# The Scarlet Blade > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Scarlet_Blade > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Scarlet_Blade.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Blade > Source revision: 1339326319 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1963 British film by John Gilling For other uses, see [Scarlet Blade](/source/Scarlet_Blade_(disambiguation)). The Scarlet Blade Poster with the US title Directed by John Gilling Screenplay by John Gilling Produced by Anthony Nelson Keys Starring Lionel Jeffries Oliver Reed Jack Hedley June Thorburn Cinematography Jack Asher Edited by John Dunsford Music by Gary Hughes Production companies Associated British Picture Corporation Hammer Films Distributed by Columbia Pictures Release date 12 August 1963 (1963-08-12) (UK) [1] Running time 82 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English ***The Scarlet Blade*** (released in the United States as ***The Crimson Blade***) is a 1963 British [adventure film](/source/Adventure_film) written and directed by [John Gilling](/source/John_Gilling) and starring [Lionel Jeffries](/source/Lionel_Jeffries), [Oliver Reed](/source/Oliver_Reed), [Jack Hedley](/source/Jack_Hedley) and [June Thorburn](/source/June_Thorburn).[2] It is a [period drama](/source/Period_drama) set during the [English Civil War](/source/English_Civil_War),[3] a genre not usually approached by [Hammer](/source/Hammer_Film_Productions) films of that time.[4] ## Plot When [King Charles I](/source/Charles_I_of_England) is captured by [Roundhead](/source/Roundhead) forces led by the tyrant Colonel Judd and his right-hand man Captain Sylvester, it is up to a band of locals loyal to the King led by a [Robin Hood](/source/Robin_Hood)–type character named the Scarlet Blade to try to rescue him. They are helped by Judd's daughter Claire who secretly helps them in defiance of her father. ## Cast - [Lionel Jeffries](/source/Lionel_Jeffries) as Colonel Judd - [Oliver Reed](/source/Oliver_Reed) as Captain Tom Sylvester - [Jack Hedley](/source/Jack_Hedley) as Edward Beverley, the Scarlet Blade - [June Thorburn](/source/June_Thorburn) as Claire Judd - [Michael Ripper](/source/Michael_Ripper) as Pablo - [Harold Goldblatt](/source/Harold_Goldblatt) as Jacob - [Duncan Lamont](/source/Duncan_Lamont) as Major Bell - Clifford Elkin as Philip Beverley[5] - [Suzan Farmer](/source/Suzan_Farmer) as Constance Beverley - [John Harvey](/source/John_Harvey_(actor)) as Sgt. Grey - Charles Houston as Drury - [Robert Rietti](/source/Robert_Rietti) as King Charles I - [George Woodbridge](/source/George_Woodbridge_(actor)) as Towncryer ## Reception The film is said to have "at most only a casual acquaintance with recorded history".[6] The *[Radio Times](/source/Radio_Times)* noted that [Oliver Reed](/source/Oliver_Reed) was "on form as a renegade swordsman with an eye for the ladies" but gave the overall film two stars out of five.[7] A very mixed review focusing on the cast, stated, "The main problem is Hadley, who is as far as possible from the [Errol Flynn](/source/Errol_Flynn) type you would expect to find. Over his career, he was much more of a world-weary supporting actor type – Hadley may be best known as the burned-out detective at the center of [Lucio Fulci](/source/Lucio_Fulci)’s notorious *[giallo](/source/Giallo)* film, *[The New York Ripper](/source/The_New_York_Ripper)*. (...)[8] Considerably more interesting are the bad guys. Let’s start with Col. Judd, and Jeffries is a revelation as a ruthless bad guy. It comes as quite a shock considering the actor is best known for playing the lovable grandfather in *[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang](/source/Chitty_Chitty_Bang_Bang)* (even though he was younger than his supposed son, [Dick Van Dyke](/source/Dick_Van_Dyke)!)." ## Accolades The film was nominated for the BAFTA for Best cinematography.[9] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 234. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["The Scarlet Blade (1963) | BFI"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160309125639/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b524251/). 9 March 2016. Archived from [the original](http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b524251/) on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kinsey, Wayne (2002). [*Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years*](https://books.google.com/books?id=znAcAQAAIAAJ&q=The+Scarlet+Blade+civil+war). Reynolds & Hearn. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-903111-44-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-903111-44-4). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Fryer, Ian (7 November 2017). [*The British Horror Film: From the Silent to the Multiplex*](https://books.google.com/books?id=32c9DwAAQBAJ&dq=The+Scarlet+Blade+civil+war&pg=PT120). Fonthill Media. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Croall, Jonathan (8 June 2023). [*From Silent Film Idol to Superman: The Life and Career of John Stuart*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PXXCEAAAQBAJ&dq=The+Scarlet+Blade+civil+war&pg=PA204). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-8954-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-8954-8). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Engelen, Leen; Winkel, Roel Vande (2007). [*Perspectives on European Film and History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8HgGBVuZloC&dq=The+Scarlet+Blade+civil+war&pg=PA113). Academia Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-382-1082-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-382-1082-7). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["The Scarlet Blade (1963)"](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7efj5z/the-scarlet-blade/). *Radio Times*. Retrieved 8 February 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** McLennan, Jim (9 August 2020). ["The Scarlet Blade (1963)"](https://filmblitz.org/scarlet-blade-1963/). *Film Blitz*. Retrieved 8 February 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["The Scarlet Blade (1963) - DVD review"](http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/00_revs/r2012/dvd/12-01-16_scarlet-blade.html). *www.reviewgraveyard.com*. Retrieved 8 February 2024. ## External links - [*The Scarlet Blade*](https://web.archive.org/web/20160309125639/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b524251/) at the [British Film Institute](/source/British_Film_Institute) - [*The Scarlet Blade*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056963/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e Films directed by John Gilling Escape from Broadmoor (1948) A Matter of Murder (1949) No Trace (1950) The Quiet Woman (1951) The Frightened Man (1952) Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952) The Voice of Merrill (1952) Deadly Nightshade (1953) Recoil (1953) Escape by Night (1953) Three Steps to the Gallows (1953) Destination Milan (1954) Double Exposure (1954) The Embezzler (1954) The Gilded Cage (1955) Tiger by the Tail (1955) Odongo (1956) The Gamma People (1956) Interpol (1957) High Flight (1957) The Man Inside (1958) Idol on Parade (1959) The Bandit of Zhobe (1959) The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) The Challenge (1960) Fury at Smugglers' Bay (1961) The Shadow of the Cat (1961) The Pirates of Blood River (1962) Panic (1963) The Scarlet Blade (1963) The Brigand of Kandahar (1965) The Night Caller (1965) Where the Bullets Fly (1966) The Plague of the Zombies (1966) The Reptile (1966) The Mummy's Shroud (1967) La cruz del diablo (1975) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Scarlet Blade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Blade) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Blade?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.