The Sword and the Rose facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Sword and the Rose |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ken Annakin |
| Produced by | Perce Pearce Walt Disney |
| Written by | Lawrence Edward Watkin (screenplay) Charles Major (novel "When Knighthood was in Flower") |
| Starring | Glynis Johns James Robertson Justice Richard Todd Michael Gough Jane Barrett Peter Copley Ernest Jay Jean Mercure D. A. Clarke-Smith Gérard Oury Fernand Fabre Gaston Richer Rosalie Crutchley Bryan Coleman |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Editing by | Gerald Thomas |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 8, 1953 (US) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Money made | $1 million (US) |
The Sword and the Rose is an exciting adventure film from 1953. It was made by Perce Pearce and Walt Disney, and directed by Ken Annakin. This movie tells the story of Mary Tudor. She was the younger sister of the famous English king, King Henry VIII.
The film is based on a book called When Knighthood Was in Flower. This book was written by Charles Major in 1898. The story was made into a movie before, in 1908 and 1922. The 1953 Disney version was written for the screen by Lawrence Edward Watkin. It was filmed in England at Denham Film Studios. This was Disney's third movie made in Britain. The others were Treasure Island (1950) and The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). Later, in 1956, the movie was shown on American TV. It was split into two parts and used the original book's title.
What the Movie is About
The story begins with Princess Mary Tudor falling in love. She likes Charles Brandon, a new person at the royal court. Mary convinces her brother, King Henry VIII, to make Charles his Captain of the Guard. But King Henry has other plans for Mary. He wants her to marry the older King Louis XII of France. This marriage is part of a peace deal between England and France.
Mary's old admirer, the Duke of Buckingham, does not like Charles. He thinks Charles is just a commoner. The Duke wants to marry Mary himself. Charles feels bad about his feelings for the princess. So, he quits his job and plans to sail to the New World. Mary's lady-in-waiting, Lady Margaret, tells her not to go. But Mary dresses like a boy and follows Charles to Bristol.
King Henry's men find them and send Charles to the Tower of London. King Henry says he will let Charles live. But only if Mary agrees to marry King Louis. He promises Mary that she can marry anyone she wants after Louis dies. Mary asks the Duke of Buckingham for help. But the Duke only pretends to help Charles escape. He actually plans for Charles to be killed during the escape. The Duke thinks Charles drowns in the Thames River, but Charles survives.
Mary marries King Louis. She encourages him to drink a lot and be very active. This makes his already poor health even worse. Louis's heir, Francis, makes it clear he will not send Mary back to England. He plans to keep her for himself after the king dies. When Mary asks the Duke of Buckingham for help, he tells Lady Margaret that Charles is dead. The Duke then decides to "rescue" Mary himself.
Lady Margaret soon finds out that Charles is alive. She learns about the Duke's bad plans. They quickly go back to France. King Louis dies, and the Duke of Buckingham arrives in France. He wants to take Mary back to England. He tells her again that Charles is dead. He then tries to force her to marry him. Charles arrives just in time. He saves Mary and wounds the Duke in a fight. Mary and Charles get married. They remind King Henry of his promise. He forgives them and makes Charles the Duke of Suffolk.
Who's in the Movie
- Glynis Johns as Mary Tudor
- James Robertson Justice as King Henry VIII
- Richard Todd as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
- Michael Gough as Duke of Buckingham
- Jane Barrett as Lady Margaret
- Peter Copley as Sir Edwin Caskoden
- Ernest Jay as Lord Chamberlain
- Jean Mercure as Louis XII
- D. A. Clarke-Smith as Cardinal Wolsey
- Gérard Oury as Dauphin of France
- Fernand Fabre as DeLongueville
- Gaston Richer as Antoine Duprat
- Rosalie Crutchley as Queen Katherine
- Bryan Coleman as Earl of Surrey
- Helen Goss as Princess Claude
- Patrick Cargill as French Diplomat
- Anthony Sharp as French Diplomat
- Richard Molinas as Father Pierre
Fact vs. Fiction
The movie takes some liberties with history. Here are a few ways the film is different from what really happened:
- Charles Brandon's Role: In real life, Charles Brandon was a friend of King Henry since childhood. He was not a new person at court. He had already become the Duke of Suffolk in 1514.
- New World Trip: Mary and Charles never tried to sail to the New World. This idea is also an anachronism. That means it's something from a different time period. Serious English attempts to settle in North America happened much later. This was during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, about 50 years after the events in the movie.
- Duke of Buckingham: Charles Brandon, not the Duke of Buckingham, actually brought Mary back to England after King Louis died. The Duke's part in the movie is completely made up. His wife, Eleanor Percy, is not even in the story.
- King Henry's Appearance: King Henry VIII is shown as older and heavier in the film. But at the time of these events, he was only 23 years old.
- Queen Catherine's Hair: His wife, Catherine of Aragon, is shown with dark hair. But in real life, she had red hair.
See also
In Spanish: La espada y la rosa (película) para niños
