ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Leofwine_draca One of my fondest TV memories from my childhood in the '80s was a spoof adventure serial called THE FLASHING BLADE which they used to show on Saturday morning telly - Going Live, I believe. In it, a rebel hero won the hearts of women around him and valiantly fought off oppressors, and altogether it was a witty and affectionate spoof. Finally, fifteen years on, I catch up with the film which inspired that spoof.THE SCARLET BLADE is an entertaining Hammer swashbuckler, a colourful and lively romp with direction from the stalwart John Gilling, who can usually be relied upon to deliver a dependable movie. The period setting is as good as ever in a Hammer movie, horror or otherwise, and the various action sequences are very well staged and always exciting. On a technical level, the movie is above average in almost every respect. The plot, on the other hand, is basic stuff which happily focuses more on complex characters than other adventures of the period (a lot of Italian movies, for instance). However, it's the acting which stops this film from being an outright classic.Taking the lead of the swashbuckling hero is Jack Hedley (who he?), unfortunately not one of Hammer's most charismatic leads. Sure, he's fine with the physical stuff but otherwise he's quickly forgotten. The same with female lead and love interest June Thorburn, and despite being a traitor her performance is quite uninteresting and the romance between her and Hedley slows the pacing of the film down somewhat. Thankfully two British dependables are on hand to raise the interest a little. First up is Lionel Jeffries, putting in another nice pompously villainous turn, although the film has a slight twist at the end to redeem his character somewhat. By far the most interesting actor in the film is Oliver Reed. Although he's only supporting, he takes on the complex part of one of Jeffries' men, also a traitor, who secretly loves Thorburn and is pushed out into the cold when she falls in love with Hedley. Reed gives a quiet turn as the role calls for, but is also very intense and brooding in the part and his performance excellent as usual. Definitely an undervalued actor. Apart from Reed, this is lightweight and simplistic stuff, old-fashioned escapism which is fun to watch on a rainy afternoon.

JohnHowardReid Despite its big reputation, not all Hammer Films are worth watching. In fact, "The Scarlet/Crimson Blade" fully deserves its reputation as a movie swashbuckler with lots of buckle but little swash. There is not a great deal of action, but plenty of plot machinations and lots of dialog. It was obviously filmed on a limited budget. The sets are attractive, but the costumes look too new to be real. Not much use is made of the wide screen. The emphasis is firmly on the players. Fortunately, they are made to look attractive by skillful photography. Lionel Jeffries' screen persona is usually that of a comedian, and he is hard to accept as a straight villain. The direction is capable but unimaginative and lacks the dash and pace a swashbuckler really needs for complete success. Director John Gilling can usually do much better than this. Maybe he was constrained by the producer's demand for speed.

heedarmy This Hammer swashbuckler is one of the few films to be set during the English Civil War. Unfortunately, its treatment of the conflict is fairly simplistic ; the Roundheads are the baddies, intent on killing the king, and the Cavaliers are the romantic good guys, led by Jack Hedley, looking slightly too old to play the Robin Hood like hero.The film suffers from the fact that the "villains" (Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed) are much more charismatic than the "heroes" (Hedley and an insipid June Laverick). The downbeat ending is also a surprise. Nevertheless, like most Hammer films, it is well-mounted and richly-photographed by Jack Asher. Watch out for the sequence in which the outlaws, disguised as bushes (!), creep ever-closer to the Roundhead guards. It looks like a scene from Monty Python!

filmbuff-51 This was the first Oliver Reed film I ever saw and it's still one of my favourites. He gives an impressive early performance in this good Hammer production. The downslide of it is the main character, played by Jack Hedley, who is a bad actor. One to watch for any Oliver Reed fan.