This version of Sir Walter Scott's "The Talisman," with Laurence Harvey in the role of a Scottish knight accompanying Richard the Lionheart on crusade, is visually vibrant but feels strangely forced. The historical elements are jumbled and inconsistent, and the casting choices don’t quite work—Rex Harrison as Saladin seems miscast, and George Sanders isn't particularly convincing as King Richard either. Robert Dougla…

David Butler directs King Richard and the Crusaders, a film written by John Twist based on Sir Walter Scott's “The Talisman.” The cast includes Rex Harrison, Virginia Mayo, George Sanders, Laurence Harvey, Robert Douglas, Michael Pate, and Paula Raymond. This WarnerColor/CinemaScope production features music by Max Steiner and cinematography by J. Peverell Marley. Despite being frequently cited as one of the fifty…