La flèche noire

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.

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.

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.

Lois Hayward is capable of much better than this. It was slow and awkward...some of the cast was good but over all I did not feel the casting was a great asset...certainly the script and direction were not...the cast deserved better to work with. Still if you are an afficianado of sword and swash be prepared to sit around for awhile and wonder why you bothered to wade thru this...definitely "not" a keeper...but watch it only if you love Louis Hayward movies.

This fine film is a dramatic, tense and action-packed story set at the close of the War of the Roses when a young man returns home to find that his father has been murdered and his estate confiscated. Louis Hayward is the dashing hero of the proceedings and Janet Blair supplies the romance in this film of treachery and palace intrigue. Hayward's search for the truth about his father's death places him and Blair in grave danger as sinister forces remain in the shadows, watching and waiting for the right time to move on him. George Macready is excellent in his role as the suave but evil landowner who also covets Blair for his marriage bed. Edgar Buchanan supports the headliners as an aide-de-camp of the outlaw band that hides out in the forest, reminiscent of the familiar Robin Hood legend. The movie has a classic good vs. evil theme and is accompanied by a fine score by Paul Sawtell.