''Bride of Vengeance'' is a 1949

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

film set in the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

era, directed by

Mitchell Leisen James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. Film career He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He directed his f ...

Plot

Lucrezia Borgia's brother Cesare Borgia has her second husband Prince Bisceglie killed in order to marry her to

Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara Alfonso d'Este (21 July 1476 – 31 October 1534) was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai. Biography He was the son of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Eleanor of Naples and became duke on Ercole's deat ...

, whose well-defended lands lay between the Borgia's

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

and Venice, which Cesare wants to conquer. Cesare ensures Lucretia blames Alfonso for the murder and, encouraged by Cesare, she plots deadly revenge against her new husband. When the poison she gives him is counter-acted, and she realizes Cesare really killed her second husband, she returns to help Alfonso defend Ferrara against Cesare's army. Cesare retreats, killing Michellotto, who wanted to continue the fight. In the final scene, the couple drink to their love.

Cast

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career ...

as Lucrezia Borgia * John Lund as

Macdonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

as Cesare Borgia *

Albert Dekker Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker (December 20, 1905 – May 5, 1968) was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in ''Dr. Cyclops'', ''The Killers (1946 film), The Killers'' (1946), ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and ''The Wild Bun ...

as Vanetti * John Sutton as Prince Bisceglie *

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

as Michelotto

Reception

In a review for ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', Philip K. Scheuer wrote that "These people ..are not kidding the parts and they are not fooling themselves; they are too smart for that. They know they have a dud and they are stuck with it--but as a last resort they are trying to put it over to the audience for whatever that audience may read into it--satire, history, melodrama or just a chance to get off its feet for an hour and half. On that last account 'Bride of Vengeance' probably qualifies. It is better than looking at a blank wall".

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that "Miss Goddard plays Lucretia as a grand-dame right out of a wardrobe room, with the suavity and voluptuousness of a model in a display of lingerie" and " Alfonso, addressed as 'Magnificence,' John Lund gives a fair picture of a nice American prankster got up for a fancy-dress ball," concluding the review with "''Bride of Vengeance'' is an obvious masquerade". John M. Coppinger's review in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' stated that it was "simple, sheer, unadorned escapist stuff. As a work of art, it makes no pretensions. It's a lavish spectacle of hokum... No attempt has been made at accuracy in the presentation of this historical romance". Coppinger wrote that director Leisen "has gotten much comedy in a film which could easily have turned out to be a flop". Costuming (by Mary Grant) was given as the film's chief strength by Mae Tinee in a review for ''

Chicago Daily Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are ...

''.Tinee, Mae. "The Costuming Is Chief Asset of Borgia Film: Bride of Vengeance." ''Chicago Daily Tribune''. 06 June 1949: a7. Via Proquest.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bride Of Vengeance 1949 films 1940s historical drama films American historical drama films Films directed by Mitchell Leisen American black-and-white films Films scored by Hugo Friedhofer Films set in Italy Films set in the 16th century Cultural depictions of Cesare Borgia Cultural depictions of Lucrezia Borgia 1949 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films