The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)

Overrated and overhyped

i must have seen a different film!!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Nice adventure movie with stunning heroes/heroines, whole fast-moving scenes and great energy running through it. A spoiled young called Myles, Tony Curtis, goes to the royal court and is subsequently trained for knighthood. He is son of a deceased lord accused as a traitor. Myles results to be an excellent swordsman, rider and brave warrior who fights enemy and saves maids . Later on , he is out to thwart a nasty conspiracy led by a villain noble : David Farrar against King Henry IV : Ian Keith . Meanwhile , Curtis attempts to win the Hand of a beautiful Maiden , Lady Anne : Janet Leigh.Typically Technicolor Universal International Pictures of the 50s , including spectacular and colorful scenes , comic-strip style , fair damsels in distresses , spectacular battles , glamorous costumes and many other things . Being loosely based on a popular novel written by the prestigious Howard Pyle . This exuberant movie is filled with battling bodies , invigorating vitality , romance and thrilling swordplay. Tony Curtis gives a sympathetic acting with his NY acccent as Myles , the son of a disgraced knight . At the time Tony Curtis played a number of swashbucklers and adventure movies as The Vikings , Purple mask , The prince who was a thief , Son of Ali Baba . He is well accompanied by his wife at the time , the beauty Janet Leigh , and the charming Barbara Rush playing his sister . Top-notch supporting performances from a great secondary cast , such as : Herbert Marshall , Torin Thatcher , Dan O'herlihy, Patrick O'neal , Craig Hill , Ian Keith , Rhys Williams , among others. It packs a brilliant photography by Russell Metty who along with Irving Glassberg were ordinary Universal cameramen .The motion picture was profesionally by Rudolph Mate , though it has some flaws . He was a notorious cameraman and turning as a filmmaker in 1947 . He directed all kinds of genres as SciFi : When the world collide; Historical /Adventure as Seven seas to Calais, The Barbarians, 300 Spartans ; Westerns : In the Siege at Red River , The Mississipi gambler , The rawhide years ; and Film Noir : Union station , Second chance. The pictures themselves were for the most part undistinguished with his best work probably being the classic Noir DOA with Edmund O'Brian .Rating : 6/10 , acceptable and passable adventure movie . The movie will appeal to Tony Curtis fans .

The Black Shield of Falworth is directed by Rudolph Mate and adapted to screenplay by Oscar Brodney from the noel Men of Iron written by Howard Pyle. It stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Barbara Rush, Torin Thatcher, Herbert Marshall, Craig Hill, David Farrar and Dan O'Herlihy. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography by Irving Glassberg.1954 proved to be quite a year for fans of swords and shields movies, spoilt for choice really. Demetrius and the Gladiators, The Black Knight, King Richard and the Crusaders, Prince Valiant and The Black Shield of Falworth, all got trundled out with colourful ebullience and a willingness to entertain the genre faithful. Naturally budgets and quality of picture varied, while for more serious fare there was the option of seeking out The Egyptian or The Silver Chalice instead…Leonard Matlin famously called The Black Shield of Falworth a juvenile picture, well yes, that's pretty much what it is, it wasn't trying to be Ben-Hur etc, it knows its niche in the genre scheme of things and lets rip in a whirl of tights, colour, smirks, bravado and romance.It's ultimately a rompathon, it's predictable in story arc and awash with iffy accents that adorn a very simple historical plot. In short order it's an excuse for Curtis to be athletic and butch, fighting the good fight for his birthright, the fair maiden's affections and Henry IV's honour. The men are either splendidly handsome or crotchety villains, the ladies radiant and dressed to the nines. The fights are aplenty and decently choreographed, the colours sharp and the music a montage of medieval flavourings. If not taken seriously, and why would you? Then it's a fine rainy day movie to be enjoyed with drinks and snacks. Hooray for Olde England shenanigans. 6.5/10

Hiding from a death sentence passed by the King based on false accusations, Myles Falworth ends up with an opportunity to prove his loyalty and redress the injustice to his family.Dating back to the earliest part of Tony Curtis' career, and a time when Hollywood produced bright knights-in-armour action adventures rather than spaceships and superheroes, The Black Shield Of Falworth gives us a very Brooklyn protagonist filling the heroic tights and a moderately anonymous supporting cast, excepting only Janet Leigh. One can see quite clearly how Jamie Leigh Curtis got started.This is undemanding fun of its period.

I'm surprised and delighted to see so many other comments, two or three of them identical to the one I had planned to make. I too saw this movie at age 8, and enjoyed it so much, I thought it my favorite movie the whole time I was growing up. I haven't seen it since it came out 53 years ago (!) yet I still looked it up, when IMDb was invented. Other little boys obviously had the same experience I had. My favorite comedy moment (no plot spoiler) at age 8 was the one in which Tony, being disciplined, is forced to hold a cannon ball at arm's length overnight, and in the morning can't put down his arm. The young Janet Leigh was in the film too? She must have been ravishing, but I never even noticed, of course. Hope an affordable DVD comes out which I could share with my son before he's too old to fully enjoy it. Best wishes to you other guys. It wasn't your imagination; it really was special, if you were a boy.