''Crossed Swords'' or ''The Teacher of Don Juan'' (Italian: ''Il Maestro di Don Giovanni'') is a 1954

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

swashbuckling A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, and guile, and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by Milton Krims and starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023) was an Italian actress, model, photojournalist, and sculptor. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international ...

and

Nadia Gray Nadia Gray (born Nadia Kujnir; 23 November 1923 – 13 June 1994) was a Romanian film actress. Biography Gray was born into a Jewish family in Bucharest. Her father moved to Romania from Russia, and her mother was from Akkerman, in Bessarabia ( ...

. It was co-production between Italy and the United States. It was shot at the

Cinecittà Studios Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constru ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Arrigo Equini.

Plot

The film is set in

Early Modern Italy The history of early modern Italy roughly corresponds to the period from the Renaissance to the Congress of Vienna in 1814. The following period was characterized by political and social unrest which then led to the unification of Italy, which cu ...

in the Duchy of Sidona. Raniero and Renzo are two friends who have been travelling together for two years, having adventures, fighting duels and womanizing. Raniero is the son of the Duke of Sidona, and the elder Renzo his

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...

-type mentor. On their way back to Sidona after a two-year absence, Renzo and Raniero encounter Fulvia, a former lover of Renzo. She attacks him then invites him to her estate. Fulvia's rich husband Gennarelli is at a meeting at Sidona. Pavoncello, the Duke's counselor, is suggesting a new law where all men under twenty must marry and produce children or face imprisonment. (The aim is to ensure future manpower to defend the duchy). The Duke is unsure whether the law is what the people want and refuses to sign it until he consults them. Gennarelli returns to his estate and surprises Renzo and his wife. The two men fight a duel which Renzo easily wins. Renzo and Raniero head to the castle where the Duke welcomes them. The Duke's daughter, Francesca, regards Renzo as a bad influence on her brother but is attracted to him. Fulvia arranges a joust with Indian sticks between Renzo and Pavoncello, who wants to marry Francesca. Both men are wounded and the duke stops the contest. Gennarelli approaches Pavoncello, suggesting he use the proposed law to drive Renzo out of Sidona. Gennarelli and Pavoncello join forces to persuade the Duke to sign the law. Renzo flees Sidona with Raniero. Pavoncello hires an assassin, Lenzi, to kill Renzo and Raniero. It is revealed that Pavoncello wants to take over Sidona and surrounding areas as well; he arranges Lenzi to hire two hundred mercenaries. Renzo and Raniero are eating in a tavern when attacked by Lenzi's men but they defeat them. They return to the castle and overhear Fulvia talking to Gennarelli about the latter's plan with Pavoncello. Renzo and Raniero are captured. Lenzi's mercenary army enters Sidona, and imprisons the Duke and Francesca. Fulvia helps Renzo and Raniero to escape. They manage to rescue the Duke and Francesca and lead an uprising. Francesca uses the women of Sidona to seduce Lenzi's mercenaries. This enables Renzo to kill Lenzi, and for Raniero to raise the Duke's loyal supporters in rebellion. Renzo kills Pavoncello in a sword duel. Renzo agrees to marry Francesca.

Cast

as Renzo *

as Francesca *

Cesare Danova Cesare Danova (March 1, 1926 – March 19, 1992) was an Italian television and screen actor. He was best known for his roles in '' The Captain's Daughter'' (1947), ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964), '' Chamber of Horrors'' (1966), ''Mean Streets'' (1973 ...

as Raniero *

as Fulvia *

Roldano Lupi Roldano Squassoni, known professionally as Roldano Lupi (8 February 1909 – 14 August 1989) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1942 and 1967. He was born in Milan, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Selected filmography ...

as Pavoncello *

Alberto Rabagliati Alberto Rabagliati (27 June 1906 – 8 March 1974) was an Italian jazz singer. Early career Alberto Rabagliati was born in Milan in 1906 and was the son of a Piedmontese couple: his father Leandro Valentino Rabagliati and his mother Delfina B ...

as Gennarelli *

Paola Mori Paola di Gerfalco, Contessa di Gerfalco (18 September 1928 – 12 August 1986), better known by her professional name Paola Mori, was an Italian actress and aristocrat, and the third and last wife of Orson Welles. Biography Paola Mori was born i ...

as Tomasina * Silvio Bagolini as Buio *

Renato Chiantoni Renato Chiantoni (19 April 1906 – 24 December 1979) was an Italian actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1937 and 1978. Born in Brescia, the son of the stage actor Amedeo, Chiantoni debuted on stage entering several drama and revue comp ...

as Spiga * Riccardo Rioli as Lenzi *

Pietro Tordi Pietro Tordi (12 July 1906 – 14 December 1990) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1942 and 1988. He was born in Florence, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Doctor Antonio'' (1937) - L'altro conspiratore * '' Don C ...

as The Duke

Production

Background

Milton Krims announced he was to write and produce a film called ''The Ninth Man'' in 1950 based on a 1920 novel by

Mary Heaton Vorse Mary Heaton Vorse (October 11, 1874 – June 14, 1966) was an American journalist and novelist with commitments to the labor and feminist movements. She established her reputation as a journalist reporting the labor protests of a largely female ...

set in Italy in the fifteenth century. In 1952 it was announced Krims would make ''The Ninth Man'' with

in the lead for Constellation Films with J. Barrett Mahon to act on Flynn's behalf behind the scenes. In January 1953 it was announced Flynn would star in ''Teacher of Don Juan'', a co production between Errol Flynn Enterprises and Vittorio Vasserotti. Flynn produced the film in association with

Barry Mahon Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon (February 5, 1921 – December 4, 1999) was an American film director, cinematographer and producer. Early years Mahon was born in Bakersfield, California and attended the Page Military Academy (now Page ...

in an attempt to emulate the success of '' The Adventures of Don Juan'' (1948), which had sold well in Europe on its release by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

John Bash helped Flynn finance the film.

Shoot

Filming took place in Italy in February 1953. It was shot at

in Rome with exteriors shot in the village of Lauro., author=It was the first role for

beyond the Italian market, and her fee was 30 million

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

(est. $48,000). She made it immediately before ''Beat the Devil''. The movie was shot in Pathecolor, a new color process developed by Pathe Industries. It was known during filming as ''The Master of Don Juan'' or ''Teacher of Don Juan''.

Reception

Critical

The ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' said the film "offers very little interest" apart from the photography. ''Filmink'' magazine wrote "The most frustrating thing about the movie is that it's full of good ideas... but they don’t develop any of them."

Box office

Box office reception was disappointing – Flynn later claimed the film was sold "very badly". Dorothy Kilgallen later wrote that Flynn's share from the film "amounts to quite a pile of bills" but he never received the money because "they're all Washington-bound to defray his staggering tax debt."

Legacy

The experience prompted Flynn to try another production in Italy, the disastrous ''William Tell''. Shortly after the shoot Flynn's wife gave birth to a baby girl.

References

External links

* *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{Don Juan American historical adventure films American swashbuckler films Italian swashbuckler films 1950s historical adventure films Italian historical adventure films English-language Italian films Films set in the 16th century Films set in Italy Films shot at Cinecittà Studios Titanus films United Artists films 1950s English-language films 1950s Italian films English-language historical adventure films Films based on the Don Juan legend