Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953)

 

Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue - 1953

Coming up next is 1953's "Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue", a story about famed Scottish hero Rob Roy and his quest to gain amnesty for the Clan MacGregor.  This film has a particular interest for me, as Rob Roy was an ancestor of mine.

The film's cast includes Richard Todd, Glynis Johns, James Robertson Justice, Michael Gough, Finlay Currie, Jean Taylor Smith, Eric Pohlmann, and Ina De La Haye.

The clans of Scotland are not happy with the installment of King George I of England as the ruler of Scotland.  They want their own monarch.  So, they go to war.  Eventually, only a small band of rebels remains, and they are quashed by George I's forces.

Their leader, Rob Roy MacGregor, is captured.  All of this is watched over by the Duke of Argyll, who is Secretary of State for Scotland.  Argyll is a kinsman of Rob's.

The families of the Highlanders watch as the wounded come home.  Many are sad that their deceased loved ones are not among them.

The Duke of Montrose is jealous of the position held by the Duke of Argyll.  He uses Argyll's handling of the rebel situation to become Secretary of State for Scotland himself.

The Duke of Argyll is inclined to be lenient towards Rob MacGregor.  Rob's mother, Lady Margaret, is a member of the Argyll family, and she informs the Duke that she is engineering an escape plan for her son.

Those plans come off without a hitch.  Rob uses the opportunity to teach a lesson to the Duke of Montrose, who vows revenge.

After escaping from Montrose's clutches, Rob uses the time to propose to his sweetheart, Helen Mary.

The Duke of Montrose is swift in his revenge.  At Rob and Helen Mary's wedding, they are informed that the Clan MacGregor is disbanded by order of King George I, and the name MacGregor can no longer be used by any man in Scotland.

Rob is furious.  He organizes the clans together so they can fight the armies of King George once again.

The armies try hard to catch him, but Rob is always one step ahead of them.

Rob's mother is killed during a shootout at the MacGregor estate.  With her dying breath she utters, "It's so easy to set the heather on fire.  So hard to put it out."

Rob buries his mother quietly.  He promises open rebellion to avenge his mother's murder.

The Duke of Argyll counsels restraint, but Rob won't listen.  He once again organizes armies to fight against the King's forces.

In London, the fame of Rob and his rebellion grows.  Ballads and stories of his exploits appear on every street corner.  They come to the attention of Countess von Pahlen, who is the mistress of King George I.

The Countess and the King read about Rob.  The King is quite impressed at the rogue in Scotland.  He especially enjoys the story of how he tweaked the Duke of Montrose's nose.

After taking the rebellion one step too far, Rob travels to London to ask for amnesty for the MacGregors.  He offers his sword to the King.

The Duke of Montrose advises against amnesty.  The King says, "The king does not fear the bold enemy.  The king fears only the self-seeking friend."  Amnesty is duly granted.

Rob is then free to return to Scotland and the loving arms of his wife, Helen Mary.

Cast rundown:

   Richard Todd....................................Rob Roy MacGregor

   Glynis Johns.....................................Helen Mary MacGregor

   James Robertson Justice....................Duke of Argyll

   Michael Gough..................................Duke of Montrose

   Finlay Currie....................................Hamish MacPherson

   Jean Taylor Smith.............................Lady Margaret MacGregor

   Eric Pohlmann..................................King George I

   Ina De La Haye................................Countess von Pahlen

And that's it for Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue.  The film was shot in Scotland.  In his autobiography, Richard Todd said that the extras used for the battle scenes were soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had just returned from the Korean War.  Todd experienced an injury when he was shooting the opening battle scene: he stepped in a rabbit hole.

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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.

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