ROYAL FLASH
Directed by RICHARD LESTER
Screenplay by GEORGE MacDONALD FRASER
Courage is the invention of lunatic romantics, and dishonor is easily tolerable if the only alternative is death. These guiding principles are advanced with brisk savvy in Royal Flash, which has to do with the exploits of Captain Harry Flashman, a rogue, prig, tosspot and coward, and proud of every bit of it.
Flashman (brightly played by Malcolm McDowell) is all set to surrender the British flag during an engagement with the enemy. But at the crucial moment, a piece of masonry falls on his head. Discovered unconscious by a relief regiment, clutching the...