4.9 /10 2 Votes
Cinematography Henri Decae Initial release 28 February 1964 (France) | 6.7/10 IMDb Edited by Jacques Desagneaux Music director Gérard Calvi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by Henri JeansonChristian-Jaque Productioncompany Mediterranean Film ProductionsAgata FilmsMizar MoviesFlora Film Cast Similar Alain Delon movies, Dramas, Other similar movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Black Tulip (French:La Tulipe noire) is a French-Italian-Spanish film which indeed reused some names in the novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas but its story does not follow the novel. It is, essentially, a star vehicle for the popular French actor Alain Delon.
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Synopsis
Like the popular European Karl May movies of the same time, the script actually used only the main characters of a popular novel, but didn't stick to the original story. Alain Delon plays a swashbuckling French Robin Hood who fights corrupt nobles in the era before the French Revolution. Like Zorro, the Black Tulip is, in real life, a fixture at the court and, therefore, needs to camouflage himself before he can fight for justice. Unfortunately, Guillaume de Saint Preux, the first Black Tulip, gets injured. Marked by a scar on the face, he has to beseech his twin brother Julian to cover for him.
The gentle, clumsy Julian fulfils his brother's wish, but Guillaume's arch enemy Baron La Mouche still seeks the Black Tulip. When he feels that there may be a connection between Guillaume de Saint Preux and the masked hero, he has Julian imprisoned. The original Black Tulip rescues him, but while Julian escapes, his brother is caught in the act and soon afterwards, executed.
In the end, Julian succeeds his brother as the Black Tulip. He rises to the occasion, and is now as good a fighter for justice as his brother was. He has also won the heart of Caroline, who supports him.
Alain Delon used this opportunity to demonstrate his range as an actor by playing both brothers. In 1975, he would again play a masked swashbuckler in his Zorro film.