds the mutilated figurine of Bronwen.

--When Bors climbs down the tower to get the anchor during a fight with the Frisians.

--The little Frisian boy lashing out at Draco, and then Bors picking the boy up and gruffly laughing.

--The verbal spars between the Priest and Draco.

--I don't think Rosemary Forsyth is a great actress, but I like when she admits she's been bewitched by Chrysagon.

--The fight near the end between Chrysagon and Draco.

--The music of the movie--I think its very haunting and has a nice medieval sound to it.

--The armor and other costumes look relatively accurate for the period, with helmets fitted with nasals, long chain mail coats, short haircuts of the knights, etc. I also like the look of the tower a lot too.

I could go on and on! Thanks for bringing back memories.

[–] pete-293 14 years ago

The War Lord is one of my favorite films. I enjoy medieval period films. Among my favorites are
1) Kingdom of Heaven 2005 ( a little PC at times but some nice battle sequences)
2) The Crusades 1935
3) Sword of lancelot 1963 (nice battle scenes)
4) Ivanhoe 1952
5) The Black Arrow 1948
6) Flesh & Blood 1985 (late medieval period or early renissaunce)
7) The Vikings 1958
8) Alfred the Great 1969
9) The 13'th Warrior 1999

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for thou art crunchy and taste good with catsup

[–] lexyladyjax 13 years ago

I enjoyed reading your comments, Jeff. Remember, women have sex drives.

Richard Boone was a consummate actor. He never received the accolades he deserved. A writer, Don Miller, wrote '(Boone) has the knack of making a character believable by just standing off to one side and slouching...' Boone was amazing as Bors in this film.

Bors was more of an equal than a nanny. He had that sort of easy freedom sometimes gained by a subordinate who has served long and well. When I saw this film as a (very young) child I never noticed Boone had his ear pierced. Oh wise and muscular Bors. Loved the tunic.

Edit: For some reason Boone wore brown contact lenses in this role. Perhaps Bors was meant to be other than Saxon. Boone had blue eyes.

[–] jeffyoung1 13 years ago

Hi lexyladyjax,

Thanks for your feedback and thoughts.
Yes, indeed, women have sex drives. Here in the 21st century I still think society still hasn't come to terms with female sexuality, much less women themselves.
THE WAR LORD has a little something of the bodice ripper romance novel written into it. Women may never understand why their sex drives may be so conflicting. That's why young women are attracted to the strong, buff, masculine types early in life, the bad boys. The issue is that we humans still retain our primal mating drives from our evolutionary ancestors, homo erectus. A female needed a strong. powerful male to survive, procreate, and pass on only the fittest genes. Mammals still reproduce in this way and humans are among the most advanced of mammals. A British actress once quipped,"...we're still animals, you know." and she was right in more than the metaphorical sense.

[–] lexyladyjax 13 years ago

I wish we might have the director's cut of this film one day. It came out to be three hours long, with Richard Boone narrating the opening with some poem. I don't know what poem, but I wish I did so.

I wanted to know more about this film and behind the scenes so I got. Charlton Heston's book, The Actor's Life: Journals, 1956-76. There was a bit more about its production and the story that was unknown to me: Chrysagon died from his wound, it took forever (3 weeks) to shoot the 'burning door scenes' and Charlton Heston complained about Richard Boone 'doing Bors like that.' Of course, that was laughable. How else could Bors possibly be than gruff and tough in that iteration? Heston wanted Boone for the part of Bors and you get what you pay for. IMO Bors was just right, what else could he have been? It was easy to see the soft marshmallow middle hidden in the tough outer shell of the man.

How could Bors have been different? The mind boggles.

There was no kiss, BTW. Bors bowed his head over Chrysagon's for only an instant. Perhaps he said a prayer. Bors knew Chrysagon was going to die, and soon.

[–] Wuchak (8116) 3 years ago

Regarding #2, that appears to be a harpy eagle: https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/harpy-eagle.aspx