The Black Arrow

I regularely confound this movie in Gordon Douglas' filmography with ROGUES OF SHERWOOD FOREST, made two years later and speaking of a very close story, settings and atmosphere. Both features are obviously ROBIN HOOD films rip-offs, and excellent ones. In this medieval swashbuckler, Louis Hayward fights against...Guess who.... The main and unique villain of Columbia swashbucklers of the forties and fifties: George Mc Ready himself. Who else? Louis Haywad against George Mc Ready is like Errol Flynn vs Basil Rathbone. It was made in black and white, such a shame, but it was colorized. And guess what, for once, I appreciate a colorized film. And what a good surprise to see a Columbia Pictures swashbuckler not produced by the infamous Sam Katzman. Gordon douglas would have not survived to such a doomed situation.

Starkly made in classic black and white, this medieval adventure is set and in England at the end of the War of the Roses. The main character must cope with the death of his father, apparently at the hand of a once trusted neighbor. Naturally, a love interest is provided for him in the person of the daughter of his father's killer. The `Black Arrow' is the mysterious missive that keeps flying in, to suggest that things are not what they seem, and to motivate young Shelton to search for truth. Some good sword play, chase sequences, and a classic joust scene for the grand finale. A good film for a late afternoon unwind.

THE BLACK ARROW, based on a historical novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, is an American-made swashbuckler that's set in England and tells a tale that's very reminiscent of the Robin Hood story. Set in the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses, it sees a soldier return home to find his father murdered, apparently by a rival, although he soon discovers that the murderers lay close at hand and that foul play was involved.

This is a light and breezy affair, with a fast pacing and plenty of action to recommend it. The swordfights are conducted in the classic manner with the opponents adopting fencing stances and a general old-fashioned feel to them. Louis Hayward, the erstwhile hero, is a guy I didn't find particularly charismatic, but the supporting cast of dastardlies and outlaw heroes is a well-chosen one.

Of course, never for a second does this film convince you that it's set in England, and the American accents of some of the cast members don't help much. Nonetheless it's an entertaining piece, with all of the jailbreaks, skullduggery, rescues and escapes you could hope for in an adventure movie. The ferocious jousting climax is a real highlight and surprisingly barbaric for its time.

Based,like this other Gordon Douglas "roguess of Sherwood" on a vague screenplay inspired by Robin Hood,"black arrow" shows more originality ,in spite of two lackluster principals: Louis Hayward is a million miles from Eroll Flynn,being rather clumsy -I remember he was pretty mediocre as Lombard in Clair's "and then there were none" ;Janet Blair is a little better as another Lady Marian avatar,but she is not Olivia De Havilland either.George McReady easily stills the show,being nasty ,treacherous,unctuous ,the perfect baddie .

The story takes place after the Wars of the Roses but history is quickly forgotten and we have another story à la Robin Hood.That said,the movie is entertaining,it's action-packed and there's never a dull moment .

This 1948 swashbuckler set in the aftermath of the War of the Roses has three things that makes this mildly enjoyable programmer: the underrated Gordon Douglas directing, the menacing scene stealer George Macready, and the dashing Louis Hayward isn't Errol Flynn, which is a good thing, as Hayward has got his own unique style; he looks the part, acts really well as the son who returns to find his father murdered, and his sword fights are executed with cat-like agility.

The story - A young British nobleman comes back from fighting in the War of the Roses to discover that his father has been murdered by an old family friend who is now an outlaw. However, he becomes suspicious about the exact circumstances of his father's death and determines to find out exactly what happened.

As the storyline suggests, there's a little intrigue, especially with the black arrows left for Hayward's character to read. It implies that his uncle, Macready, is the real culprit. The first half moves slightly ponderously, but it's still captures your attention. There are sword fights, secret passages, rebellious bandits on the side of good, and an exciting jousting sequence. Enjoyable swashbuckler, though I wish it was in technicolour. Check out the brilliant Disney 1985 version of this Robert Louis Stevenson penned adaptation.