Rafael Sabatini composition, though he did write several works during that time. Sabatini died in Switzerland February 13, 1950. He was buried in Adelboden, Switzerland. On his headstone his wife had written, "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad", the first line of "Scaramouche". Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-English writer of romance and adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: "The Sea Hawk" (1915), "Scaramouche" (1921), "Captain Blood" (a.k.a. "The Odyssey of Captain Blood") (1922), and "Bellarion the Fortunate" (1926). In
Scaramouche (1952 film) did not start until 1950. Initially, the film was meant to be a MGM musical starring Gene Kelly, with Ava Gardner as Lenore and Elizabeth Taylor co-starring as Aline. Their commitments to the film were confirmed in early 1951. At one point, other than Kelly, Fernando Lamas and Ricardo Montalban were also considered for the lead. "I always felt that "Scaramouche" should have been a musical," said George Sidney. "It would have needed the most crafty score but it could have been terribly exciting." However, when Stewart Granger was contracted by the studio after his success in "King Solomon's Mines",