The Sword and the Rose

This is not an action picture, but an enchanting historical or pseudo-historical romance taken from a Charles Major novel which was very popular, especially with women, many decades ago. It tells the story of Mary, the sister of Henry VIII who was married to king Louis XII of France. But the movie tells chiefly of his love for a commoner, Brandon, and how it eventually succeeded. An excellent reconstruction of the ambiance and ways of living,of the English Court in the 16th century, a screen play full of humor (incidentally, what became of the scenarist, Lawrence Edward Watkin, whose thirties novel "On Borrowed Time" was such a delight?), magnificent photography, all this contributes to make The Sword and the Rose one of the better Disney films. But what makes it exceptional, is the magnificent performances of Glynis Johns and James Robertson Justice. In Miss Johns' hands, Mary is a woman every man would be proud and satisfied to fall in love with. And the Henry VIII of Mr Justice justifies comparison with Charles Laughton's.

Todd, Johns and Justice deliver excellent performances. This is not a "B" movie. Being a romantic adventure movie, there is not the tension of a disaster occurring. Still the plot keeps us absorbed and interested in the outcome.

After reading all of the negative reviews on this movie, I just had to give one on my opinion. This is my all time favorite movie. I love the dynamics between the actors and the chemistry between Charles Brandon and the Princess Mary. I love that I can sit down to watch it and feel the emotion that was meant for the viewer to feel. So what if there are discrepancies in the storyline, the wardrobe, and the actors portrayal of the real people from history? I don't really care. This is a great movie, and it will always be at the very top of my favorites list. If you know what's good for you, you will watch it, you will LOVE it, and you will tell your friends how amazing it is, too!

Obstinate princess Mary Tudor , (Glynis Johns) , sister of king Henry VIII (James Robertson Justice) , shuns the advances of a nobleman , Duke of Buckingham (Michael Gough) , for the love of a commoner named Charles Brandon (Richard Todd) . She attempts to escape to America with her love but is captured on board ship . In return for her consent , Henry VIII agrees to marry her the elderly King of France Louis XII , who'll be succeded by Francisco I . But things go wrong when she is abducted . Then his sweetheart , the valiant commoner Charles Brandon, attempts to rescue her love by exciting feats and thrilling fights againt enemies .Now ! Walt Disney brings new excitement to romance !. A Forbidden Love That Threatened Two King !

Historical film packs romance , emotion , sword-play and being fast-moving . Interesting and attractive screenplay based on the book : ¨When knighthood was in flower¨ . Main and support cast are pretty well . Glynis Johns and James Robertson Justice make an extraordinary battle of wits , they were two of the foremost British talents at the time , while Richard Todd plays adequately a brave communer . They're well accompanied by a nice cast , such as : Michael Gough as the nasty Duke of Buckingham , Jane Barrett , Peter Copley , Rosalie Crutchley , Anthony Sharp , Patrick Cargill, the French Gérard Oury as Dauphin of France , among others.

In The Sword and the Rose (1953) stands out the colorful and brilliant cinematography in Walt Disney style by cameraman Geoffrey Unsworth . As well as the evocative and imaginative musical score by Clifton Parker . The motion picture was uneven but competently directed by Ken Annakin , though being sporadically fun and entertaining enough . In the 1960s he was one of several British directors along with Guy Green, John Guillermin who specialized in turning out all-star , splashy, big-budget European/American co-productions, shot on the Continent . He was one of the directors of the epic World War II spectacle The longest day (1962) and went solo on Battle of the Bulge (1965), both of which were financial--if not exactly critical--successes. Ken was an expert on Adventure genre as ¨The new adventures of Pippi Longstockings¨, ¨Pirate movie¨ , ¨Paper tiger¨, ¨The fifth Musketeer¨ , ¨Call of wild¨, ¨The Swiss family Robinson¨, ¨Land of fury¨, ¨The Sword and the Rose¨, ¨The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men¨, ¨Third man on the mountain¨ and Wartime genre as ¨Battle of the Bulge¨, and ¨The Longest day¨. Rating 6/10 . Acceptable and passable. The flick will appeal to historical genre enthusiasts . Well worth watching ,

Disney was,of course,the best one for family entertainment.He really did create the market for films and television programs designed specifically for children.My only observation that can be seen as at all less than glowing is that,while violence per se is never eschewed,moral ambiguities are.Evil,for example,is portrayed in a relatively straightforward fashion,but bias,bigotry,and viciousness usually aren't.Consequently, the characterizations seen in his films are often less than 3 dimensional.His good characters,consequently,lack the flaws and failings that would round them out.

It's my understanding that Disney himself came from an emotionally and physically abusive background,characterized by alcoholism and a lack of love.I think,therefore,that his OWN search for nurturing figures,safety,and security show up in many of his films,reflected in the struggles and psychological journies of his protagonists.Not at all unusual,and indeed,perhaps inevitable.Nonetheless,as a result,his films need to be interpreted with this in mind.

This splendid,well-done,and highly enjoyable romance gives a delightful performance by Mr. Justice,which is historically less than accurate.Justice's portrayal of King Henry is that of a hearty,virile,good-natured and larger than life figure,who possess not only a sense of humor,but one of fun.He's both lovable and loving.This is the monarch that we wish Henry HAD been!And,sad to say,he wasn't.The really Henry VIII was a selfish,lustful,bloodthirsty,and boorish tyrant and monster,who crushed anyone who stood in his way.So,enjoy Justice's performance,based on the lusty,witty,drunken Falstaff.