The Black Arrow (1948)

Black Arrows for Black Hearts.

The Black Arrow is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by Richard Schayer, David P. Sheppard and Thomas Sellar from the novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It stars Louis Hayward, George Macready and Janet Blair. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by Charles Lawton Jr.

A little known swashbuckler, the Black Arrow has all the requisite touches for fans of such dashing fare. Story is set just after The War of the Roses has ended and pitches the returning Sir Richard Shelton (Hayward) into a hunt for the truth behind his father’s murder. Political intrigue, fights, brutal jousting and romance does follow. It doesn’t give the Flynn or Power swashbucklers a run for their money, but it’s good honest family entertainment with medieval literacy at the core and red-blooded machismo bulging at the seams. 6/10

This film is really all about the last ten minutes. When Louis Hayward ("Sir Richard") returns from fighting in the Wars of the Roses, he discovers all at home is not so rosey. His father has, allegedly, been slain by a neighbour and his uncle "Sir Daniel" (George Macready) has taken over his estate. Soon, though, our young knight starts to smell a rat. When the daughter of his father's purported murderer (Janet Blair) arrives at their castle, the plot positively thickens as lifelong friends start to look more and more untrustworthy, and it transpires that there is more to a marauding rebel hiding in the forest than first might have been expected. Of course it's a "Robin Hood" spin off and it's quite a talkie film, but there are some enjoyable action scenes and there's a certain chemistry between Hayward and Blair until the arrival of the the King's brother, the Duke of Gloucester (Lowell Gilmore) who facilitates the exciting denouement. It's got some good supporting efforts from Edgar Buchanan and the ever reliable Rhys Williams to keep it diverting enough, too. Not the best swashbuckler Hayward did, but it's still well worth 1¼ hours of anyone's time.