On Guard

The fifth movie adaptation of Paul Féval's 1857 novel Le Bossu (literally, The Hunchback)--an adventure classic in France--is a stylish, affectionate, vastly enjoyable swashbuckler of a kind that Hollywood seemed to forget how to make until the recent Pirates of the Caribbean. The hero is Lagardere (the redoubtable Daniel Auteuil), a happy-go-lucky orphan trained in fencing and acrobatics who becomes a servant to a handsome duke (Vincent Perez) after being hired to assassinate the nobleman but failing in the attempt. When a dastardly cousin murders his master, Lagardere rescues the duke's young daughter, raises her as his own, and takes her to Paris to avenge her father (the plan involves a mysterious hunchback who becomes financial advisor to the villainous cousin). On Guard is circuitous and episodic (Féval's book was originally a newspaper serial), with lots of climaxes and hairbreadth escapes, and veteran director Philippe de Broca (That Man From Rio, King of Hearts) stages it with enormous Jlan, infectious enthusiasm, and unabashed romanticism. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include five cast and crew interviews (4-7 mins. each), behind-the-scenes segments for six scenes (16 min. total), a photo gallery, and international trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a lesser-known but winning foreign film.] (F. Swietek)