The Sword And The Rose (1953)

 

The Sword And The Rose - 1953

Coming up next we have 1953's "The Sword And The Rose", a fictionalized retelling of the story of Henry VIII's sister Mary and her desire to marry the man she loves.

The film's cast includes Glynis Johns, Richard Todd, James Robertson Justice, Michael Gough, Jane Barrett, Peter Copley, Rosalie Crutchley, D.A. Clarke-Smith, Jean Mercure, Gerard Oury, and Helen Goss.

It's at Windsor Castle during the reign of Henry VIII that his sister, Mary, sees a man she likes in the form of newcomer to court Charles Brandon.

However, the Duke of Buckingham wants to marry Mary, though she gently rebuffs his advances, claiming that he will always be her friend.

Mary and Charles Brandon begin spending more and more time together, eventually falling in love.  Mary is ready to dive into a relationship.  Charles is more cautious as she is a member of the royal family.  To get distance, he plans a trip to the New World.

Mary is cautioned about the relationship, and she shows her Tudor temperament by proclaiming, "It’s time that you all understood that Mary Tudor will marry a beggar if she chooses."

Her brother, however, has already promised her in marriage to the aging King Louis XII of France, who sends many gifts to woo his young bride-to-be.

Balking at the marriage, Mary runs away and joins Charles on a ship bound for the New World.

Before they can make it out of English waters, they are stopped, Charles is arrested, accused of kidnapping a princess, charged with treason, and thrown into the Tower of London awaiting execution.

To save Charles's life, Mary goes to her brother and agrees to marry the aged King of France with the provision that she is free to choose her own husband once the King dies, which he is expected to do within a year.  Henry agrees, but Charles is to remain in the Tower.

And so, she becomes Queen of France.  Mary encourages the sickly king to partake of a great deal of alcohol on their wedding day.  He collapses, and she is relieved that they won't have to be alone together.

Mary must also be on her guard.  The Dauphin of France wants to keep her in the country after Louis's death and make her his queen, even though he already has a wife.

Back home in England, the Duke of Buckingham "allows" Charles to escape the Tower before unleashing his guards on him.  Charles is wounded in the fray and does indeed escape, though Buckingham thinks him dead.

After King Louis dies, Buckingham journeys to France to bring Mary home and inform her of Charles's death.

When Buckingham shows his true colors, Mary is shocked.  Luckily, Charles arrives right on time.

Charles and Buckingham battle it out on the French shores.  Charles emerges the victor, and Buckingham dares not show his face in England again.

Back at Henry's court, Mary must now sufficiently charm her brother into remembering his promise that she could choose her own husband the second time around.  It doesn't matter, really, because she and Charles already married quietly on their way back to England.  Henry is initially outraged, but he calms down and settles an income and the titles Duke and Duchess of Suffolk on the couple.

Cast rundown:

   Glynis Johns.................................Princess Mary

   Richard Todd.................................Charles Brandon

   James Robertson Justice.................King Henry VIII

   Michael Gough..............................Duke of Buckingham

   Jane Barrett..................................Lady Margaret

   Peter Copley.................................Sir Edwin Caskoden

   Rosalie Crutchley...........................Queen Katherine

   D.A. Clarke-Smith..........................Cardinal Wolsey

   Jean Mercure................................King Louis XII

   Gerard Oury..................................Dauphin of France

   Helen Goss...................................Princess Claude

And that's all for The Sword And The Rose.  As stated in the opening paragraph, this film is highly fictionalized.  In reality, Charles Brandon was not a newcomer to court, but rather a childhood friend of Henry VIII.  He also never attempted a voyage to the New World.  Serious attempts to reach North America did not occur until the reign of Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I.  Still, it's a highly entertaining film and very unusual subject matter for a Disney production.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.