When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922)

Mary Tudor, sister of England's Henry VIII, causes a stir by falling in love with a guardsman below her class.

Director:

Robert G. Vignola

Writers:

William LeBaron, Charles Major (novel)

Stars:

Marion Davies, Forrest Stanley, Lyn Harding

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marion Davies	...	Mary Tudor
Forrest Stanley	...	Charles Brandon
Lyn Harding	...	Henry VIII
Theresa Maxwell Conover	...	Queen Catherine
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Duke of Buckingham
Ruth Shepley	...	Lady Jane Bolingbroke
Ernest Glendinning	...	Sir Edwin Caskoden
Arthur Forrest	...	Cardinal Wolsey
Johnny Dooley	...	Will Sommers
William Kent	...	King's Tailor
Charles K. Gerrard	...	Sir Adam Judson (as Charles Gerard)
Arthur Donaldson	...	Sir Henry Brandon
Downing Clarke	...	Lord Chamberlain
William Norris	...	Louis XII
Macey Harlam	...	Duc de Longueville

Storyline

Mary Tudor, sister of England's Henry VIII, causes a stir by falling in love with a guardsman below her class.

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Plot Keywords:

royal family | saved from execution | soothsayer | secret entrance | jester | 

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

15 September 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

Da Mænd var Riddere

Filming Locations:

Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to author Richard Kozarski, William Randolph Hearst was inspired to make this film after the success of imported historic costume films, such as the Ernst Lubitsch productions Madame DuBarry (1919) and Anna Boleyn (1920), as well as the American-made The Three Musketeers (1921).

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Quotes

Title Card: The next morning the angry King comes to discipline his sister.

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Connections

Version of When Knighthood Was in Flower (1908)

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Soundtracks

The Marion Davies March
Music by Victor Herbert

User Reviews

A Great Movie In Almost Every Respect!

Although he is not remembered to-day for anything else but this production, Robert G. Vignola directed no less than 99 movies, starting way back in 1911 and continuing through to 1937. A look at "The Scarlet Letter" (1934) confirms the impression that he learnt his craft back in 1911 and stuck with it. Throughout the entire length of "When Knighthood", Mr Vignola does not move his camera so much as a single half-inch. Were it not for his fondness of editing constantly from a group shot to a tight two-shot, the whole movie is otherwise presented as if it were a stage play. Nonetheless, he does maintain the pace of his tale with admirable dexterity. I was amazed to find that I'd been glued to the screen for well over two and half hours. I thought I'd been watching the action for no more than 90 minutes.

Of course the overwhelming richness of the production, tight plotting that most effectively builds up to two separate climaxes, plus spellbinding acting (particularly from Miss Davies herself, Lyn Harding, William Norris and William Powell) all contributed to the movie's appeal. On the other hand, I thought Forrest Stanley made a rather dull hero; and the fact that he and Ernest Glendinning who played his friend, Caskoden, were virtually interchangeable look-a-likes did not help.

All told, however, this is a thrilling, engrossing and visually appealing production, and I can't wait until it's released on DVD with an appropriate music score.