For the Crown
Directed by Lorimer JohnstonFollowing the first adventures of Jacques, the king, repentant of his insult to the church, again embraces the faith and shortly after, falling ill, he dies. The second adventure opens with the funeral procession of the late king, the crown prince in the procession that carries the remains of the late monarch to the royal tomb. The following day the coronation of the child king takes place. The bishop advances with the crown, but the child, already imperious in his authority, demands that none other than his beloved friend, Jacques le Grand, shall place the crown. His wishes are acceded to. In the meantime the Duke de Monserrat continues his intrigue with the queen, but the death of the king has awakened her mother love and when he suggests that together they rule the country, she replies: "The past is dead! The future is for the king." Failing in this attempt to secure the throne through marriage with the queen's mother, the duke incites the nobles to revolt against the king. With this assistance of the infuriated nobles of the court, the palace is stormed and the king kidnapped. Jacques le Grand has been inactive, preferring to remain at the court and bask in the smiles of Constance, who has won his heart. The queen, distracted, sends for him and tells of the outrage. Recalling the vow to his father who had admonished him "Be ready to lay down your life for the king," he buckles on his sword and promises "I will save the king or die for him." Constance overhears and decides to accompany him. Securing the costume of a page, she joins the young adventurer and together they go in search of the king. Far from the palace the robber nobles carry the king and place him in the home of some peasants in the mountains. The imperious king warns them "You will repent this when I come back." The king is hustled into the hut and guarded by the peasants. In the meantime Jacques and Constance encounter the nobles at the inn, and when they make overtures of friendship he seemingly falls in with their plans to gain his purpose. But one of the nobles, unobserved, places a sleeping powder in Constance's tankard and Constance indiscreetly drinks therefrom. When Jacques notes what has befallen his beloved Constance, his anger is aroused and pulling her up on the table beside him he draws his rapier and fights them all. They are about to overpower him when with one sweep of his arm he breaks the window and leaping, escapes with Constance to safety. The young king wanders from his guards with the child of the latter and makes his way into the mountains. The escape is discovered and the alarmed peasants hurry to notify the duke. In the meantime Jacques and Constance have resumed their search for the king, and the duke encounters them after learning the escape of the king. He attempts to kill Jacques, and Constance takes up the fight in the stead. She is disarmed and Jacques, being found only wounded, they are carried to the prison and placed in cells.
Where to Watch For the Crown
