The one interesting element of this second version of Robert Louis Stevenson's historical novel is that it looks at the events through the eyes of the main villain (Oliver Reed), an unscrupulous knight who was responsible for the arrest of the title character (Stephan Chase) now justifiably seeking revenge. Reed is plotting to marry the black arrow's daughter (Georgia Slowe), and now he's determined to escape Reed's wrath and rescue her along with handsome hero Benedict Taylor.
The hammy, enthusiastic performance of Reed helps sustain interest in this predictable swashbuckler, not much different than the hundreds of other predictable swashbucklers that preceeded it. The original, in 1948, doesn't seem any more advanced than this one, so this Disney TV movie is very old fashioned even though the elements of 16th Century squalor are pretty detailed and more disgusting in their realism. In smaller roles, Fernando Rey and Donald Pleasance are commanding and add a touch of class. Worth seeing, but not a Disney classic.
The hammy, enthusiastic performance of Reed helps sustain interest in this predictable swashbuckler, not much different than the hundreds of other predictable swashbucklers that preceeded it. The original, in 1948, doesn't seem any more advanced than this one, so this Disney TV movie is very old fashioned even though the elements of 16th Century squalor are pretty detailed and more disgusting in their realism. In smaller roles, Fernando Rey and Donald Pleasance are commanding and add a touch of class. Worth seeing, but not a Disney classic.