Henry the Third (1909)

The dissolute Henry III of France was assassinated by a monk, a fact which has formed the basis of this filmic intrigue. Aside from this fact, however, the story is not historical. The action moves swiftly from beginning to end; the actors are the pick of the Itala studio, while both interior and exterior scenes are presented with a striking fidelity to the details of the period. The king becomes fascinated with the wife of one of his courtiers. He writes her a note and sends it by the court fool, planning a rendezvous. They meet. The fool is caught spying upon them. The king reprimands him and he threatens revenge. The woman drops her scarf at the meeting place. The fool finds it and takes it to her husband as proof of the truth of his story. A stormy scene between husband and wife follows. The husband disguises himself as a monk, obtains admission to the king's presence, stabs him and in turn is run through by an attendant, being gathered up is thrown from the window of the castle to the stone pavement below. The final scenes show the great remorse of the jester.

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Summary Details
GenresDrama Short