The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)

Technicolor & tights. In the days of King Henry IV, stalwart young Myles and his sister Meg have been raised as peasants, without any knowledge of who their father really was. But one day ... See full summary »

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Oscar Brodney (screenplay), Howard Pyle (novel)

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Farrar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Curtis	...	Myles
Janet Leigh	...	Lady Anne
David Farrar	...	Gilbert Blunt, Earl of Alban
Barbara Rush	...	Meg
Herbert Marshall	...	William, Earl of Mackworth
Torin Thatcher	...	Sir James
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Prince Hal (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Patrick O'Neal	...	Walter Blunt
Craig Hill	...	Francis Gascoyne
Ian Keith	...	King Henry IV
Doris Lloyd	...	Dame Ellen
Rhys Williams	...	Diccon Bowman
Leonard Mudie	...	Friar Edward
Maurice Marsac	...	Count de Vermois
Leo Britt	...	Sir Robert

Storyline

Technicolor & tights. In the days of King Henry IV, stalwart young Myles and his sister Meg have been raised as peasants, without any knowledge of who their father really was. But one day they journey to Macworth castle. There Myles falls in love with the Mackworth's daughter Anne, makes friends and enemies, and learns to be a knight so that, through the planning of Mackworth and his friend, Prince Hal, Myles can regain his true birthright from the evil Albon, and bear the black shield of Falworth.

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Plot Keywords:

king henry iv | shield | prince | knight | king | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der eiserne Ritter von Falworth

Filming Locations:

Castle, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,171,750 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) (Western Electric Recording) Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (optical prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Universal-International's first feature in CinemaScope.

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Goofs

When the Earl of Mackworth reveals his plot to Myles, he says the lands that should have belonged to him and his sister were given to the Earl of Alban. According to English law of the day, only sons could inherit, unless there were none living. Lord Mackworth would never suggest that Meg could inherit the family's estate during Myles' lifetime.

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Quotes

Myles Falworth: [after holding a stone in his outstretched arm for a long length of time] My arm feels as if it shall fall off.
Francis Gascoyne: That's alright, you'll be allowed to use the other.

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Connections

Referenced in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

User Reviews

Bad accents, but great flick

To my mind, this is the best knights of olde movie ever made. Years ago it was the habit of British tv station BBC2 to have a movie on at 6pm most evenings and they were usually, either 40 & 50's westerns, historical yarns, melodramas or swashbucklers. One such film was The Black Shield of Falworth, I was a big fan of such films like The Vikings (Incidentally or co-incidentally both starred Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh) and decided to record this movie, if it was any good I'd keep it, but if not just tape over the damn thing. The movie was that good I still have it after 15/16 years. The plot is similar to Henty's Novel 'St George for England' in as much as it tells the story of a peasant boy ignorant of his noble blood for most of his upbringing. though that's where the similarities end. The American accents in a film set in medieval England are ludricrous, but the plot of the film is so engaging that you don't mind as much. Torin Thatcher gives us another scene stealing performance as the firm but fair Sir James and if it's possible, betters his performance as Humble Bellows in The Crimson Pirate. This film has everything, action, romance, subtle comedy, and an excellent music score. This is not one to miss and I can't wait to get this movie on DVD so i can give my old VHS copy a well deserved retirement.