The Black Shield of Falworth

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The Black Shield of Falworth
Directed by	Rudolph Maté
Produced by	Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker
Written by	Howard Pyle (novel) Oscar Brodney
Starring	Tony Curtis Janet Leigh Barbara Rush Torin Thatcher Herbert Marshall Craig Hill David Farrar Dan O'Herlihy
Music by	Hans J. Salter
Distributed by	Universal International
Release date(s)	1954
Running time	99 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Black Shield of Falworth is a 1954 film made by Universal Studios, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. The screenplay was adapted by Oscar Brodney from Howard Pyle's novel Men of Iron and starred Tony Curtis as Myles Falworth, Janet Leigh as Lady Anne of Mackworth, David Farrar as the Earl of Alban, Herbert Marshall as the Earl of Mackworth, and Torin Thatcher as Sir James. It was Universal International's first feature in CinemaScope. It opened in New York City on October 6, 1954 at the Loew's State Theater. It was the second of five films in which husband and wife Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh appeared together on screen during their marriage (1952-1961).

[edit] Plot Summary

The film begins with a hunt on the estates of the Earl of Alban in which the participants are King Henry IV of England, the earl, the earl's friend Sir Robert and their retinues. The king must leave due to a seizure, but he insists that the hunt continue. Sir Robert tells Alban that should the king die Prince Hal would rule. Alban replies that Prince Hal would rule his wine bottles and his tailors, but the council would rule England. Sir Robert then remarks that Alban would rule the council.

Alban's party stops at a farm in Crosbey-Dale (pronounced, kris' bē-dāl), which is the home of Diccon Bowman and a brother and sister in young adulthood (Myles and Meg Falworth). Meg spots them as they come down the road and both she and Diccon warn Myles to hide in order to avoid being impressed into the service of the hated Earl of Alban.

When Sir Robert pursues Meg for dishonorable purposes he is opposed by Myles who is hiding in the cottage loft. Their struggle brings in all the rest of the earl's party. When Myles gets away, the earl promises a cask of his best Spanish wine to the one who captures the peasant. Alban's men find the horse Myles took from the earl's party near the church of Friar Edward, but they are brushed off by the old priest.

Myles, Meg, and Diccon are hiding in Friar Edward's study when he announces that Myles and Meg are to go to Mackworth castle a year earlier than planned by him and Diccon. He then takes out a small casket in which are kept a letter to Lord Mackworth and a signet ring with a black shield and red griffin. They were entrusted to the friar by Myles and Meg's father of whom they know nothing. Diccon and the friar were sworn never to tell Myles and Meg about their father, and the friar wishes to keep the signet ring, but Myles insists on taking it with him to discover its meaning. He is warned that if he is caught with it in his possession it may mean his death. Myles promises to keep it well hidden.

The next day Diccon and Meg in a one-horse cart and Myles on horseback go to Mackworth castle. They are accidentally halted by a lady riding away from a horseman dressed in the blue livery of the knighthood squires of Mackworth castle. She calls for help, and Myles stops the pursuer, knocking him off his horse, and keeping him down with his foot on his chest. The lady rides back laughing and announces that her pursuer has lost his wager with her that he would overtake her. The man and woman are Walter Blunt, chief of esquires and Lady Anne, daughter of the Earl of Mackworth.

When Diccon, Myles, and Meg enter one of the castle halls Myles has the misfortune to stumble around attracting the attention of two of the knighthood squires and one squire-at-arms, Francis Gascoyne, who takes an immediate interest in Meg. He makes his acquaintance with the three visitors, and keeps Myles from getting into a fight with the knighthood squires and Walter Blunt who enters with Anne. Francis tells them that they might have to wait awhile because Prince Hal is visiting and that it is difficult to get him away from "his wine cups."

Earl Mackworth, the prince, a bishop, and two or three others are then seen walking down the hall with the prince finishing a glass goblet of wine. Mackworth diverts the prince into the library presumably for more wine. When Mackworth and the prince are alone, they discuss how the prince has to put on this charade of being a drunkard and a fop in order to protect himself from the ambitions of the Earl of Alban to control England. The prince is tired of it, but Mackworth encourages him to continue. Mackworth also tells the prince that Alban wants his brother to effect the merger of his family with theirs by marrying his daughter Anne. That is why Walter Blunt is now in his household. This provides a fictional explanation for Prince Hal's legendary reputation as a reveler before he became king. They wish for "a sword that would rid us of this scourge."

Mackworth and the prince enter the hall where Myles and Meg are waiting for them. Francis directs them to the earl for the safe delivery of the letter. Mackworth has trouble reading it, so the prince takes the letter and begins reading it aloud. When Mackworth realizes what the matter is, he stops the prince and lets them know that someone he had known 20 years ago wants him to take his son and daughter into his household. Mackworth has Gascoyne take Meg to Dame Ellen, one of his daughter's waiting women, and Myles to Sir James, who is in charge of training knights and men-at-arms.

Francis leads Myles to Sir James's office, but they take a short cut through Earl Mackworth's library where Myles finds out that there is a book of heraldry. Myles realizes he can consult it for the meaning of the coat-of-arms on his father's signet ring. Francis warns Myles that he must not be caught going through the library since it is off limits to them.

A taste of Sir James's harshness is given when Francis and Myles are met outside Sir James's office by a fellow squire-at-arms who tells them, "The old bear's wounds must really be aching: he sunk his teeth into my flesh and chewed!" Francis and Myles enter, and Francis tells Sir James that Earl Mackworth bade him enter Myles's name as a squire-at-arms. The old, one-eyed knight enters Myles on the rolls as "unclassified" until he can test his mettle.

Meg also proves a problem to Dame Ellen and the other ladies-in-waiting. Francis and Myles pass a door where a lady in waiting is forced out of doors by a feisty Meg: she will not wear the ugly clothing they want her to dress in. Meg's tussle with the old women is overheard by Lady Anne, who takes Meg to her room and becomes fast friends with her. Meg is delighted that Anne wants to share her lovely clothes with her.

In the squires' quarters Myles is shown his cot next to Francis's, and he is warned to stay out of a wood-framed area reserved for the squires who are preparing for knighthood. Myles is only a squire-at-arms. He is shown the squat water tank that the squires-at-arms must take turns in filling daily. Myles shows two knighthood squires that he will not take their taunts.

The daily exercises of the squires is exacting at the pells (the wooden posts the squires practice striking with their swords and around which they are to maneuver their war horses). Sir James singles Myles out for not keeping his shield high, but in a short practice duel Myles succeeds in tripping the old knight with the latter's quarter staff. Anne and Meg watch the young men practicing just before they go out on a ride. Walter Blunt is merciless to Myles by having him extend his right arm and hold a stone until he tells him to put it down. Francis helps Myles treat his sore arm at the well with cool water in the evening after drill, but Myles sends Francis in as he wants to secretly go to the library for a look at the book of heraldry. He enlists Meg's help as a look out. He is not there long when Meg comes in telling him that Blunt and Anne are walking down the hall.

Blunt wants Anne to consent to marry him before his brother the Earl of Alban would get the king to order her marriage to him. Anne does not want to marry him, but she does not want to anger him. He tells her that he will see her father right away, and breaks in on him and the prince talking in a room adjoining the library. Walter Blunt tells Mackworth and the prince that his matter can wait until later and leaves. Anne tells her father what Blunt had said, that Alban through the king would force her to marry Blunt. The prince pretends to be pleased and encouraging which moves Anne bid her father a sad "goodnight." She then goes into the library where she sees Myles and Meg looking through the book of heraldry, but she does not say anything. That makes no difference because Mackworth follows his daughter to comfort her, discovering the two trespassers. The prince follows Mackworth into the room.

Myles tells Mackworth that he is looking for the coat-of-arms of the signet ring that accompanied his father's letter to him. Myles, Meg, and Anne are sent away, while the prince looks through the book of heraldry with the signet ring which Myles was forced to leave. He finds the coat-of-arms in question, the black shield and the red griffin of Falworth with the motto "Fidus et audax" ("faithful and bold"). Written aslant the lower right corner is the notice that the family of Falworth is attainted and that all in the family must be put to death. Mackworth assures the prince that Falworth was no traitor and that Myles and Meg are his children whom his protecting. The prince tears the page out of the book and hands it with the ring to Mackworth with the words, "I have not seen this."

Anne encourages Meg to write to Myles to tell him that she and Anne would be in the privy garden every day at 4:00 p.m. Myles and Francis take this as an invitation to tryst with the two ladies, and this goes on for the next year. Romance blossoms for Myles and Anne and Francis and Meg.

When Sir James reports on the progress of the squires to Earl Mackworth he is complimentary to Myles. Mackworth wants Myles trained in "the gentler arts" (table ettiquette) but also trained harder than the others. After a lesson in etiquette Myles fights with Walter Blunt, who brutally attacks a squire-at-arms who accidentally spilled water on him. Mackworth, Sir James, and Anne break in, but Mackworth keeps Sir James from breaking up the fight. It ends with Walter Blunt being severely injured. Mackworth speaks to Myles privately where he is told that he will from then on train for knighthood.

Walter Blunt is puzzled that Myles has been singled out for knighthood training, so he leaves Mackworth castle for King Henry's court to consult with his brother. At one of Myles's afternoon trysts with Anne they discuss Blunt's subsequent knighthood and his ensuing proposal of marriage to Anne. This does not end well as Anne feels she is compelled to marry Blunt.

As Myles comes back over the privy garden wall he is caught by Earl Mackworth and Sir George. They are in turn accosted with Sir Alexander and a small retinue who come from the king to announce an impending royal visit to Mackworth castle. The king will be accompanied by his son, the Earl of Alban, his brother Sir Walter Blunt, and by the Count de Vermois, the jousting champion of Burgandy.

Myles awaits word of his punishment for his secret trysts, but is surprized by Sir James coming to him with the proposition that he is to face the champion Vermois in a joust. Myles and Francis are presented to the king at a banquet. With the maneuvering of Mackworth and the prince, the king is persuaded to knight Myles in order to facilitate his crossing lances with the count.

At the dubbing ceremony Myles is given the black shield of his father Lord Falworth as the shield he will carry in the joust later that day. Alban points out to the king that Falworth had been attainted as a traitor, so both Myles and Mackworth are arrested to be tried in a specially convened "high court of chivalry." Myles is taken from Mackworth's quarters to be put into the dungeon when Alban reminds the king that he is already under sentence of death.

The prince then must intervene. He has Myles released in the king's name to come to the meeting of the high court of chivalry to the surprise of his father and Alban. Myles then throws down his gage before Alban, who takes it up against the advice of the king. This moves the trial of Mackworth and Myles onto the field of battle in trial by combat.

Mackworth's party are then permitted to have supper together with the prince, who is now under suspicion. Mackworth's men-at-arms are replaced by the king's orders, and Mackworth and the prince determine that Alban intends to kill the king the day of the battle and seize the throne. Myles suggests that the squires be armed as a counter force to resist, and they determine to send for Sir Hubert and his forces. The prince is prevented from leaving the castle by order of his father, but Anne and Meg are permitted to leave the castle through Anne's pretended acceptance of Walter Blunt's proposal. They successfully reach Sir Hubert.

The next day's trial by combat begins badly for Myles, but he is able to hold his own. At a sign from Walter Blunt Alban's men-at-arms try to kill Myles and the king, who is pulled out of the way by his son. They must then fight for their lives. Myles succeeds in killing the Earl of Alban, Francis kills Walter Blunt, and the squires-at-arms hold their own until Sir Hubert arrives. The next day King Henry happily restores the name, title, and estates of Falworth, and Anne and Sir Myles and Meg and Sir Francis Gascoyne are betrothed.

[edit] Differences from Men of Iron

The story of The Black Shield of Falworth differs from its source Men of Iron in a number of ways. In the novel:

1. - Myles father and mother are still alive, and he knows his name to be Myles Falworth.
2. - Myles does not have a sister Meg.
3. - Francis Gascoyne has no lady as does Myles.
4. - There is no "black shield of Falworth": the Falworth coat of arms is not an issue although the whereabouts of Myles's parents must be kept secret due to his father's attainder.
5. - Falworth's great enemy is only unmasked at the end while in the film Alban is known as the hated tyrannt throughout.
6. - Myles goes to Earl Mackworth's castle (the castle Devlen in the novel) at a younger age (16).
7. - Friar Edward is Prior Edward, who governs the estates on which Crosbey-Dale is located.
8. - Sir James (with the sir name "Lee" in the novel) is Myles's friend and confidant inside the Mackworth establishment; he was a battle companion of Diccon Bowman.
9. - The Mackworth establishment is more stratified: the royal and noble persons are not so easily accessible.
10. - Myles and Francis Gascoyne find a secret hideout, which they call their Eyry at the top of the "Brutus Tower."
11. - Myles falls in love with the Earl Mackworth's niece, Alice, rather than his daughter Anne.
12. - There is no Dame Ellen identified as attending the Lady Anne.
13. - Walter Blunt is not the Earl of Alban's brother, and he disappears from the story after Myles has decisively defeated him.
14. - Walter Blunt is not a suitor for the hand of Lady Anne of Mackworth.
15. - Sir Myles jousts with the Count de Vermois's (Compte de Vermoise in the novel) champion the Sieur de la Montaigne: in the film he is slated to joust with Vermois himself, but he is prevented from doing so.
16. - Mackworth has a brother, Lord George Beaumont, who also becomes interested in Myles's future.
17. - The Earl of Alban does not try to seize the throne from King Henry, but he remains his friend.
18. - King Henry is not so pleased by Myles's final victory over the Earl of Alban, and Myles and his family are only given full restitution when King Henry V ascends the throne.

[edit] External links

• The Black Shield of Falworth at the Internet Movie Database
• Special webpage devoted to The Black Shield of Falworth