Flame and the Arrow, The

Fans of screen swashbuckling found a successor to the legendary Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Errol Flynn when Burt Lancaster brought a unique blend of exuberance and swagger to this exciting Robin Hood-like yarn. In medieval Lombardy, wily Dardo the Arrow (Lancaster) leads the peasantry in revolt against a vile Hessian warlord (Frank Allenby) and wins the hand of a lady (Virginia Mayo). Lancaster's former circus partner Nick Cravat plays Dardo's comical sidekick. Amid the Technicolor array of mammoth sets, elaborate costumes and vivid pageantry, the pair puts on a rollicking display of acrobatic roughhousing. They leave earthbound foes looking like 90-pound weaklings -- and will leave you breathlessly dazzled.

• action
• adventure
• drama
• history