Filmed in authentic historic locations, The Prince of Foxes is a gorgeous production with some good Orson Welles action going for it. His part here is substantial. There are about 8-10 long scenes, many are key scenes. He plays Cesare Borgia, and the entire film is about him and a plot he puts in motion with the help of Tyrone Power's character. One of the better Welles acting parts. Recommended to those who like these kinds of rapier and robes period pieces. Perfect world for Welles, his voice sounds wonderful in it, and he is convincing as Borgia. For Welles aficionados this one is a 10/10 among the non-directorial pictures. Deserves to be viewed as much as The Third Man. 7/10

I love this movie! It is great swashbuckling fun. The only thing that I really don't like about it is Wanda Hendrix who looks utterly wrong in all the gorgeous Renaissance settings -- too all- American, too obviously a Hollywood starlet. They could probably have found any number of Italian actresses who would have been perfect. Note, in reply to first comment: it wasn't Andorra that stood in for Citta del Monte, it was San Marino (a tiny independent hill town/country completely surrounded by Italy). One scene was filmed in Siena -- but others were filmed in other locations around Italy -- San Gimignano, for one. And also of course in studios in Cinecitta.

Top-notch performances from TYRONE POWER, ORSON WELLES and EVERETT SLOANE are the main reasons for watching PRINCE OF FOXES, aside from some very striking B&W photography that makes the most of all the Italian Renaissance settings.Then too, Alfred Newman has composed a masterful score, although I couldn't help notice that the love theme for Power and Hendrix is actually taken from a brief theme from THE SNAKE PIT where de Havilland and Leo Genn are exchanging parting words.The fictionalized story of Cesare Borgia (ORSON WELLES) benefits from Welles' strong depiction of the elegant and evil man. He's impressive in a film that demands impressive work from its three main actors. TYRONE POWER is magnificent as Orsini, every bit the kind of hero Samuel Shellabarger wrote about for his historical romances. And EVERETT SLOANE, as Belli, a man who switches his allegiances so constantly that you never know which side he's on, is a scene-stealer in a role worthy of his talent.Only drawback is that Fox filmed it on actual location sites in Italy, giving added realism to all the palace interiors which cry out for Technicolor rather than B&W. Since the story dwells on the dark side, this is not as much of a disadvantage as it might have been. Rumors are that Power very much wanted Technicolor for the film, but Fox was suffering losses in the European market and settled for B&W.Summing up: Grand entertainment in the lavish, swashbuckling manner prescribed by these sort of historical romances.

I was very pleased with pretty much every aspect of this production. This is really an exceptional historical drama, and although it doesn't have some of the pure thrills of the best swashbuckling action films it more than makes up for it in my book with a complex, adult story that takes the main characters through major transformations. There are many twists and turns in the narrative but all are handled in such a way that neither suspense nor character are sacrificed.The film tells the story of Orsini (Tyrone Power), or a man who calls himself Orsini (we find out that his true mother was a peasant), an extremely cynical and ambitious man in the employ of the famous warlord Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles). Borgia sends him on several missions during which the stated goal is for Orsini to arrange and break marriages that will prove advantageous to Borgia. When he arrives for his first mission in Vienna, he is immediately the object of a botched assassination attempt, but instead of killing the assassin Mario Belli (Everett Sloane) he makes him his assistant. This might seem arbitrary but the further we get into the film we see this is Orsini's true character; he is a master at taking the negative things life throws him and turning them positive.Sloane does his best to steal every scene that Welles hasn't already absconded with, but Power manages to focus the attention on himself a surprising amount of the time all things considered. All 3 are powerful and interesting characters, with Welles' Borgia unfortunately missing in action for the main part of the action but reappearing in a startling torture/dinner scene towards the climax (this is also Sloane's best scene in the film). Those expecting a straightforward adventure/romance story like "Scarlet Pimpernell" or "Zorro" best look elsewhere – this is a story of corruption, betrayal, and redemption which engages the question of the ultimate value or worth of an individual's life. The film's creators have set themselves up with a difficult task – they need to make us dislike Orsini just enough to believe that he truly is a complete opportunist with a consciously Machiavellian philosophy, but like him enough to believe that he's undergoing a slow moral transformation under the influence of Count Verano (Felix Aylmer) and his young wife "Madonna"/Camilla (Wanda Hendrix). They succeed almost perfectly, hampered only slightly by Hendrix' lack of presence (a definite necessity for this role which combines sexual and religious overtones with her royal station). At one point there's a biblical analogy going on, as Orsini paints his friend Belli in a "last supper" scene as Judas and seems to paint Camilla as the Lady Madonna. So there's just a lot going on here depending on where your gaze wanders. In the early parts of the film when Orsini is a total cynic about morality who took advantage of everyone else, I thought I was looking at a kind of period film noir – in fact his character in the beginning is very similar to his great performance in "Nightmare Alley." His dramatic character development is handled in a relatively subtle way – there's a kernel of good in his soul that's revealed in his painting, a reflection of his ability to see beauty in people that's been buried by the harsh demands of life. It does make sense that eventually he would see the beauty and good in himself as well.There seems to be some controversy on the subject of the photography of the film, which many posters say should have been done in color. In my opinion the film has much more style and beauty in black and white. Technicolor is better suited to a less dramatic story; even though this film has some great spectacle – including a full-blown castle siege and a memorable woodland battle in the mist – I think the photography was excellent, and the black and white enhanced the details and beauty of the interiors while keeping the focus firmly set on the actors. Night-time scenes like Belli's assassination attempt and the eerie misty forest would not be as effective in color either. As soon as I saw that this was a serious dramatic piece I was glad not to be distracted by anyone's purple and green tights.One last note on Alfred Newman's score – it is remarkable, one of the best for an epic/period film that I've ever heard. Combined with excellent photography, indelible performances from the 3 male leads, seemingly dozens of authentic Italian locations, and a mature intelligent screenplay, it provides director Henry King with the best production that I've yet seen from the veteran director. I've never known King as a particularly good director of actors but in this film we have 3 performances that are unforgettable. Welles with his bizarre beard and brazen manner paint a portrait of unworthy ambition – at first his greed and power appear glamorous and appealing to us just as they do to Orsini, but eventually he is shown as a petty malicious fool when Orsini and Belli trick him in the supper scene. Sloane's Belli is a fascinating character, totally unpredictable in his behavior but somehow still believable as a human being. Power's Orsini is a remarkable character as well, revealing depths of feeling in the heart of a true warrior. This is just the type of film that entertains you immensely with its plot twists and character developments on first viewing but which I suspect will reveal even more depth upon multiple viewings.