The Warriors (1955), also known as The Dark Avenger, was made during a spate of swashbucklers that had been launched by the success of Scaramouche, The Crimson Pirate, and Ivanhoe, all in 1952. But with its release near the end of the cycle, The Warriors was largely overlooked -- except for the notice it drew for its aging Errol Flynn. While he was indeed a bit long in the tooth for all the costumed derring-do, ironically the film stands as one of Flynn's better adventure pictures of his post-Warner Brothers career.

Set in 1358, at the end of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the movie stars Flynn as Prince Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, who seeks to rescue Lady Joan (Joanne Dru) from the cruel, French Comte de Vil (Peter Finch). Walter Mirisch, producing for Allied Artists, later recounted that The Warriors was the second of three pictures made as part of a deal between Allied and 20th Century-Fox. The companies split the production costs, Allied served as domestic distributor, and Fox handled the international release. All were made in Technicolor and CinemaScope, Fox's new widescreen process.

Mirisch developed the story with screenwriter Dan Ullman under the working titles of The Black Knight and The Black Prince; ultimately, the film was released in America as The Warriors and in the rest of the world as The Dark Avenger. Mirisch finagled additional financing from a company in England and set up the shoot there -- at Elstree Studios and on location in Hertfordshire. MGM had made Ivanhoe at Elstree, and that film's exterior castle set was still standing; Mirisch rented it for this film, saving much money. Otherwise, the film's production values were enhanced by Guy Green's lush cinematography, a rousing score by Cedric Thorpe Davie, and almost continuous action in the attractive locations. Green had won an Oscar for photographing Great Expectations (1946), and The Warriors would be his next-to-last film as cinematographer before he moved to directing full-time.

The finished product performed okay in England but was a flop in the United States. Variety declared, "As an historical adventure, it's rather juvenile in its appeal, but lusty fight sequences and a big scale battle climax will satisfy action fans." Time magazine noted that "Errol is getting a little old for this sort of thing. So is his public."

Flynn was 46; his character was meant to be 29. And the actor who plays Flynn's father, Edward III (Michael Hordern), was in real life two years younger than Flynn! The film shows Flynn leaping from balconies and jumping down staircases, but they are closer to the ground than in his earlier swashbucklers, and The Warriors would ultimately be the star's final such film.

Just before production began, Mirisch discovered to his horror that Flynn had shaved off his trademark mustache, thinking he would look younger. With shooting set to start within days, Mirisch incorporated a plot device that had Flynn's character shaving, only to have his mustache re-grow in the course of the story. "Errol Flynn," Mirisch later wrote, "was a larger-than-life personality, a wonderful raconteur with great charm, but very alcoholic at this point in his career. We had a great deal of difficulty shooting around his drinking. Unfortunately, he did not look too well in the picture. His face was puffy and he was clearly too old for the role, but I hoped careful photography might offset that. It didn't."

Actor Peter Finch took his part mainly to have the chance to work with Flynn, whom he idolized. The two became friends, drinking late into the nights. Finch later recalled that after the first day of shooting, Flynn took him aside and said, "Cut it out, sport, you're violating the code. What you were doing in that scene was real acting." Finch was puzzled. "You'll show me up!" exclaimed Flynn. Finch later admitted that he was ashamed of his performance in this movie; however, many critics praised it.

Also in the cast is an uncredited Christopher Lee as a French officer who is done in by Flynn. During filming of that duel, Lee almost lost his little finger. Look also for future star Patrick McGoohan, in one of earliest screen appearances, as an English soldier.

By Jeremy Arnold

SOURCES:
David Bret, Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel
Trader Faulkner, Peter Finch: A Biography
Thomas McNulty, The Life and Career of Errol Flynn
Walter Mirisch, I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History