The Black Shield of Falworth

GOOD TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD HEROIC MATINEE MEDIEVALISM
This is the kind of colorful adventure that kids must have eaten up during Saturday matinees with a cartoon, newsreel, and second feature. A good-looking hero fights for justice, having to go through a period of training and learning before he is ready to take on his adversary. There is a friendship, a rivalry, a vow upheld, a promise kept, justice served, growth, a romance without sloppy kissing, and some spiffy combat, both man-to-man and large battles.

The story is based on Howard Pyle's "Men of Iron," a late 19th century boy's book that cleans up and romanticizes the Middle Ages. This movie keeps much of the flavor of that interpretation of medieval life. The story touches on such topics as the role of women, the rarity of books, the feudal system, and table manners. As such it is a fun and interesting place to start looking at medieval culture, but being based on a 19th century boy's novel, should not be taken as the last word.

For medieval purists, this movie can...

Great fun...a "must" for your medieval video collection
As a professional Knight by trade, I love collecting every well-made film on the subject of Knighthood (fact and fiction) I can possibly find. Ever since I was a child, this film has been one of the most inspiring for me, and I'm glad to see it out on video.

Set during the reign of Henry IV of England, "The Black Shield" traces the adventures of Miles Falworth (Tony Curtis) and his sister, the banished children of a great Knight who was framed and killed by the evil Earl of Alban. Now, the Falworth name is outlawed, as are any living relatives bearing the same name. Sent to the castle of one of their dad's long-time friends for protection and service, the Falworth duo find favor with the castle Lord. This good fortune, together with Miles' scrappy personality and martial skill, places the young fellow in training for Knighthood under the tutelage of the salty Sir James. A great story follows, knitting Tony with Janet Leigh (yes, Jamie Lee's real-life...

Curtis and Leigh in medieval swashbuckler
THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954) holds the distinction of being the very first CinemaScope production released by Universal. Real-life couple Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh pair up for one of their most enjoyable outings in this medieval swashbuckler.

Farm-hand Myles (Curtis) and his sister Meg (Barbara Rush) enter the employment of Mackworth Castle; he as a knight-in-training, and she as an attendant to Lady Anne (Janet Leigh). Before you can say "opposites attract", Myles and Anne have struck up an inevitible romance, although the Earl of Mackworth (Herbert Marshall) hides potentially dangerous information regarding Myles' parentage, and his rightful place in the kingdom...

Tony Curtis has copped a lot of flack for his performance in THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH. True, he hardly fits the bill as a British knight of the realm, but he delivers a fun-spirited, committed performance in the best tradition of Errol Flynn, helped largely by the support of Janet...

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