Kenneth Marshall brings a useful seriousness to heroic fantasy, but Krull shows the limits of an earnest leading man without a distinctive character. We respect the commitment, while wishing the writing gave him something less dutiful to do.
Fi1m perspective
In Krull (1983), Kenneth Marshall's Prince Colwyn has the earnestness for a quest, but little to suggest who he might be without one. Marshall looks suited to heroic fantasy, and there is no sense that he considers the material beneath him. We were frustrated by Colwyn because his dutiful behaviour gave us so little to care about. The performance needs a more particular character to work with, rather than another opportunity to demonstrate his readiness for the task ahead.
His early screen work included Jimmy Wren in Liliana Cavani's The Skin (1981), before he took the title role in Giuliano Montaldo's miniseries Marco Polo (1982). That historical lead and Colwyn belong to a recognisable pattern of casting Marshall as the heroic man at the centre of events. They ask an audience to accept his authority quickly. Krull suggests the harder task was giving us something to remember about the man once that authority had been established.
Peter Yates's Krull makes it hard to place all the blame on Marshall. Lysette Anthony's Lyssa is similarly short of the writing that might make us feel an emotional connection, while Freddie Jones finds more interest in Ynyr and Alun Armstrong gives Torquil some firmness. Those supporting performances are a useful qualification to any defence of the leads: there is room for an actor to make an impression here. Marshall's seriousness remains a virtue, even when it cannot compensate for the thinness of the part.
Later, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gave him a recurring role as Lt. Commander Michael Eddington, with nine appearances between 1994 and 1997. The character's complexity offered more to work with than Colwyn's straightforward heroism, without requiring Marshall to carry an entire adventure himself. That sustained television part is a reason to look beyond his fantasy lead when considering what he could do with authority and the motives behind it. Approach Krull for its supporting players rather than in expectation of an absorbing central performance.
Biography
Kenneth Marshall, also credited as Ken Marshall, is a retired American actor. Born on 27 June 1950 in New York City, he trained at the University of Michigan and the Juilliard School.
He is best known for playing Prince Colwyn in the 1983 fantasy film Krull. Other screen credits include the title role in the 1982 miniseries Marco Polo, appearances in Tilt (1979), The Skin (1981) and Feds (1988), and the recurring role of Lt. Commander Michael Eddington in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994–1997), for which he received an OFTA Television Award nomination.
Marshall also had an extensive theatre career, including Broadway and touring productions of West Side Story and the world premiere of Into the Woods at the Old Globe Theatre. He was active from 1974 to 2003.
