Diane de Poitiers (Lana Turner) becomes the mistress of Prince Henri (Roger Moore), second in line to the throne. Their liaison continues through Henri’s arranged marriage to the Italian Catherine de’ Medici (Marisa Pavan). Unknown to Catherine, her Medici relations arrange the death of the Dauphin and Henri’s ascent to the throne as King Henry II. The antagonism of the two women, abetted by Medici scheming, eventually results in the death of Henri. Catherine, now ruling as regent for her three young sons, banishes Diane but spares her rival’s life in a gesture of mutual respect. The action is set in 16th-century France.
She brought beauty and poise to the screen while she hobnobbed with mobsters in Johnny Eager, plotted murder in The Postman Always Rings Twice and helped expose the Hollywood dream factory in The Bad and the Beautiful. Renowned for steamy melodramas, Lana Turner rarely starred in lavish costume dramas. But Diane was an exception that showcased her beauty and poise amid the finery of Renaissance France. Turner plays Diane de Poitiers in this historical romance, her last film under contract to M-G-M. The story begins in the mid-1500s. A marriage between France’s Prince Henri (Roger Moore) and Italy’s Catherine de Medici (Marisa Pavan) has the potential to establish peace, so Diane is asked to tutor Henri in the ways of a courtier. Fencing and etiquette are part of the instruction; falling in love is not. Diane and Henri begin an affair that continues despite the royal union…and precipitates a Medici plot to wrest control of France.
Starring Lana Turner, Pedro Armendáriz, Roger Moore, Marisa Pavan, Cedric Hardwicke.
Note: Many think of this as a terrific sleeper, ill-represented by the cover art and tag-line, and released at a time when costume dramas were moving out of fashion “This story was originally acquired for Garbo in the 1930s but languished in the MGM story department until someone unearthed it for Turner. It was released at the end of the costume drama cycle and did meager business despite the expense lavished on it. But 1955 was the year when reality-based films had taken the lead; MARTY; THE ROSE TATTOO; EAST OF EDEN; MR. ROBERTS; and PICNIC were all released that year, and DIANE sank in their prop wash.” – TV Guide