The Black Shield of Falworth

Welcome to medieval chivalry! An age when honour, courage and death-defying battles were a daily occurrence…

Miles lives with his sister Meg in the heart of the countryside. It's an uncomplicated rural existence with geese, horses and hay. However, when the Earl of Alban invades their home, they go on the run. Hiding in a Church, the priest tells Miles that his late father never intended him to spend his life being a farmer. Along with his sister, they must travel to the Earl of Mackworth to deliver a letter. In addition, Miles unearths a coat of arms ring with a red dragon emblem. What does it mean? The mystery of their past begins to unravel when they arrive at Mackworth Castle…

The Black Shield of Falworth is based on the 1891 novel Men of Iron by Howard Pyle. Even though it takes liberties with its source material by excluding major dramatic elements, the language and dialogue is ingrained to its literary roots. If you want to hear people say 'that ruffian is in need of a flogging' then this is perfect stomping ground. With this in mind, it brings us to the attention of the short-tempered peasant Miles (played by Tony Curtis). Curtis is one of those first-rate actors who's appeared in such classic movies as Some Like It Hot, The Vikings and The Last Tycoon. His acting talent is usually second-to-none. It's just a shame that he has trouble conveying the majestic language of Ol' England. Just like Keanu Reeves in Dracula, Curtis' performance is somewhat disconnected from the milieu, an extraneous performance in the realm of overdoing it. As a result, Curtis is not at his best. With being a full-blooded American who doesn't do Shakespeare on the stage, you can't blame him for his poor conversion of the English language. However bad the dialogue, the delivery is one of those unintentional charismatic elements that make this movie special. It's just a shame it's unique for all the wrong reasons. If it weren't for the dodgy American accents and accidental humour this movie wouldn't have any legs to stand on. If you want to watch an actor like Tony Curtis dancing around in rigid green tights, leaping for joy with his black quiff-like hair, silver sword in hand, displaying his cloudy blue eyes with overstated theatre-like movements, this is the movie for you.

It would be easy to dismiss The Black Shield of Falworth as having no noteworthy or redeeming value. The problem is if you watch this movie as a kid, you wouldn't approach it with the same critical sneer as an adult. It fulfils many childhood fantasies of watching swashbuckling adventures with knights on horseback. It transports us to our youth, reigniting those imaginary musings on Robin Hood, Zorro and The Three Musketeers. With this in mind, you have to try to dispel your critical functions and pretend your eight-years-old again. If you can leave your critical 'adult' sensibilities at the door then you should enjoy this piece of historical farce.

The joys of watching a Techicolor film comes from the exaggerated colour palette. It's like jumping into a painting. The intense and vibrant colours help to create a kaleidoscopic frame of mind for the audience. From the lavish green meadows and clear blue skies to seductive red lipstick to pompous purples, it's all here. Even though it's not on the scale of other CinemaScope movies like the sword and sandals epic The Robe the set design and costume design are dazzling (the set decorator Russell A Gausman won an Academy Award for Spartacus and has worked on almost 700 films during his career). With regards to the performances by the supporting cast, the actor who shines in his movie is Torin Thatcher (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) who plays Sir James. With his eye patch, grey moustache, black cloak and Gandalf-like walking stick, he kicks ass!

Verdict: You can watch this perfect afternoon movie after finishing your Sunday roasters. Sit down, relax, grab a beer and enjoy the delight of this ostentatious medieval movie.

Disc: The quality of Blu-ray is faultless. Watching a CinemaScope movie in high-definition helps to highlight the widescreen format in all its splendour. Everything is crisp and clear, from facial definitions to stray hairlines to the different shades of a horse. You can see everything on display if your eyes explore the image. It would be fascinating to know the reason why a film like The Black Shied of Falworth is available on this format.