Two hours of solid thrills.

Screen legends Anita Linda, disguised as a dashing young eskrimador, and Efren Reyes and Johnny Monteiro, both top swordsmen in Philippine cinema, display their fencing skills as they fight for "the crown, throne, and kingdom." The film CARLOS TRECE broke all existing box-office records during its theatrical run in 1953. The 15-minute swordfight, a duel to the end between Reyes and Monteiro, took the production crew two weeks of rigorous practice and training and one week to shoot.—BGP