Black Arrow (1985)

In 15th century England, a civil war called Wars of the Roses is being fought between two rival houses who want the throne. Fresh from battle, a knight finds his family dead. He joins the outlaws led by the Black Arrow to seek justice.

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (novel), David Pursall (screenplay by)

Stars:

Benedict Taylor, Georgia Slowe, Oliver Reed

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Benedict Taylor	...	Richard
Georgia Slowe	...	Joanna
Oliver Reed	...	Sir Daniel
Fernando Rey	...	Warwick
Stephan Chase	...	Black Arrow
Donald Pleasence	...	Sir Oliver Oates
Roy Boyd	...	Lawless
Aldo Sambrell	...	Scar (as Adolf Sambrell)
Carol Gotell	...	Hannah
Robert Russell	...	Appleyard
Frank Braña	...	Sykes
Ralph Brown	...	Yardley

Storyline

In England, during the 15th century, many lords and noblemen vie for the throne.Among the contenders, two of the most powerful nobles fight a bitter war among one another.Sir Daniel is the head of the House of York while Sir Henry is the head of the House of Lancaster.Among all the English nobles,they stand the best chance of becoming the next king of England, given their wealth and power.But there can only be one monarch.The two Houses go to war. Each House chooses a symbol.The House of York chooses a white rose while the House of Lancaster chooses a red rose.The Earl of Warwick is the sitting monarch's advisor but he already starts to plot against the king in a secret alliance with Sir Daniel.The only party not having anything to gain from either House acceding to the throne is the English populace facing ever increasing royal taxes.However, a mysterious champion of the poor and the oppressed has appeared on the scene, attacking and killing any tax collecting officials and their ...

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Plot Keywords:

15th century | war of the roses | adventure hero | knight | arrow | 

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Genres:

Adventure | History

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Details

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Arrow - Krieg der Rosen

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cabo Blanco Production Inc., Compañía Iberoamericana de TV, Jerawood Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only time Disney released a movie by exploitation producer Harry Alan Towers.

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Connections

Version of The Black Arrow (1973)

User Reviews

Robert Louis Stevenson's novel of the war of the roses from a down to earth perspective of corruption, greed and lawlessness.

It was earlier made into a film in black-and-white in 1948 with George Macready as an impressing Sir Daniel in a stylish Hollywood version, which has served as a basis for the modern version with Oliver Reed as a much more brutal bully, but this version excels the earlier one in many ways. It is more convincingly 15th century, it is down to earth with wonderful primitive settings, the music is aptly composed to suit the material, and all the actors are perfect, especially Fernando Rey as a kind of godfather of the whole drama. The story is even more altered from Stevenson than the 1948 version, it is more concentrated and poignant with a grand finale in the cathedral. The problem of the novel is the character of Dick, which is not entirely successful, he is not sympathetic but rather controversial, but Benedict Taylor is perfect in the role. The character of Sir Oliver Oates is also improved by Donald Pleasance, and Stephan Chase makes a very likable and logical Black Arrow. Although the alterations from Stevenson do not improve the book, they make out a splendid complement to a book, which Stevenson himself was never quite happy with.