The Black Knight is a 1954 British-American Technicolor adventure film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Alan Ladd as the title character and Peter Cushing and Patrick Troughton as two conspirators attempting to overthrow King Arthur. It is the last of Ladd's trilogy with Warwick Films, the others being The Red Beret and Hell Below Zero based on Hammond Innes' book The White South.
Plot
The blacksmith and swordsmith John (Alan Ladd) is tutored at the court of King Arthur (Anthony Bushell), but as a commoner he can't hope to win the hand of Lady Linet (Patricia Medina), daughter of the Earl of Yeonil (Harry Andrews). The Earl's castle is attacked by Saracens and Cornishmen — disguised as Vikings — and his wife is killed, making him lose his memory. The attack was part of a plot by the Saracen Sir Palamides (Peter Cushing) and the pagan Cornish King Mark (Patrick Troughton) to overthrow Arthur and Christianity and take over the country, whilst pretending to be Arthur's friends and allies - Palamides is a knight of the round table and Mark has faked his own baptism.
John accuses Palamides' servant Bernard (Bill Brandon) of murder before Arthur, who grants him three months' grace to prove the accusation or face execution himself. Another knight, Sir Ontzlake (André Morell), takes pity on John and trains him in swordplay so that he can take on an alternative secret identity as the wandering Black Knight. The "Vikings" raid a newly founded monastery and take Lady Linet and its monks to Stonehenge for a pagan sacrifice, but the Black Knight arrives and saves her, closely followed by Arthur and his knights, who defeat the pagans and destroy Stonehenge.
Sir Palamides tricks the Lady Linet into his castle to try to get her to reveal the Black Knight's identity, but John is informed of this and saves her, still in disguise. Sir Ontzlake then sends him to King Mark's castle, where a pro-Arthur woodcarver shows him a secret tunnel into the royal chambers. John arrives in time to overhear Mark and Palamides finalising their plot but Palamides beats him back to Camelot, tricking Arthur into thinking that the Black Knight is leading the Viking raids. John arrives dressed as the Black Knight and despite revealing his identity is briefly imprisoned until Lady Linet and Sir Ontzlake free him, with the latter standing bail for John to Arthur.
John returns to Mark's castle, where he traps Mark's forces and kidnaps Mark at swordpoint. The following morning the Saracens land near Camelot and Sir Palamides and Bernard trick their way into Camelot. Bernard stabs a man in Arthur's bed, only to find it is Mark and not Arthur. John chases Bernard and he falls from the battlements, whilst Arthur's knights trick the Saracens by replying to their fire-arrow signal, which was to have been the signal for the Cornish to join the Saracen attack. The knights defeat the Saracens beneath Camelot's walls, while inside them John beats Palamides single-handed. As a reward Arthur knights John and offers him the further boon of his "heart's desire". John asks to marry the Lady Linet and both she and Arthur accept.
Cast
Alan Ladd as John
Patricia Medina as Linet
André Morell as Sir Ontzlake
Harry Andrews as the Earl Of Yeonil
Peter Cushing as Sir Palamides
Patrick Troughton as King Mark
Anthony Bushell as King Arthur
Bill Brandon as Bernard
Ronald Adam as the Abbott
Jean Lodge as Queen Guinevere
Laurence Naismith as Major Domo
John Laurie as John
Basil Appleby as Sir Hal
Pauline Jameson as Lady Yeonil
Olwen Brookes as Lady Ontzlake
Elton Hayes as the Minstrel
David Paltenghi as High Priest
John Kelly as The Woodchopper
Production
The Black Knight was the fourth film Alan Ladd made outside the US in order to qualify for a tax exemption. His fee was $200,000 as against 10% of the gross.
Filming started in September 1953. Shooting took place at Pinewood Studios, with exterior shots filmed at Castell Coch, Wales, and on location in Ávila, Spain. Producer Irwin Allen called Spain "a wonderful country to make pictures in" because of its more than 2,000 old castles, twelve of which were used in the film. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky.