IMDb > The Black Rose (1950)
The Black Rose
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Black Rose (1950) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
The Black Rose (1950) -- Trailer for this stirring story

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   594 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Thomas B. Costain (novel)
Talbot Jennings (screenplay)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Black Rose on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

1 September 1950 (USA) more

Plot:

A disinherited 13th Century Saxon nobleman leaves Norman England with an archer friend to seek his fortune in the Far East. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. more

User Comments:

Tyrone Power & Orson Welles In Medieval Melodrama more (32 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)

Tyrone Power ... Walter of Gurnie

Orson Welles ... Bayan
Cécile Aubry ... Maryam (as Cecile Aubry)
Jack Hawkins ... Tristram Griffin
Michael Rennie ... King Edward
Finlay Currie ... Alfgar

Herbert Lom ... Anthemus
Mary Clare ... Countess Eleanor of Lessford

Robert Blake ... Mahmoud (as Bobby Blake)
Alfonso Bedoya ... Lu Chung
Gibb McLaughlin ... Wilderkin
James Robertson Justice ... Simeon Beautrie
Henry Oscar ... Friar Roger Bacon

Laurence Harvey ... Edmond
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

USA:116 min (FMC Library Print) | USA:120 min | UK:120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Filming Locations:

England, UK more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

According to Rich Little, the voice of Alfonso Bedoya was dubbed by Peter Sellers. more

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During their escape from the Chinese palace, Tris shoots an arrow into the forehead of what is an obvious dummy. more

Quotes:

Tristram Griffin: I was thinking about going with you.
Walter of Gurnie: To Cathay?
Tristram Griffin: Well, where's that?
Walter of Gurnie: Well, it's a long way from your forest.
Tristram Griffin: Well, maybe Sarah would like it there.
Walter of Gurnie: Now, don't talk too lightly about it, Tris,. If we should go to such a place, the chances are all you'll get out of it is that, in the end, you'll be hung by a Mongol instead of a Norman.
Tristram Griffin: Well, if it comes to that, I'd sooner give the pleasure to somebody I don't know than a Norman I hate.
Walter of Gurnie: A far land it is then. I guess this is the beginning.
more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Tyrone Power & Orson Welles In Medieval Melodrama, 8 April 2001
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

Two young Saxons, bitter over the Norman predations in their homeland, travel to far Cathay to win their fortunes. Their dangerous journey becomes infinitely more complicated when they provide unwilling refuge for an enticing girl known as THE BLACK ROSE.

Filmed expansively in England & North Africa, 20th Century Fox gave this film excellent production values, with great masses of surging extras & plenty of swashbuckling flurry. The plot is outlandish, based on the novel by Thomas B. Costain, but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of watching the action or hearing the (often) intelligent dialogue. While not as cerebrally fulfilling as the previous year's PRINCE OF FOXES, the film is still able to hold its own for pure entertainment.

At 36, Tyrone Power may be unconvincing as an Oxford undergraduate, yet he still fills his hero's role with dash & passion. The Technicolor camera isn't always kind to his aging good looks, and he's up against a powerful congregation of talented co-stars, yet Power never fails to offer anything less than a satisfying performance.

Jack Hawkins is every bit Power's equal in screen charisma, making his role as the longbowman sidekick absolutely vital to the story. A lesser actor would have been swamped by Power's star prerogative, but Hawkins holds his own admirably. Entrancing French actress Cécile Aubry is very fetching as the girl the heroes reluctantly rescue. With her big eyes & intense manner, she provides the film with its most tender moments.

Appearing as the formidable Mongol general Bayan, the inimitable Orson Welles fills a rather modest role with his megawatt personality. Body swaggering, voice booming, he effortlessly filches every scene he's in, entertaining the viewers & obviously amusing Power & Hawkins as well. While not as significant as either Cesar Borgia or Harry Lime - his two great roles of that immediate period - Welles still wrings every bit of cinematic pleasure out of Bayan, as if he were saying, `There! Look what I can do with even a small part!' The film's biggest drawback is his abrupt departure from the story line.

The rest of the cast is peppered with fine British actors - James Robertson Justice, craggy Finlay Currie, Michael Rennie, Herbert Lom, & Laurence Harvey. Mary Clare as a Norman countess & Madame Phang as the Chinese Empress both give tiny, vivid portrayals. Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Torin Thatcher as a rebellious Saxon. Young Robert Blake plays a Moslem servant boy. And that's Peter Sellers dubbing the voice for the oily Lu Chung.

Now for an historical reality check: by the time of the film's action, roughly 200 years after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the difficulties between the Normans & the Saxons had long since dissipated. The Norman government did much to modernize & civilize England; this trend continued under King Edward I, whose reign commenced in 1272 and who appears briefly in the film.

Regardless of what the plot states, the Mongols had long before captured Cathay (China). Genghis Khan had largely completed this task and ruled a huge empire stretching from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean by the time of his death in 1227. Tyrone Power's cinematic journey seems to owe much to that of the historical Marco Polo from Venice, who arrived at Shando, the capital of Genghis' grandson Kublai Khan, in 1275.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (32 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Black Rose (1950)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Tyrone Power Rendered Impotent star-blazer
Not that bad - Great Orson Welles AFernandez58
The Black Rose DVD Release--May 1 dnscal
Action and adventure claude masson
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Adventures of Robin Hood Robin and Marian The Adventures of Marco Polo The Flame and the Arrow Prince Valiant
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Adventure section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.