Trailer
Plot summary
Otto von Bismarck is working toward a united Germany, and he wants a princely marriage stopped. He needs someone to stand in for the prince, and he picks Harry Flashman, a captain in the British army who is a coward and a womanizer and yet keeps emerging from his scrapes looking heroic. The grudge Bismarck holds against Flashman dates from London, where Flashman romances the courtesan Lola Montez and maneuvers Bismarck into a boxing match with the professional fighter John Gully at a house party. Flashman also speaks patriotically to the boys at Rugby School, where the headmaster recalls his exploits in Afghanistan.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Royal Flash (1975)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Royal Flash was cut from 118 minutes to 102 minutes before its release; among the scenes removed were flashbacks to Flashman's life at school and the entire role of actor Roy Kinnear.
- John Alderton was cast as Flashman in 1969, but executive David Picker wanted a better known actor in the lead, and Malcolm McDowell was given the part instead.
- Just before shooting was to begin, David Picker and United Artists withdrew the film's finance, and Twentieth Century Fox, which had distributed the Musketeers films, stepped in instead.
- Director Richard Lester called the film "hell to make", saying he liked the cast very much but was less happy with the crew, and that Germany was a difficult place to film in.
