In this fantastical story by Jules Verne, Michel Strogoff (Michael in the American titles) is a man larger than life. He's a strong and important captain in the Russian Army. The Tsar gives him a dangerous assignment, to go incognito through enemy territory and deliver a message to his brother fighting on the front lines. To make his disguise believable, they've assigned him a "wife", although Genevieve Page is a little uncomfortable pretending. Why, Gen? Doesn't she realize her costar is Curd Jurgens, a very strong, handsome, charismatic, manly fellow? In one eventful scene, he lifts a fallen birch tree with one hand, rescues a man from under a collapsed horse cart, and walks head-on to an angry bear and stabs it (don't worry; it's not gory). It's no wonder European audiences understood his masculinity and sex appeal - and it's a shame American audiences didn't get to see him that way. And if you think Genevieve might soften towards her "husband", you might be right.
This really is a great adventure story, and I'm tempted to find a copy of the original novel. The only problem is that I wasn't able to find a version with English subtitles, so most American audiences won't be able to appreciate it. I'm not so fluent that I caught every word, but I understood the majority of it and was able to easily follow the story. If you do speak French, you'll really enjoy this movie. So much went into the production, from the lush set designs to the beautiful period costumes, fine acting, and exciting music. It was the number one hit in France during 1956 - and it's no wonder! Also, if you like hearing Curd speaking French (which he does so beautifully, without a trace of a German accent), you have several more opportunities to catch him in French movies.
This really is a great adventure story, and I'm tempted to find a copy of the original novel. The only problem is that I wasn't able to find a version with English subtitles, so most American audiences won't be able to appreciate it. I'm not so fluent that I caught every word, but I understood the majority of it and was able to easily follow the story. If you do speak French, you'll really enjoy this movie. So much went into the production, from the lush set designs to the beautiful period costumes, fine acting, and exciting music. It was the number one hit in France during 1956 - and it's no wonder! Also, if you like hearing Curd speaking French (which he does so beautifully, without a trace of a German accent), you have several more opportunities to catch him in French movies.