The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)

Peasant Myles Falworth is trained for knighthood and is groomed by various nobles to defeat the evil Earl of Alban who's plotting to usurp King Henry IV's throne.

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Oscar Brodney (screenplay), Howard Pyle (novel)

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Farrar

1 nomination.

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 and tights. In the days of King Henry IV, stalwart young Myles of Crisby Dale, and his sister Meg, have been raised as peasants, without any knowledge of their father's true identity. They are sent Mackworth Castle by their foster father with a letter to Lord Mackworth, urging him to take in Myles and Meg as wards. There, Myles is smitten with Mackworth's daughter, Lady Anne, incurs the enmity of the chief knight-in-training, and is assigned by Lord Mackworth to train for knighthood, himself so that he may claim his birthright and assist Mackworth and the stalwart Prince Hal in defeating the evil Duke of Alban, who plots to usurp King Henry's throne.

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Plot Keywords:

knighthood | king henry iv | men in tights | jeu de mail | father daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

All the wast pageantry...the towering excitement , the thundering thrills of knighthood's epic age !

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Genres:

Adventure | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Men of Iron

Filming Locations:

San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, 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:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Universal-International's first feature in CinemaScope. Whilst it was released in the widescreen format, it was not filmed in the new anamorphic process, but in standard 1:37 Academy ratio and then matted to 1:2.35 CinemaScope.

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Goofs

Mediaeval shields were not made of metal, but of wood covered in leather of parchment.

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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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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: ENGLAND

In the reign of King Henry IV

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Connections

Referenced in The Founder (2016)

User Reviews

Enjoyable Adventure, Memorable Characters; Vivid as a Tapestry Come to Life

This is an adaptation of Howard Pyle's "Men of Iron", and an unusually enjoyable film from start to finish. Ignore Tony Curtis's accent; it hardly matters to anyone that young and everyone in the film is bright, lively and suitable to his/her part. The direction by Rudolph Mate gives a light, sunny feel to the entire piece, and he keeps the action moving splendidly in my judgment. The storyline is classic. Myles and his sister Meg have been raised as peasants. One day they journey to Mackworth Castle and enter a new world, the world of noble landowners, quarrelsome young prigs and knights. Myles continues to search for the secret of his origins and finds it in the Library finally, the Black Shield of Falworth, shield of an attainted traitor--his father; of course he was innocent; and when Myles turns out to be a promising young knight of courage and natural skills, he is willing to be knighted in order to fight it out--at Prince Hal (the future Henry V's) plan--with the villain of the piece to claim his rightful heritage and wear the family symbol again. Along the way, he falls in love with the daughter of the household and his sister with his best friend in the dangerous and unruly body of young knights. In the cast along with Curtis and Barbara Rush as Meg are Janet Leigh, then Curtis's wife, as his love, Torin Thatcher in top form as the master of knights, David Farrar, Herbert Marshall as Mackworth, Dan O' Herlihy as Prince Hal, Patrick O'Neal as Walter Blunt (very good), and Craig ill as his friend Frances; others in the stellar cast include Ian Keith as Henry IV, Doris Lloyd, Rhys Williams, Maurice Marsac and others. Music was supplied by Hans J. Salter, and the screenplay adaptation of Pyle's novel is the work of Oscar Brodney. Irving Glasberg's cinematography is delightfully rich,the art direction by Alexander Golitzen and Richard H. Ledel very good indeed. Rosemary Odell's costume are worth the price of admission. But this is an in-depth adventurous look behind the grim tapestries that usually baffle the seeker into the late Medieval Age, There is humor in this film, much hard learning for the young knight-to-be, mystery, skillful dialogue and unusually well-developed characters. This is an enjoyable and memorable work that is bright and lively from start to finish.