One of producer Norman Rosemont's TV adaptations of classic novels. I'm always surprised this gets revived in the modern era because it is pro Imperial... but I guess the core factor about a man trying to prove he's not a coward is very strong.
It took me a while to get used to Beau Bridges as the hero (those chubby cheeks, that 70s hair) but then I appreciated his performance - he is a good actor, and he seems like someone who is, well, a coward, so it makes his derring-do more impressive. If more obviously heroic actors like say Robert Powell and Simon Ward (who play his friends) had been cast it wouldn't have worked as well. He also brings a contemporary freshness. Bridges has individuality whereas Powell and Ward tend to blend in.
The film looks pretty good for a TV movie - it was shot on location in Spain and in England. Solid action sequences - it proves you don't need a massive budget. (NB If I'm not mistaken they use footage from the 1939 sequence when Bridges watches the troops march off to Egypt).
I wasn't wild about Richard Johnson in brownface - surely they could have found a decent actor of colour? And Bridges' beard looks a little silly.
Harry Andrews is excellent as Bridges horrible scowly father. Jane Seymour was born to play the romantic female lead - achingly beautiful, even if her character is a little blood thirsty ("You'll go off and fight won't you?").
A decent effort.
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