The Black Shield of Falworth

3 / 10
1 vote cast
Rate this item
Inline Image

Technicolor & Tights!
Certificate: U
Running Time: 95
Retail Price: £15.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
The time is England in the reign of King Henry IV, Miles (Curtis) is a headstrong, handsome peasant determined to learn the name of his slain father and discover his true heritage. His fiery ambition and swift sword lead him to the majestic MacWorth castle. There he must compete for both knighthood as well as the hand of the fair Lady Anne (Leigh), but her love is claimed by the evil, conniving Sir Walter Blount. All the while the English throne is being challenged to the death - from sinister forces within

Soon the fate of the realm, and his beloved Lady Anne, will depend upon his martial skill, but not before Miles must unlock the secret of his own shocking, mysterious identity. With its outstanding supporting cast and dazzling set design this is truly an epic tale of which legends are made!

Special Features:
None.

Video Tracks:
Anamorphic 1.78:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Mono English

Directed By:
Rudolph Maté

Written By:


Starring:
Tony Curtis
Janet Leigh
David Farrar
Barbara Rush
Herbert Marshall
Torin Thatcher
Dan O'Herlihy
Patrick O'Neal
Craig Hill
Ian Keith
Doris Lloyd
Rhys Williams
Leonard Mudie
Maurice Marsac
Leo Britt
Charles B. Fitzsimons
Gary Montgomery
Claud Allister
Hamilton Camp

Soundtrack By:
Hans J. Salter

Director of Photography:
Irving Glassberg

Editor:
Ted J. Kent

Costume Designer:
Rosemary Odell

Producer:
Robert Arthur
Melville Tucker

Distributor:
Eureka

Your Opinions and Comments

Buyer Beware!!!

It needs to be pointed out that this film should be in Cinemascope - that's 2.35:1 - 2.4:1, not 1.78:1. This is a 16:9 pan and scan copy of the movie, not the original aspect ratio.

However, the fault is not with Eureka - they had to work with the master tape Universal provided them with. Now before anybody goes off the deep end, according to some digging done by a Roobarbarian sleuth over on that forum, Black Shield of Falworth is one of the movies affected by the vault fire at Universal Studios last June. Apparently the home video master for this movie and possibly the extant theatrical prints were destroyed in the fire. The master negative is, fortunately safe in a different vault off the Universal lot but the cost of striking a new fine grain print and telecine-ing it would be prohibitive offset against the expected sales for the title.
posted by Mark Oates on 6/11/2008 18:30
3 / 10
I thought there was a discrepancy between the 'filmed in CinemaScope' logo and the 1.78:1 aspect ratio of the disc but wasn't sure why. It should be in 2.35:1 and I've edited the review accordingly; kudos to Mark for providing the relevant details.
posted by David Beckett on 6/11/2008 22:50