British distributors Odeon Entertainment have revealed that they are planning to bring to Blu-ray director Richard Lester's Royl Flash (1975), starring Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, and Florinda Bolkan. The preliminary release date set by the distributors is May 20th.
n this unique and outrageous period comedy adapted from George MacDonald Fraser's novel, Malcolm McDowell stars as a comic character come to life. It is 19th Century Europe and Captain Harry Flashman (McDowell) is a gutless bully who seeks admission into European high society. Seeing a chance to promote their own menacing political schemes devious Otto von Bismarck (Oliver Reed) and Rudi Von Sternberg (Alan Bates) convince Flashman to disguise himself as a Prussian noble so that he can marry a gorgeous duchess (Britt Ekland). However, the hoax is discovered, and Flashman flees the continent, experiencing one calamity after another - as well as some of history's most significant events - in this hilarious romp that might just make you laugh instead of marvel at the next comic book "hero" you encounter.
Special Features:
Commentary with Actor Malcolm McDowell and Film Historian Nick Redman
Considering the names involved with this film (director of The Three Musketeers, writer of the original novel, Malcolm McDowell vs. Oliver Reed), it should have been brilliant...hence so enormously frustrating to see it fall with such a thud, thanks to the wheezing slapstick and winking anachronisms. Too bad all the attempts to bring Flashman to the screen in the decades since have come to naught...
