The lust of a young woman for a much older man became the norm in the 1950's. If it wasn't Audrey Hepburn falling in love with Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper or Cary Grant, it was Elizabeth Taylor,Leslie Caron, Natalie Wood or Doris Day going for the likes of Astaire, Grant, Gable or the other Taylor, and outside of a Tennessee Williams adaption, it was never the other way around.

For Rosanna Schiaffino, falling in love with pirate Anthony Quinn is explained as part of her mental illness, with Quinn's contemporary Rita Hayworth present as Schiaffano's protector. He's strangely attracted to her too in this colorful post-French revolution mini epic, which adds Richard Johnson as a dashing captain who seems intent on being confused with Napoleon. The nutty Schiaffano has an unrealistic looking and very melodramatic breakdown after she's attacked by another man (who sets Hayworth's home on fire) and suddenly switches her affection to Johnson.

As good looking as this is (with some genuinely beautiful locations used as the setting), I found it completely phony and unbelievable. Quinn bellows out his lines to express a passionate nature, and while still verile just basically looks foolish attempting any romance with Schiaffano. His scenes with Hayworth (his co-star in "Blood and Sand") are much better. The character development for Schiaffano is truly messy. The musical score is far too pushy and inappropriate for the narrative. Maybe Joseph Conrad's novel will be done right one day, but this version is far too silly.