''Bardelys the Magnificent'' is a 1926 American silent

romantic film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

and starring John Gilbert and

Eleanor Boardman Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Early life and career Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam ...

. The film is based on the 1906 novel of the same title by

Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-born British writer of romance and adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915), ''Scaramouche'' (1921), ''Captain Blood'' (a.k. ...

. It was the second film of the 19-year-old

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

, who had a minor role. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

James Basevi.

Plot

The film is set in the reign of

King Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. When Comte Châtellerault fails to win the hand in marriage of Roxalanne de Lavedan, despite hinting at leniency for her rebellious family if she accepts, he responds to the notorious womanizer Marquis de Bardelys' mockery by wagering his estate against that of Bardelys that Bardelys cannot succeed in marrying Roxalanne either within three months. While Bardelys does not desire marriage, he feels he has to accept the challenge. However the king, on hearing of the wager, forbids Bardelys from seeking a marriage alliance with a rebel family. Bardelys ignores the king’s orders as he feels that his honour is at stake. On the way to the Lavedan estate, he stumbles upon a fatally wounded man, Lesperon, who asks him to say farewell to his beloved but dies before telling him her name. Bardelys takes his papers and, when challenged by a party of the king’s soldiers, assumes Lesperon’s identity to conceal his own, only to find that Lesperon is a wanted traitor. Bardelys escapes after fighting them off, and wounded, seeks refuge in the Lavedan residence. Roxalanne tends to him and hides him. Meanwhile, Roxalanne and her family discover with anger that she is the subject of a public wager by Bardelys, who prudently retains his assumed identity and grows closer to Roxalanne. They declare their love for one another but she discovers that Lesperon was engaged and, furious at what she thinks are his false protestations of love, denounces Bardelys to soldiers. Bardelys, under the identity of Lesperon, is tried for treason. Châtellerault, who is the head judge, maliciously refuses to confirm his true identity and condemns him to death. Roxalanne, still in love with Bardelys and guilty at causing his imminent death, marries Châtellerault on his promise to remit the sentence, but he breaks his word. Bardelys, on the gallows, delays his execution until the king arrives and saves him. Bardelys goes to Châtellerault and forfeits the wager and his estate so he can propose to Roxalanne with a clear conscience. The two men fight and Bardelys repeatedly wins, when soldiers enter to arrest Châtellerault upon which he kills himself rather than suffer the indignity of a trial. The king enters to laud Bardelys’ skill with women to Roxalanne’s annoyance but she is mollified when the king says that this is the first time Bardelys has sought to marry.

Cast

Arthur_Lubin_as_Louis_XIII_in_Bardelys_the_Magnificent_1926

Preservation

''Bardelys the Magnificent'' was considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...

for many years, with only the trailer and a brief excerpt in Vidor's '' Show People'' (1928) surviving. According to Robert Osborne on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

, MGM signed a contract with Sabatini in 1926, giving MGM the rights to his novel for 10 years. In 1936, MGM chose not to renew the rights, and destroyed the negative and all known prints per the terms of the contract. In 2006, a nearly complete print of the film was found in France, missing only

reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

three. It was restored, using production stills and footage from the film trailer to stand in for the missing section, and made available in 2008 for U.S. theatrical and DVD release. In February 2020, the film was shown at the

70th Berlin International Film Festival The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director C ...

, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bardelys The Magnificent 1926 films American romantic drama films 1926 romantic drama films 1920s historical romance films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American silent feature films Films directed by King Vidor Films based on British novels Films set in France Films set in the 17th century 1920s rediscovered films American swashbuckler films Cultural depictions of Cardinal Richelieu Cultural depictions of Louis XIII American historical romance films Rediscovered American films 1920s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent adventure films Silent American drama films