In the 1950s MGM liked to remake old hits in widescreen and colour - about half Stewart Granger's films for the studios were remakes including this one, which was done previously with John Barrymore.
There's plenty of admire - beautiful color and sets, a superb performance by Peter Ustinov as George IV and an equally good one by Robert Morley as his mad father. Granger is dashing and Elizabeth Taylor looks pretty.
But at times I wondered what the point of it was. There's no action, so it's not a swashbuckler like Scaramouche. It's not heavy on romance so it's not a great drama. It's more a bromance between Granger and Ustinov.
But we never get a sense of what drives Brummell/Granger - why he is the way he is... and indeed why what he is should be interesting. He's not motivated by revenge, or greed, or lust, or love, or a desire to fight injustice. He just seems to be an amiable chap.
I haven't seen the Barrymore version but I read the synopsis and that made sense - he was getting revenge for a thwarted love.
James Donald is an okay villain but again I wasn't sure why he was a villain. I wasn't sure why Taylor loved Granger and he loved her (apart from them both being hot), or why they couldn't be together or why at the end he didn't want to be with her when she wanted to be with him. The ending might have been more moving if Granger hadn't foolishly rejected Ustinov and Taylor for no apparent good reason.
Taylor is gorgeous but feels too young for Granger. They were going to cast Eleanor Parker and I wish they had.
The relationship with Ustinov and Granger is touching - Granger is the big brother Ustinov clearly needs. But too much of this is dramatically undercooked and unclear.
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