The King's Thief (1955)

An ex-soldier turned highwayman uncovers a plot to take control of England from King Charles II.

Directors:

Robert Z. Leonard, Hugo Fregonese (uncredited)

Writers:

Robert Hardy Andrews (story), Christopher Knopf

Stars:

Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Blyth	...	Lady Mary
Edmund Purdom	...	Michael Dermott
David Niven	...	James - Duke of Brampton
George Sanders	...	Charles II
Roger Moore	...	Jack
John Dehner	...	Capt Herrick
Sean McClory	...	Sheldon
Tudor Owen	...	Simon
Melville Cooper	...	Henry Wynch
Alan Mowbray	...	Sir Gilbert Talbot
Rhys Williams	...	Turnkey
Joan Elan	...	Charity Fell
Charles Davis	...	Apothecary
Ashley Cowan	...	Skene
Ian Wolfe	...	Fell

Storyline

Lady Mary's father is innocently accused of treason and is executed. It is the King's evil chancellor, the Duke of Brampton, who has found a way of getting rich by accusing wealthy nobles of treason, having them killed, and then expropriating part of their fortune along with their troops. Lady Mary travels to London to meet the Duke, and at the same time, meets the daring and handsome highwayman Michael Dermott. Dermott has stolen the Duke's notebook where the list of targeted noblemen has been written down. The Duke is very anxious to get his notebook back.

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Plot Keywords:

swordsman | espionage | 1670s | king | crown jewels | 

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Taglines:

A romance inspired by a true story of a soldier of fortune!

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Genres:

Adventure | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Des Königs Dieb

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,577,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$478,000, 31 December 1955

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,549,000, 31 December 1955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger were considered for the main role.

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Connections

Referenced in 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955)

User Reviews

Ok historical swashbuckler

I watched The King's Thief for one reason only, and that was that I am a bit of a Roger Moore fan. Alas, Roger isn't in the film very much, though what little he does he does well enough. However, I still enjoyed it as an easy-on-the-brain swashbuckler, the type of thing that Errol Flynn might have starred in twenty years earlier.

The plot is brisk and simple. It involves a plot to overthrow the king of England, recorded in a notebook which falls into the hands of a woodland bandit. The bandit is a bad man, but when he realises what is going on, he knows that he must do something to protect the monarch. In this way, the villain actually becomes the good guy. After a lot of swordplay and treachery, the bandit and his merry men save the king and catch the deceivers.

There's not much to remember about the film once it's over. There's one particularly suspenseful escape sequence, in which two bandits get out of Newgate prison, but besides that it kind of floats out of your head as quickly as it floated in. All the same, this is fun. It is the kind of movie your kids could watch without being exposed to blood and gore, sex and swearing. Yet at the same time it deals with action, murder, treachery and brigandry. I can't honestly recommend the film as a great viewing experience (it certainly isn't some kind of forgotten classic, so don't think it is), but if you want to pass an hour and a half on a Saturday afternoon, you could do a lot worse.