AllMovie

The most memorable aspect of this 1952 version of the old-fashioned adventure story is the epic six-and-a-half minute climactic swordfight in a deserted theater. But there is plenty of other pleasure in this adaptation of the novel by Rafael Sabatini. Set during the French Revolution, it's the story of a nobleman (a well-cast Stewart Granger) who joins a theater troupe to avenge a friend's death and becomes a clownish character named Scaramouche. His nemesis is played by Mel Ferrer. The story was first filmed in 1923; the star of that silent version, Lewis Stone, appears in a smaller part in this film. The MGM feature was directed by George Sidney and is one of the last great examples of a comic swashbuckler.