The Black Knight (1954)

During King Arthur's time, a sword maker wishes to win Lady Linet's heart but first he must become a noble knight.

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Alec Coppel (original screenplay), Dennis O'Keefe (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Patricia Medina, André Morell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Ladd	...	John
Patricia Medina	...	Linet
André Morell	...	Sir Ontzlake (as Andre Morell)
Harry Andrews	...	Earl Of Yeonil
Peter Cushing	...	Sir Palamides
Anthony Bushell	...	King Arthur
Laurence Naismith	...	Major Domo
Patrick Troughton	...	King Mark
Bill Brandon	...	Bernard
Ronald Adam	...	The Abbot
Basil Appleby	...	Sir Hal
Thomas Moore	...	The Apprentice
Jean Lodge	...	Queen Guenevere
Pauline Jameson	...	Lady Yeonil
John Kelly	...	The Woodchopper

Storyline

As a blacksmith John can't hope to win the hand of Linet, daughter of the Earl of Yeonil. Off he goes to prove himself a noble knight. He makes himself a suit of armor with a winged chicken helmet and runs around fighting for King Arthur as the Black Knight. Evil doings include plots by visiting kings and a Druid sacrificial ceremony at Stonehenge.

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Plot Keywords:

king | knight | king arthur | sword duel | arthurian legend | 

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Taglines:

New excitement ! New thrills ! Alan Ladd's biggest adventure !

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Genres:

Adventure | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1954 (UK)

Also Known As:

Le serment du chevalier noir

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warwick Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Top-billed Alan Ladd only worked on the film for 11 days. A double was used for all the long shots.

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Goofs

In the battle at the church, when the stair and balcony railings are on fire, a combatant is knocked through a balcony railing and it breaks cleanly, revealing a straight sawed cut nearly all the way through it.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: The Earl of Yeonil's Castle.

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Connections

Referenced in Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Whistling Gypsy
(uncredited)
Written by Leo Maguire
Performed by Elton Hayes

User Reviews

Alan Ladd is an acrobatic knight

I liked it only because I fancy swords and medieval armor. However, you're not going to learn anything factual nor fascinating about medieval combat here unlike in Robert Taylor's Ivanhoe or Knights of the Round Table.

The character portrayed by Alan Ladd wears an abbreviated armor eschewing the greaves and other gear to protect the legs and arms. Save for the breastplate and chain mail (short sleeved at that!), there is little to suggest that he wears authentic knightly armor. Even his helmet covers only the top of his face (no doubt to display his handsome features.) Robocop is the same way. The reason for the light armor becomes apparent when Ladd performs acrobatics in combat unlikely to have been part of a knight's dueling or battle paces. Robert Wagner in Prince Valiant does similar things.

The heroic Black Knight is actually a commoner and thus barred from bearing knightly arms and so has to keep his identity secret.

The villains are a Saracen knight (Peter Cushing) allied with Cornishmen. Why the people of Cornwall who are as British as the English? Beats me.

Cushing gives a luscious performance as a baddie. His quip after humiliating the blacksmith Alan Ladd before his lady love (Patricia Medina) is memorable. After failing to egg the meek Alan Ladd into fighting him, he turns to Patricia saying: "Please pardon this shameful exhibition."

The photography and location shots are excellent.