Synopsis
The Flame and the Arrow (1950) is a swashbuckling adventure from Jacques Tourneur, and you can watch online on iFILM. Twelfth-century Lombardy sits under the heel of foreign conquerors, and a sharpshooting mountain man named Dardo — played by Burt Lancaster — rallies his neighbors against the occupying lords.
The spark is small and sharp: Dardo brings down the prized falcon of Count Ulrich, nicknamed the Hawk, and the count retaliates by seizing the rebel's son and locking him away. From there it unfolds like a local Robin Hood legend — a crumbling Roman ruin becomes the insurgents' base while the hero plots a daring rescue and a wider revolt. Nick Cravat, Lancaster's old circus acrobat partner, plays the mute Piccolo, and Virginia Mayo co-stars. The two leads did their own stunts, and every leap and vault shows it.
Tourneur, better known for moody noir, here turned out a bright Technicolor romp powered by real acrobatics rather than trickery. It's a treat for fans of old-Hollywood cloak-and-dagger pictures where charm and athletic nerve stand in for effects. Stream The Flame and the Arrow (1950) online on iFILM.
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