Cowardly rogue Harry Flashman's (Malcolm McDowell) schemes to gain entry to the royal circles of 19th-century Europe go nowhere until he meets a pair of devious nobles with their own agenda. At their urging, Flashman agrees to re-create himself as a bogus Prussian nobleman to woo a beautiful duchess. But the half-baked plan quickly comes unraveled, and he's soon on the run from several new enemies who are all calling for the rapscallion's head.
Acting
Malcolm McDowell's eyebrow acting deserves its own award
Direction
Richard Lester's slapstick sword fights are genuinely inventive
Costume
The fake Prussian uniform that launches a thousand disasters
Director
Richard Lester
Malcolm McDowell
Captain Harry Flashman / Prince Karl Magnus
Alan Bates
Rudi Von Sternberg
Florinda Bolkan
Lola Montez
Oliver Reed
Otto von Bismarck
Tom Bell
De Gautet
Joss Ackland
Sapten
Christopher Cazenove
Eric Hansen
Henry Cooper
John Gully, M.P.
Lionel Jeffries
Kraftstein
Alastair Sim
Mr. Greig
Michael Hordern
Headmaster
Britt Ekland
Dutchess Irma
Richard Pearson
Duchy Chamberlain
Bob Hoskins
Police Constable
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is actually a sequel to 1973's 'Tom Jones,' with McDowell replacing Albert Finney as the new face of literary British rogues.
George MacDonald Fraser adapted his own Flashman novels and reportedly hated this film's slapstick tone—he wanted something darker and more historically grounded.
GB
