This might well be the most historically inaccurate film of all time. I think they should have just made it a fantasy film and have done with that, rather than attempting to make it of a particular period. The bad guys in this film are Saxons, which would indicate that it's supposed to take place in roughly the sixth century, a time during which King Arthur was battling the invading barbarians. However, the costumes and backdrops are definitely those of the twelve century, with lots of Norman castles made in stone, jousting, elaborate suits of armour, kite shields and the like. To make things even more incomprehensible, the hero is one Robert Marshall (possibly a relation of famous knight William Marshall?), who seems to be Robin Hood in all but name, living out in the greenwood with his merry men. Oh, and the Saxons wear ludicrous prop horned helmets which were a flight of fancy invented by the Victorians (if you tried wearing one of these in battle it would be knocked off right away on account of the horns).
Apart from the ludicrous attention to historical detail, this is a really unrewarding hodge-podge of a film. It looks to be an Arthurian film, but most of the time it's just chasing about in the woods or in various castle settings. I found Ronald Lewis to be an utterly unlikeable hero, a sleazy character determined to bed the young princess. Said princess, played by Janette Scott as if she's in a CARRY ON film, sports a ridiculous early '60s haircut that's supposed to help her pass for a guy. Huh? There's a little more gravitas lent by the supporting players, including Ronald Howard's bad guy, Edmund of Cornwall (another made up person). Howard is actually pretty nice for a bad guy, and his abrupt ending is pretty funny. Jerome Willis is delightful as the dastardly "limping man" and larger-than-life Francis de Wolff has fun in his cameo as a blacksmith. Also look out for Charles Lloyd Pack who pops up early on as a physician and John Laurie as Merlin, the crusty old sage.
Director Nathan Juran was responsible for some colourful children's classics (JACK THE GIANT KILLER and THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) but this is one of his weakest films. The flimsy sets and poor action scenes sap life from the film, and some liberal use of stock footage at the climax (stolen from THE BLACK KNIGHT) doesn't really add to the entertainment factor – other than providing some amusement as they keep repeating the same bits of people falling from the battlements over and over! Altogether this is a ludicrous movie that fails to be worth anyone's time.
Apart from the ludicrous attention to historical detail, this is a really unrewarding hodge-podge of a film. It looks to be an Arthurian film, but most of the time it's just chasing about in the woods or in various castle settings. I found Ronald Lewis to be an utterly unlikeable hero, a sleazy character determined to bed the young princess. Said princess, played by Janette Scott as if she's in a CARRY ON film, sports a ridiculous early '60s haircut that's supposed to help her pass for a guy. Huh? There's a little more gravitas lent by the supporting players, including Ronald Howard's bad guy, Edmund of Cornwall (another made up person). Howard is actually pretty nice for a bad guy, and his abrupt ending is pretty funny. Jerome Willis is delightful as the dastardly "limping man" and larger-than-life Francis de Wolff has fun in his cameo as a blacksmith. Also look out for Charles Lloyd Pack who pops up early on as a physician and John Laurie as Merlin, the crusty old sage.
Director Nathan Juran was responsible for some colourful children's classics (JACK THE GIANT KILLER and THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) but this is one of his weakest films. The flimsy sets and poor action scenes sap life from the film, and some liberal use of stock footage at the climax (stolen from THE BLACK KNIGHT) doesn't really add to the entertainment factor – other than providing some amusement as they keep repeating the same bits of people falling from the battlements over and over! Altogether this is a ludicrous movie that fails to be worth anyone's time.