Guy Stockwell nailed the Norman knight characterization, and should have won nominations for it. Eleventh-century knighthood was not of the 'shining armor' sort. They were extra sons, trained for war but with plenty to do between battles. Basically, they were aristocratic bikers, arrogant and exceptional, often despoiling the countryside. Draco as an 'I want it now' bully perfectly captures this mentality. His character reflects that of an actual younger brother who really screwed up things. In 1066 Tosti Godwinson convinced the King of Norway, a 7' Viking, to attack England. He did and lost to King Harold, but Harold then lost to the Normans exemplified by Draco far more than Crysagon.

its poetry is the basic virtue. and the fact who gives to it a special individuality among the films of period from the same genre. first, for the love story, ambiguous , strange, not real fair. for the relation between brothers. for the shadow of the past. and, sure, for a hero far to be perfect. not the last, for Charlton Heston. many motifs for bitter critics in this case. not the convincing acting and a confuse story. but it remains a classic. maybe for the poetry of a story defined by clash between cultures, the sin of a brave hero, a love story who is different by the classic recipes. short, a classic.

THE WAR LORD is somewhat typical of the Hollywood historical adventure film in that the period it depicts looks nothing like it would have looked in real life. It's the odd haircuts and the silly armour that helps to spoil this one, although it's not a bad little film when it gets going and at least the storyline is rather atypical.The film pairs director Franklin J. Schaffner and stars Charlton Heston and Maurice Evans just before they had a big hit with PLANET OF THE APES. THE WAR LORD isn't in the same league, and for a long time in the middle of the film it's rather stodgy, bogged down by endless romance scenes between an autopilot Heston and an insipid Rosemary Forsyth. However, the film is book-ended with action sequences, and in particular the large-scale siege warfare at the climax is well worth the wait and one of the better Hollywood depictions of medieval combat.At all times, THE WAR LORD is a very obviously artificial viewing experience. Let's just say that California looks little like France, no matter how much they try to dress it up. Heston is oddly subdued and the likes of Richard Boone and James Farentino don't fit in the era at all, although Niall MacGinnis is reliably fluid. Still, I'm a sucker for a siege film, and at least the last half an hour is a lot of fun, almost making up for the problems found elsewhere.

A very detailed battle scene, a devastating passion, both depicted in a believable way. Amongst these, however, a repetitive confrontation among brothers, stereotyped characters and moral tenets (more pertaining to 1965 than to Middle Ages, I fear) which fatally influence the ending.Actors are outstanding: real stars. Charlton Heston fills the screen and makes all his scenes memorable. Rosemary Forsyth is such a beauty that it is not hard to believe that men could have fought for her. I wonder if you noticed: in movies from those years, girls are often incredibly attractive.