Set in 15th-century Paris, a rogue poet matches wits with a crafty king and leads the Empire to victory in the spectacular romantic adventure If I Were King. Screen great Ronald Colman (Lost Horizon, A Double Life) is at his swashbuckling best as François Villon and Basil Rathbone (The Mad Doctor) gives a superb Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Supporting Actor as Louis XI, a tyrant with a besieged city on the verge of revolt. When a twist of fate makes Villon the chief constable, the king gives him a week to save the city and win the love of a beautiful princess (Frances Dee, The Crime of the Century)…or die! Deliciously wicked repartee abounds in the lavish, fast-paced excitement, which legendary writer Preston Sturges (The Great McGinty) claimed as one of his finest achievements. Directed by Frank Lloyd (Mutiny on the Bounty, The Last Command).

For thoughts on If I Were King, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/GklBQOIHPaE?t=2605]

Video Quality

If I Were King makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from a 2K master. For a film that is 85 years old, this presentation is quite strong despite some minor issues that evaded the remastering gauntlet. There is still a minor sheen of faint nicks and scratches, but it is obvious that it has been cleaned up immensely. The black-and-white photography shot by Theodor Sparkuhl shines in high definition with natural grain intact. The amount of detail on display is grand with textures on the clothing and within the period production design. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are fairly deep with no blatant occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences intermittent instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Kino Classics has done some admirable work with this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a stable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie pretty well. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. This track presents with a minor amount of age related wear and tear and some faint hissing. At worst, the experience sounds a bit thin when it comes to the score, which likely dates back to the vintage of the source elements. The music never overwhelms the dialogue or other important information. Kino Classics has maintained stability with this one. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian and Writer Julie Kirgo delivers a really informative commentary track in which she talk about how this film fit into the filmography of Frank Lloyd, the careers long and short of the creatives, the impact of Preston Sturges on this film, some of the historical background as it relates to the story, the costumes featured in the film and more.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for If I Were King. There are also trailers provided for Beau Geste, Union Pacific, Arabian Nights, Reap The Wild Wind and Against All Flags.

Final Thoughts

If I Were King is a pretty entertaining swashbuckler which is elevated even further by a charming Ronald Colman. The chemistry he has with Frances Dee adds a lot to this feature, as you get more invested in the outcome of their arc. The script by Preston Sturges is playful and exciting, and his vision is executed with grace by Frank Lloyd. There are familiar elements that may be a bit dull for some when they pop up, but overall this is a fine exploration of classic cinema. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a solid A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. If you love a well-acted action-adventure tale, try this one on for size. Recommended

If I Were King is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.