Much of the interest here is not in the plotline, which would supply you with the most rudimentary history lesson and that's about it, but more with the cast. Therefore Sylvester is caught in the middle of the two forces, and as the side he's meant to be fighting for were the winners eventually, you can guess this puts him in a very difficult position. In fact, Oliver Reed wore more scarlet than Hedley did, which may well have been a stylistic choice, for his Captain was by far the most interesting character here, wavering between the two sides as his head was turned by the love for Judd's daughter Claire ( June Thorburn), who happened to be siding against her strict father to sympathise with the King (who himself appeared only in one scene, and then wordlessly). If it sounds like it should have been one of their Robin Hood influenced films, well, it was and it wasn't.Ĭertainly the title character - the name Edward adopts for his raids on the Roundheads - acted as an outlaw the storyline was on the side of, but as it played he wasn't really the main character, and disappointingly he didn't show up dressed in a bright red costume. Hence they made quite a number of them, and often they would have a scene or bit of business which relented to their reputation of the bloodthirsty stuff, although not always, and that was the case here with The Scarlet Blade. The British studio Hammer, first time around, were not simply cranking out the horror movies, but had branched out into other genres as well during their heyday, and the historical adventure was one of those styles which suited them to a tee. Realising this, the oldest Beverley brother Edward ( Jack Hedley) makes plans of his own. However, the leader of the Roundheads in the area is Colonel Judd ( Lionel Jeffries) who, with his right hand man Captain Sylvester ( Oliver Reed), has managed to work out where the King is being kept and is heading over to the country house to arrest him. The year is 1648 and the English Civil War is at its height, with King Charles currently on the run from the forces of Oliver Cromwell, in hiding in this part of the English countryside where he has been given shelter by the Royalist Beverley family. Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley, June Thorburn, Michael Ripper, Harold Goldblatt, Duncan Lamont, Clifford Elkin, Suzan Farmer, John Harvey, Charles Houston, Robert Rietty, Harry Towb, George Woodbridge 2 on Blu-rayįable Fear: The Singing Ringing Tree on Blu-ray You Can't Tame What's Meant to Be Wild: The Howling on Blu-rayĬommendably Brief: Short Sharp Shocks Vol. You Have No Choice: Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Blu-ray Hungary for Cartoons: Hungarian Animations on MUBI Kung Fu Craft: Cinematic Vengeance! on Blu-rayĩ99 Letsbe Avenue: Gideon's Way on Blu-ray Vestron Double Bill: Dementia 13 and The Wraithįarewell Dean Stockwell: His Years of Weirdness Yeah, Too Quiet: The Great Silence on Blu-ray The Punk Rock Movie: Out of the Blue on Blu-ray What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on ArrowĪ Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
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