The Golden Blade (1953)

I love this movie so much

Truly Dreadful Film

Thanks for the memories!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Take a red-headed Caliph's daughter and pair him opposite a very American looking Arabian Knight and you have the type of sword and sandal adventure that had the kiddies flocking in on Saturday afternoon but left critics cold. Universal was the king of these types of films from the early 40's through the mid 1940's when the Italians took over, leading Peter Graves to ask that question, "Billy, do you like movies about gladiators?" It isn't just the obvious Caucasian casting, but the many clichés used over and over since the days of Sabu, Jon Hall and Maria Montez. At least in those films, you know that the creator's tongues were in their cheek. Here, the writers were just looking for a fast buck, and thanks to the quarters of the adolescent crowd, many of these films scored big. There are too many of them, so in film history now, they all meld together in a stew of sameness.The saga is based upon the legend of the sword of Damascus which gives the man who is able to pull it out of a wall the "power of many thrones", much like the legend of King Arthur and the sword of Camelot. All is fine with that, but with Rock Hudson as the hero and red-headed Piper Laurie as the feisty "lady in distress", you know that nobody gave much thought to reality in casting. At least with Montez, Sabu and Hall, they looked the parts, and with Tony Curtis as "The Prince Who Was a Thief", you had a "Hellzapoppin'" like spoof of the genre that audiences still laugh both with and at today.Colorful photography barely hides the fact that the hanging props of the lavish sets are obviously cheaply made and look like things you'd see hanging in an elementary school classroom. They do not at all give the impression of the ancient middle east, coming off as ostentatious and gosh rather than remotely sophisticated. The villains are one-note, the sidekicks silly rather than comic, and the dancing girls more off of Broadway than of Bagdad. The action sequences are exciting, but some moments seem more like filler than like plot development. This is the type of film that a realist might buy popcorn to eat during the movie but may find themselves throwing at the screen as the film drags on.

A bizarre cross between the Thousand and One Nights and the legend of KIng Arthur and the sword in the stone ,this is routine exotic story,saved by the two leads ,Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie.The latter portrays an outspoken princess who often leaves her palace to see what's going on in the town of Baghdad ,while a vicious VIP is doing very bad things against her noble father .Meanwhile,Hudson is searching the man who killed his also noble father .Both will discover they have things in common.Action-packed movie,nice colors,heroes , villains and a Greek merchant whose shop is full of bargains and of course a golden blade .

Young Piper Laurie and handsome newcomer Rock Hudson were both featured to great advantage in this clearly-plotted and lively adventure-comedy. Imaginative veteran Nathan Juran directs very accurately and imaginatively, and the acting by George Macready as the ambitious villain, aided by Gene Evans (not quite up to a classical accent) and Kathleen Hughes and that of their opponents played by Edgar Barrier, the crafty Stephen Geray and others is above average for any genre. Adding to the fun is lovely Laurie impersonating a boy, a mysterious magic sword (which in lesser hands would have been a detriment) and its magical unwillingness to obey other than a virtuous owner. There is a prolonged sequence when various magicians attempt to remove the sword--which Macready needs to claim the throne--that has become embedded in a wall, and more physically colorful and beautifully-realized scenes than in any ten mean-streets melodramas of the post 1970s. If you do not fall in love with the spirited Khairozan, as Hudson does in the film, then you are probably dead. If you cannot delight in this youthful and stirring adventure of a bygone era, you had best give Grecianized Near-Easterns, our richest adventure genre in so many ways, a consistent miss.

Having appeared with Lee Marvin in 'Seminole', Rock Hudson now needed a film to lift him out of the status of being the best newcomer to being a screen legend. Films like 'The Golden Blade' only padded out his c.v., but did nothing to lift his career.