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Scaramouche
 

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Scaramouche




This article is about the novel. For the stock comic character, see Scaramuccia .

For the historic italian Condottiere , see Scaramuccia Da Forlì

''Scaramouche'' is a Historical Novel by Rafael Sabatini , originally published in 1921 and subsequently adapted into a play by Barbara Field and into Feature Film s in 1923 starring Ramón Novarro and in 1952 's remake Scaramouche with Stewart Granger . It is a Romantic adventure and tells the story of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution . In the course of his adventures he at one point becomes an Actor portraying "Scaramouche" (also called Scaramuccia , a roguish Buffoon character in the '' Commedia Dell'arte ''). He also becomes in the course of the novel a Lawyer , Politician , and Lover , confounding his enemies with his elegant orations and precision Sword smanship. The later film version includes one of the longest, and many believe, best Swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever filmed.

The novel has a memorable start: (BOOK I: THE ROBE, CHAPTER I, 'THE REPUBLICAN') "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. And that was all his patrimony. His very paternity was obscure, although the village of Gavrillacs had long since dispelled the cloud of mystery that hung about it."


SCARAMOUCHE IN POPULAR CULTURE

  • The rock group Queen refers to Scaramouche in the song " Bohemian Rhapsody " written by the late Freddie Mercury:


I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango ?
Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening me ...


  • '' Scaramouche '' is the name of a suite for two pianos by the French composer Darius Milhaud . Milhaud first composed the piece for saxophone and cabaret orchestra as music for a theatre piece.

  • Scaramouche is one of the iconic characters in the Punch And Judy puppet shows (a performative art with roots in Commedia Dell'arte ). In some scenarios, he is the owner of The Dog, another stock character. During performances, Punch frequently strikes Scaramouche, causing his head to come off of his shoulders. Because of this, the term "scaramouche" has become associated with a class of puppets with extendable necks.

  • The Democratic candidate for the 2004 US Presidential Election , Senator John Kerry , owns a Yacht named ''Scaramouche''.

  • In the opening chapter of th book "Phule's Company" by Robert Asprin, the main character Willard Phule uses Scaramouche as his alias.



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