Maureen O'Hara

George Nader

Victor McLaglen

Rex Reason

Torin Thatcher

Eduard Franz

Leslie Bradley

Arthur Shields

Robert Warwick

Arthur Gould-Porter

Grant Withers

Anthony Eustrel

Kathryn Givney

Sim Iness

Thayer Roberts

Clint Eastwood

Chuck Roberson

Olive Sturgess

Robert F. Boyle

Robert Arthur

Paul Weatherwax

Harry Ruskin

Arthur Lubin

Oscar Brodney

Frank Skinner

Hans J. Salter

Alexander Golitzen

Bud Westmore

Carl E. Guthrie

Buddy Van Horn

Bob Herron

Joan St. Oegger

Allen Pinson

Frank Shaw

Warren Monroe

Henry Wills

Rydo Loshak

Roy Vaughn

Drama

History

Lady Godiva of Coventry

Universal International Pictures

United States of America

It feels rushed, but I kinda do like <em>'Lady Godiva of Coventry'</em>.

The film, in my opinion, is at its best with Maureen O'Hara and George Nader alongside the trio of would-be prisoners, spearheaded by Victor McLaglen. The stuff with that quintet was really enjoyable to me; the main story isn't even to do with them.

The plot of this 1955 involves the characters of O'Hara and Nader, but with Leslie Bradley & Co. Those parts of the film aren't the strongest and don't really leave a sizeable imprint. I would've preferred a production with those other five more, to be honest. It's all still watchable though. There's a couple of neat shots scattered in there, also.

I managed to spot Clint Eastwood in his uncredited minor role. Much bigger things to come for that man, I reckon...

CinemaSerf

This is my kind of movie - a good old historical drama set in 11th Century England. Sadly, though, the whole thing is just too episodic and disjointed for the story to ever really flow. It sets out do depict the tale of the eponymous lady (Maureen O'Hara) who rode naked through the streets of Coventry (draped in "Rapunzel"-esque locks that appear nowhere else on her head in the film!) to draw the attention of her Norman husband "Leofric" (George Nader) to the plight of the commons as the Norman and Saxon peoples of this now divided land start to draw battle lines. Her husband has already fallen foul of King Edward I (Eduard Franz) by refusing to marry his chosen bride, so the couple soon find their allies at court are few, and goaded by the duplicitous "Godwin" (Torin Thatcher) things are soon simmering perilously close to insurrection. Though rooted in fact, this plays fast and loose with just about everything from the history to the characterisations. Thatcher exudes a soupçon of menace, but the rest of the cast really appear to be going through the motions with this colourful, and at times energetic (largely thanks to Victor McLaglen), enterprise. Nobody could ever describe O'Hara as especially versatile - here she is just playing her usual determined and feisty character and though she isn't bad, it's all just the same role she has played against an array of more famous leading men in years gone by. Fans of the men-in-tights genre ought to enjoy it well enough, I did, but it's all pretty unremarkable fayre I'm afraid.

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