The Lady and the Highwayman

The Lady and the Highwayman, from 1989, starred Hugh Grant as Lord Lucius Vyne, also known as Silver Blade, the Royalist highwayman, and the beautiful Lysette Anthony as Panthea Vyne, the young lady he has promised to protect.

Panthea Vyne

Lysette Anthony as Panthea Vyne.

Panthea’s story takes place after the English Civil War during the Interregnum in which Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector. Panthea, beautiful, sweet, but possessing a rebellious streak, lives alone in her huge home.

Panthea

Here, she is targeted by the unlikable Puritan tax collector who blackmails her into marrying him. He’s a brute and right before he intends to ravish her, she is saved by the notorious highwayman, Silver Blade (Grant).

Silver Blade

Hugh Grant as Lord Lucius Vyne, aka Silver Blade, the Highwayman.

Her aunt, believing correctly that Panthea should not live alone, has her come and stay with her. Soon, Panthea is brought to court of the newly-restored King Charles II, where she draws much attention from both the King, and his jealous and envious mistress, Barbara Villiers, Lady Castlemaine (very well played by Emma Sands).

Castlemaine

Panthea, still dreaming of the heroic and dashing Silver Blade, gets to know and love his alter ago, Lord Lucius Vyne:

luciuspanthea

Meanwhile, Barbara Castlemaine despises the virginal “milksop,” and schemes with a man (Oliver Reed) to learn about Panthea’s past. She finds a gem, and Panthea has a very hard time when she goes to trial and then goes to her execution:

closeshave

Panthea gets a close shave…

The film was very entertaining, and has all the swashbuckle you could want. That being said, however, it is quite saccharine, too sugary-sweet at times, but this is to be expected, as it was based on a romance novel by Barbara Cartland. I really enjoyed it, though, and I’m certain that fans of Hugh Grant will be overjoyed to see him as a suave and dashing highwayman. Though it is a highly-romantised look at the 17th century (everyone looked so squeaky clean, except for the prison scene:

GrantLucius

Lucius ends up having a hard time of it.

I should also mention that King Charles II is played by the excellent Michael York:

Michael York

 

Hear ye! 3 thoughts — so far — on “The Lady and the Highwayman”:

  1. Clark Miles

    I’ve used this DVD as a sleep-companion, finding that I sleep so well with something familiar going on. I have also watched while awake, maybe more than a hundred times.

    Your brief sketch is wonderful, could not bore anyone. I am of British descent 100% including many “royal connections” allegedly dating deep into Celtic times, and including a host of Norman invasioners. I’m related to everyone, I find….. King Charles II and his foulest enemies. Scottish and Irish nobles, too. I suppose I will always love anything that can cast a new view upon the past.

    This movie, of course, is a deliberate flattery to the royal/noble culture. And even as a spiritual American deeply in love with the human rights coming to modern times from the travails of Viking/celts and Anglo/Saxons (oh so deliberately opposed by the roman-influenced Normans) in English common law…and the American constitution which attempted to codify some few of the commoner rights…… oh…. I still love this movie. It makes people out for the dreamers they are.

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