Scaramouche is a historical novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1921 and subsequently adapted into a play by Barbara Field and into feature films in 1923 starring Ramón Novarro and 1952 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 swordsmanship. The later film version includes one of the longest, and many believe, best swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever filmed. A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author. ... Rafael Sabatini (April 29, 1875 - February 13, 1950) was an author of novels of romance and adventure. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ramón Novarro photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Ramón Novarro (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968) was a Mexican actor who achieved fame as a Latin lover in silent films. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Stewart Granger (May 6, 1913 – August 16, 1993) was an English film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. ... Romanticism was a secular and intellectual movement in the history of ideas that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period in the history of France. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Scaramuccia is a commedia dellarte character who wears a black velvet mask and black trousers, shirt and hat. ... A clown typically wears makeup and other outlandish material. ... Karel Dujardins set his closely-observed scene of a travelling troupes makeshift stage against idealized ruins in the Roman Campagna: dated 1657 (Louvre Museum) Commedia dellarte (Italian: comedy of professional artists also interpreted as comedy of humors), also known as Extemporal Comedy, was a form of improvisational theater... A lawyer is a person licensed by the state to advise clients in legal matters and represent them in courts of law and in other forms of dispute resolution. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office. ... Look up Sex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary This article is about biological sexes — male, female, etc. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Sword (Old English: sweord; akin to Old High German: swert, wounding tool; Proto-Indo-European: *swer-, to wound, to hurt) is a term for a long-edged, bladed weapon, consisting in its most fundamental design of a blade, usually with two edges for striking... A Swashbuckler is a term that came about in the 16th century and was applied to rough, noisy, boastful swordsman. To swash is to swagger and swing about, making a lot of noise and a buckler is a shield. The stock character Miles Glorioso is a swashbuckler. ...

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."

Trivia

• 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.

Queen is a British rock band that came to popularity during the mid-1970s, amassing an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ... Fandangos is a form of flamenco music style, probably derived from the jota. ... Darius Milhaud (September 4, 1892 – June 22, 1974) was a French-Jewish composer and teacher. ... A stained glass illustration of Mr. ... Karel Dujardins set his closely-observed scene of a travelling troupes makeshift stage against idealized ruins in the Roman Campagna: dated 1657 (Louvre Museum) Commedia dellarte (Italian: comedy of professional artists also interpreted as comedy of humors), also known as Extemporal Comedy, was a form of improvisational theater... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Presidential election results map. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. ... A yacht A yacht was originally defined as a light, fast sailing vessel used to convey important persons. ...

External links

• Free eBook Scaramouche at Project Gutenberg
• Scaramouche movie info from IMDb