"Diane," starring Lana Turner and Roger Moore

On January 12, 1956, MGM released “Diane.”

The cast included:

Lana Turner – Diane de Poitiers

Roger Moore – Henri

Pedro Armendáriz  -- François I

Marisa Pavan – Catherine de Medici

Torin Thatcher – Louis de Brézé

The film was lavish in its costumes and set design. It did, however, take certain liberties with historical accuracy. For example:

• ·      Diane went to the king to plead for the life of her husband, when it was in fact her father
• ·      Diane and Louis had no children. They had two daughters
• ·      The marriage of Henri and Catherine was Diane’s idea, but in reality it was Louis who suggested it to the king
• ·      Catherine spied of Diane Henri through a hole in the wall, but it was actually holes drilled in the floor the floor
• ·      The king was victorious against Charles V, when in fact he was captured and taken hostage

Other aspects of the film were accurate, such as Henri’s jousting accident, although the writers contend that the missing tip of Montgomery’s lance was intentionally removed.

This was Lana Turner’s last film for MGM. VHS copies can still be found, but it is not available on DVD or Blu-ray.