USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting)

If I Were King

Alphabetical Listing of Movie Reviews

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

If I Were King -- Stylish tale of 14th-century vagabond poet Francois Villon (Ronald Colman) who saves Louis XI (Basil Rathbone) and Paris from Burgundian invaders by leading an army of the city's poor against the enemy. Directed by Frank Lloyd from a script by Preston Sturges, the result has some witty fun with the shifting relationship between crafty king and bright commoner but the historical pageantry is pure Hollywood hokum. Stylized violence and mild romantic complications. (A-II) (br) ( 1938 )

These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.

Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.