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The Sword and the Rose

Play trailer Poster for The Sword and the Rose PG Released Jul 23, 1953 1h 33m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Mary Tudor (Glynis Johns), sister of King Henry VIII (James Robertson Justice), vainly loves Charles Brandon (Richard Todd), a man of much virtue but no social title. Charles, heartbroken, leaves London, but when Mary runs after him, he's locked in the Tower of London, and freed only when she marries King Louis XII of France. With the meddling Duke of Buckingham also competing for Mary's hand, the lovers must overcome considerable obstacles to live happily ever after.
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The Sword and the Rose

Critics Reviews

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Howard McClay Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles) What could have been a rich, Technicolored action film on life and love In the England of Henry VIII, turns out to be a halting, poorly-stated period piece that leaves much to be desired. Jun 10, 2021 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A dullish historical romantic period film that's not very historical or romantic. Rated: C+ Sep 22, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Watching this movie was a struggle. It took me three sittings to get through it. Cheap sets, horrible acting and writing all about Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII of England. Definitely a movie worth skipping. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review russell h Very boring. I assume this was supposed to be a romance with action. It was like a cheap Robin Hood at best. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review r 9 Mixed feelings for 'The Sword and the Rose'. I really do like the characters and cast here, but the overall pacing is sluggish and the premise itself isn't wholly interesting. The set designs don't look the greatest either, though the humour is amusing. Glynis Johns is very good as Mary Tudor, she gives a simple yet effective performance. She has fair chemistry with Richard Todd, who plays Charles Brandon. Ernest Jay (Lord Chamberlain) and Michael Gough (Edwin) are also more than decent here. The most noteworthy portrayal, as you'd predict, comes from James Robertson Justice as Henry VIII. He is brilliant, I loved all of his scenes as the King of England. I come away from viewing this underwhelmed, I just feel they could've nailed it more; there was a tonne of potential for it due to the cast and characters involved. Still a solid film, mind. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This is sort of along the same veins as "Great Expectations", where I didn't much understand it the first time around, but after a second time watching, I really enjoyed it that time. I, at first, found this film very confusing, but after the second time I saw it, I got to know it better and understand it better. However, the ending to the film still confuses me to this date. Overall, I think this is a fun film, but there's some explaining to do in the ending here, so that's why I can't really call this film great right now. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Frances H I saw this film when I was a kid on The Wonderful World of Disney on TV, and just loved it. I couldn't wait to read the book, and it started my love of historical novels and English history. It is a film that is very much a product of it's time and not very historically accurate, but is is a film that was perfect for the World of Disney format--lots of fun, romantic and something the whole family could watch together, like the Guy Williams Zoro, Davy Crockett, and The Swamp Fox with Leslie Nielson. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/20/12 Full Review Audience Member I feel like I just watched a terrible version of Aladdin in Olde English with no singing Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Sword and the Rose

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Mary Tudor (Glynis Johns), sister of King Henry VIII (James Robertson Justice), vainly loves Charles Brandon (Richard Todd), a man of much virtue but no social title. Charles, heartbroken, leaves London, but when Mary runs after him, he's locked in the Tower of London, and freed only when she marries King Louis XII of France. With the meddling Duke of Buckingham also competing for Mary's hand, the lovers must overcome considerable obstacles to live happily ever after.
Director
Ken Annakin
Producer
Perce Pearce
Screenwriter
Lawrence Edward Watkin
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co
Walt Disney Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 23, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
1h 33m
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