If I Were King
by Justin Huntly McCarthyliterary work· published 1901
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Adaptations (4)
If I Were King has been adapted into 4 films, from 1920 to 1938.
If I Were King1920 · film · 80 min · dir. J. Gordon Edwards · IMDb ↗IMDb6.9J. Gordon Edwards silent adventure melodrama about a famous poet who is allowed to rule France for a week!
The Vagabond King1930 · film · 104 min · dir. Ludwig Berger, Ernst Lubitsch · IMDb ↗IMDb5.4The story takes place in medieval France. Poet-rogue Francois Villon, sentenced to hang by King Louis XI for writing derogatory verses about him, is offered a temporary reprieve. His hanging will be postponed for 24 hours, and in that time he must defeat the invading Burgundians and win the love of the beautiful Katherine.
If I Were King1938 · film · 101 min · dir. Frank Lloyd · IMDb ↗IMDb7.1King Louis XI masquerades as a commoner in Paris, seeking out the treachery he is sure lurks in his kingdom. At a local tavern, he overhears the brash poet François Villon extolling why he would be a better king. Annoyed yet intrigued, the King bestows on Villon the title of Grand Constable. Soon Villon begins work and falls for a lovely lady-in-waiting, but then must flee execution when the King turns on him.
