Movie review – “John Paul Jones” (1959) **

The first Spanish epic from Samuel Bronston, who cleverly used assistance from Franco and financial backing from the Du Pont family over several years in the late 50s and early 60s to create a number of epics. It was also the last film as director from John Farrow, for whom this was a passion project (Farrow had served in the Canadian navy and had a life-long interest in sailing).

 

It doesn’t mean it’s good, though – this is a stilted, bland biopic, not helped by Robert Stack’s stiff performance in the lead role. Stack was often stiff but it’s particularly distracting here. For instance there’s quite a well written scene (albeit in a flowery way) where Jones defies the father of his girlfriend (Marisa Pavan) – but Stack sinks to the occasion. The script has flashes of a more complex man in John Paul Jones – his tendency towards violence, for instance – but it’s not conveyed by the actor playing him.

 

I was led to believe this was a big budget film but it doesn’t seem particularly spectacular – certainly not to compare with Bronston’s later epics. I kept expecting epic battle scenes and swarms of extras, instead there’s lots of close ups, tight shots and scenes set indoors.

 

For all that this sheds life in a period of American (and British) history not often featured on screen. The British are treated with the greatest respect - Stack’s scenes with his British opponent captain (Peter Cushing) are positively bromantic. Plenty of hokey biopic moments, such as Stack freeing his brothers slaves (but keeping them on as servants), lines of dialogue like “Who is this Patrick Henry?”. But it is quite open about how some of the most important things the Americans did during the revolution was suck up to the French to get money and arms. And the costumes and photography are pretty.

 

There are cameos from various historical figures including Patrick Henry (played by MacDonald Carey), George Washington (don’t know who plays him – we never see his face, just hear his voice, kind of like a depiction of Jesus), Ben Franklin (Charles Coburn), Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI (Jean Pierre Aumont), Catherine the Great (Bette Davis). 

 

The only one of these that’s a stand out is Bette Davis, who is like this massive jolt of star power and energy at the end of the film – she sweeps in to remind everyone what charisma is. It makes you not mind so much her whole sequence is tacked on. (To avoid this they should have had her play Marie Antoinette). 

 

There’s a bit of Catholicism thrown in there by Farrow in the scene where Pavan goes to mass.