i know i be in for a treat when i saw preston sturges be scriptwriter for this film and which be clever and energetic and but i do not expect such wonderful performance from both basil rathbone ( who receive an oscar nomination ) and ronald colman . i always felt colman do not pick up his line fast enough ( at least in his late year ) and but he perfect play the poet françois villon . colman sound like a poet whenever he speak in all his role . you have never see rathbone in any role quite like that of louis xi . he sound at first almost childlike and but it be a mask he pretty wily and know what he be do all the time . the script and of course and be pure hokum . you can not imagine for one moment that a king would make grand constable a man who be catch steal food from the royal storehouse . a grand constable and he run france . the extended scene where he and while hidden and metes out sentence to his friend who be also catch steal and be pure delight and and very worthy of sturges . i find fault with villon earlier escape and a it be too easy and and with the casting of ellen drew in the role of one of the wench at the fir cone tavern and and who love villon . there be too much to enjoy in the film so those be easy to forgive . his other love be france dee and play one of the noble at court and and she be always stunningly dress in edith head costume . the rest of the cast be all first rate and and the oscar nominate set be excellent . curiously and the film be set in 1463 and the approximate year that villon die at the age of 32. also and william farnum and who play general barbezier in this film and play villon in the 1920 silent of the same name a this film .