My love for adventure/swashbuckler films was the main attraction in seeing 'The Black Shield of Falworth', and there are many ones out there. As well as seeing Tony Curtis in an early role and having Janet Leigh, Torin Thatcher and David Farrar in the cast, it was an opportunity too hard to pass up and it turned out to be a worthwhile opportunity. 'The Black Shield of Falworth' may not be an amazing or great film and there may be better adventure/swashbuckler films out there. It is however so much fun and it is very hard to be too hard on such a good-natured film that knows what it wants to be, who its target audience is and doesn't try to be any more than necessary. It is not a film to be taken seriously, this was something learnt from watching other early films of Curtis, and 'The Black Shield of Falworth' does very well in that respect without treating the audience/viewer like idiots or getting too silly.Sure 'The Black Shield of Falworth' is predictable in how it's structured, what happens and the outcomes. Sure people looking for authenticity will be disappointed, with many anachronisms to be found. Sure it can get a little too campy. Curtis may have some awkward moments and his accent jarring with the period somewhat. However, 'The Black Shield of Falworth' looks great. Very colourful, handsomely designed and lovely use of early CinemaScope. The music is suitably peppy and fits well, while the film is ably directed and contains some truly exciting action (namely in the climactic moments). Curtis is an athletic and also dashing and likeable hero, and he is supported well by suave Herbert Marshall and radiant Janet Leigh and Barbara Rush. Torin Thatcher, enjoying himself a lot, and a suitably dastardly David Farrar steal the film though. The chemistry between the cast is great and it was clear that they were having fun and with knowledge what tone to take.Regardless of what one's thoughts on the script is, the script doesn't sparkle and doesn't get too wordy that it bogs down the pace and action, of which it does neither. The pace is lively throughout and the story is told with constant energy and charm with the right amount of tension when necessary.In conclusion, a lot of fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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

As I am nearing the end of this eclectic but erratic month-long epic film viewing marathon, I have decided to dedicate this Saturday to revisiting my fondly remembered childhood memories of two vintage (but relatively minor) Technicolor swashbucklers which, thankfully, I purposely managed to acquire only recently: one is the latter-day Errol Flynn pirate yarn, AGAINST ALL FLAGS (1952; see below) and the other, naturally, the film under review.After all these years, THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH still emerges as the engaging romp I recalled it to be and is, in fact, a superior piece of Hollywood hokum – so much so that it’s quite a mystery to me how the film (which was even Universal’s very first Widescreen picture) is as yet unavailable anywhere on DVD and I have had to make do with a full-frame VHSrip which, in hindsight, is of surprisingly tolerable quality (with only the tell-tale excessive headroom being indicative of the fact that it was shot in a different aspect ratio). In any case, I think it is high time that, like Rock Hudson before him, Tony Curtis be given his own “Franchise Collection” DVD release from Universal which ought to contain (for starters) the equally exotic THE PRINCE WHO WAS A THIEF (1951; his first starring vehicle which was also directed by FALWORTH helmer, Rudolph Mate'), SON OF ALI BABA (1952) and THE PURPLE MASK (1955) – as well as any of the other Universal programmers Curtis starred in before emerging (if only briefly) with an altogether more adult image for Alexander Mackendrick’s superb SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957).Anyhow, back to FALWORTH: set in England during the reign of King Henry IV (Ian Keith), Curtis is (albeit unknowingly at first) the son of an unjustly accused and executed aristocrat who, along with his lovely sister (Barbara Rush), embarks on his way to knighthood by joining the men-at-arms school situated in the castle of an old ally of his father’s (Herbert Marshall) and tyrannically overseen by cantankerous but ultimately well-meaning one-eyed warrior (Torin Thatcher). The impressive cast is further bolstered by the appearance of Curtis’ then-wife Janet Leigh (as Marshall’s daughter who, naturally, falls for the uncouth graces of this “county bumpkin”), Dan O’ Herlihy (in a drunken, buffoonish caricature of Prince Hal – later King Henry V – which is merely a front to mislead the traitors within his father’s court), David Farrar (as the villainous Earl of Alban), Patrick O’Neal (as the latter’s brother and Curtis’ chief contender at training school and for the hand of Leigh herself) and Rhys Williams (playing the loyal servant who harbors Curtis and Rush at the beginning of the film).While some of the plot points got hazier with the passage of time, I still remembered the scenes of Curtis climbing the walls of the castle to go romance Janet Leigh during her afternoon croquet lessons, of Curtis stumbling around upon donning heavy armor for the first time and the exciting climactic jousting duel between Curtis and Farrar; needless to say, I now much preferred the various vivid sequences of training and combat to the bland romantic stuff but, still, I was disappointed that the immortal, much derided line supposedly uttered by Curtis in this film, “Yonda lies da castle of my fodda”, is never actually spoken, resulting in yet another Hollywood legend – a' la ALGIERS (1938; “Come wiz me to the Casbah”) and CASABLANCA (1942; “Play it again, Sam”) – which has, with time, grown to become accepted as fact!

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.