"Have you the stomach for greatness..?" - Orson Welles

[acerb45666555]

the beards to thin, and the hairs too short. Cesare Borja was a fashionable fellow! moderately but very well dressed in his paintings. he liked hats!

[dishwasherman83]

Wow, the legend Orson Welles playing the tyrant Cesare Borgia.

He's too suave for that role. Cesare was a very unscrupulous and cunning leader with a lot of drive to succeed.

[starnjuy]

@dishwasherman83 i dont see cesare as a "tyrant" his family is covered in the dark lies of the enemy families

[dishwasherman83]

@starnjuy

Cesare murdered his own brother to ascend as Captain General of the Papal armeis (as accused). Had a henchman that killed his rivals, only to have the henchman executed and had his body cut up into pieces and placed at the centre of the Piazza for public viewing.

He was always at war.  This man is a cruel man.

[starnjuy]

@dishwasherman83 his was suspected to murder his brother but the investigation didnt found a murder and the second one was very common in that era is like condemning parents who arrenged marriages of their children in the same era

[dishwasherman83]

@starnjuy

It was just mafioso. If you look at the more modern Mafias, these guys were the Renaissance mafias. They will wield power as they please via assassinations, marriages etc.... Either ways, the amount of opponents that have in Renaissance Italy, is numerous. Too numerous to bother controlling and subjugating the masses.

The Italians were kind of hemmed in by major powers like France/Spain and the HRE. A lot of foreign manipulation in Italy by the continental powers as well.

[althesmith]

@dishwasherman83 : And let us not forget, after the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, they had the Ottomans for neighbours. And as main trade partners, so they had to be very- shall we say, diplomatic. One had to support The Mother Church, of course, but not to the point of getting too enthusiastic for any crusading against the Moslems.

[encinostalgia]

Orson and Tyrone Power were close friends and their chemistry is apparent in this scene. Welles no doubt also re-worked his dialouge as he typically did in his films.

[ismaeeeeeeel]

Orson Welles was perfect for Vito Corleone roll.

[redetrigan]

Welles certainly makes the most of that plume

[TheJokersAdvocate96]

hmm, no mention of ezio? lol

[Danny2113182]

i love so many things about this scene, but welles' voice is amazing

[TanguydeThuret]

Great performance of Welles. Living in Rome, we recognize the Castello San Angelo's main room with frescoes of Hadrian and San Angelo. What a great film set!

[fcampbell696]

SIGH! I wish I was that feather!

[fcampbell696]

I've seen pictures from this movie and Mr. Welles is kinda sexy in this movie if i must say so.

[Mrx2848]

It's like the fella says: In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias...

[Idjitz]

Machiavelli, of course, had Cesare Borgia in mind when he wrote "The Prince."

[Dilliboy63]

"the outcome justifies, the act." No sure sure about that, but I'm sure it's essential for folks of the Machiavellian attitude

[ClassicsWEREandARE]

3:48 that is awesome how tyrone takes the opposite glass and then doesn't drink it at all! haha this is hard to imagine tho...tyrone in tights and real curly hair but i still think him amazing and gorgeous! i love how natural orson wells is!

[Hendrikdevuile]

After several decades in which they have never re- appeared, I should very much like to see again the whole of "Prince of Foxes", and another Tyrone Power historical movie, "Captain from Castile". Both are great and so old now that they might conceivably be left in peace. At present there are only tantalising tidbits of both on YouTube.

[JohnKoroly]

Check out the "subtle" innuendo when he slips the dagger into Orsini's scabbard at 4:25. One of Orson's finest and least appreciated performances.

[ClassicsWEREandARE]

could you possibly elaborate on the "subtle" innuendo....i missed it

thanks

[ClassicsWEREandARE]

could you possibly elaborate on the innuendo....i missed it

thanks

[JohnKoroly]

OH! Someone else loves this scene as much as I do!!!  Thanx! WIll expound later.

[19thcentury]

Tyrone Power was awed by the power of Orson in that scene, you can see it in his eyes. The appearance and voice--that was his best, the Third Man speech on the Circus Wheel was almost just as good.

[Orsley]

Wonderful... a good example of how fine Welles the actor could be; although one can only imagine how visually superior the scene would have been had Welles also directed it! Failing that, there are the films he did direct, esp. Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil and Chimes at Midnight, which contain great and fully-realized Welles performances in the context of his own vastly imaginative directorial vision... which this film does not remotely approach.

[Idjitz]

There are those who say that Welles probably did have a hand in the direction of this film, as many of the show-offy, low-angle shots in Prince of Foxes are pretty Wellesian. Not to detract from Henry King's fine direction in this instance, however.  Some critics still say that The Third Man was more Welles than Carol Reed in its direction, even to this day.

[Orsley]

Idjitz, re "The Third Man," I agree with that. Check out the chase through the sewers in "Third Man," then look at the walking chase through the canals near the end of "Touch of Evil." Both show the same directorial hand. I don't see much sign of Welles the director in the scene posted here, but perhaps elsewhere in the film. Welles' style is only partly a matter of camera placement; his dynamic editing, pitting action against action, is central, I think, and appears designed into his shooting.

[roedema38]

The Wellesian swagger is legendary....and incredibly sexy.

[CoolMovesNow]

Orson's voice was enough to smother a scene. Awesome presence.

[lucadefran]

grandissimo orson , uno dei più grandi.

[tubebopper09]

"A woman is the gage by which you measure a mans weakness" Cesare Borgia

[JohnKoroly]

Guess I wasn't the only one caught onto this scene's signficance. It's SO obvious that scene's ORSON'S. Power was wise enough an artist to know when his "less" was "more."

[GOLDENCALA]

He was not only a great actor, but also a great director, writer and intellectual.

[Manzeron]

@GOLDENCALA

He was just a Genius...

[thebull67]

Orson Welles, the greatest American actor to ever live. Only Malkovich can come close

[32doors]

Try your shaft on my cousin Angela :)

[kneecutleries]

Love the feather work.

[ethanedwards420]

Great scene from a great movie.

[Idjitz]

Nice synergy between him and Orson too. They repeated it the following year in The Black Rose.

[califgirl101]

@Idjitz I had The Black Rose on pre-recorded vhs although I had to break the whole movie into three parts and three different videos I hope soon that I can get the whole movie on dvd soon!

[Vercengeterixine]

Tyrone Power! What a beautiful, beautiful man. YUM!