The Golden Blade

After watching his father being killed in combat by soldiers from Baghdad, a young man from Basra named "Harun" (Rock Hudson) sets off to find those responsible and put an end to the violence between these two cities. Upon his arrival in Baghdad, he happens to notice an attractive woman named "Khairuzan" (Piper Laurie) attempting to sell some old clothing to a Greek merchant by the name of "Barcus" (Steven Gerey). Wanting to help in his own small way, Harun offers Barcus a certain amount of money in exchange for one particular piece of clothing from Khairuzan and whatever other items he may find in a pile of second-hand clothes as well. To his great delight, while sorting through the clothes a sword catches his eye and not long afterward, he discovers that he is invincible whenever he wields it in combat. Unfortunately for him, however, others soon learn of this sword, and they will stop at nothing to have it in their possession. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly enjoyable "Arabian Nights" type of film which benefited from a good performance by Piper Laurie and to a lesser extent that of Rock Hudson. Admittedly, Errol Flynn would have been much better in a swashbuckling role of this sort--but that goes without saying. Be that as it may, while this may not have been a great adventure film by any means, it was still entertaining enough in its own right, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

This is a tale that comes straight from the "Arabian Nights" compendium. The son "Harum" (Rock Hudson) out to avenge his father murdered at the hands of the evil "Jafar" (George Macready). He must travel to Baghdad where he encounters a feisty young woman "Khairuzan" (Piper Laurie) who is secretly the daughter of the city's caliph - a man also in danger from the menacing ambitions of "Jafar". Luckily, she has a magical golden sword that she gives him to wield. He is invincible! Well he is until someone hits on the idea of swapping his sword for a less effective fake - and soon "Harum" is in a dungeon! Can he escape and save the Caliph and get the girl? Rock Hudson never really cut it for me. Easy enough on the eye, but his characterisations rarely differed from role to role and here he just doesn't really gel with the more charismatic Laurie at all. Plaudits do go to Macready, though - he hams up perfectly as the silken-clad, megalomanic, tyrant. There's plenty of lavish costumes, colour, sword-fighting and at times it's actually quite an entertaining adventure that I did quite enjoy.

Filmed on location in a faux Baghdad somewhere in a remote corner of the Universal backlot, "The Golden Blade" is colorful childish nonsense that makes the Jon Hall-Maria Montez epics look like David O. Selznick productions in comparison. Written and acted like a sophomore production of Ali Baba in high school, the film is often laughable and nearly critic-proof in its ineptness. Of course, being a studio production, there are a few positive attributes. The 28-year-old Rock Hudson, who plays Harun, an Arab out to avenge his father's death, has boyish charm and incredible good looks; his full head of hair, dazzling teeth, and tall physique are well rendered in the glory of Technicolor. Besides Hudson's physical assets, Maury Gertsman's camera captures the candy-colored sets and costumes of a Baghdad that exists only in the feverish brain of an art director who never opened a book about the Middle East. The flamboyant costumes are dazzling in color, but look as though pulled randomly from the racks in Universal's costume warehouse. The diversity of clothing styles is perhaps appropriate, because the action seems to take place anywhere in any period from the Thousand and One Nights through Arthurian England to an MGM musical or a night at a Las Vegas hotel. Perhaps the movie is too easy a target and should be enjoyed for what it is, an innocent tale for pre-teens in the early 1950's. Sword fights and jousts, Viziers and Princesses, an Excalibur-like sword and a mysterious legend. However, contemporary sophisticated audiences will certainly roll their eyes at the dialog and wonder how such respected actors as Piper Laurie and George Macready could utter the lines with straight faces; "Have courage and use it like a woman;" "Yes, Oh cunning father." When Gene Evans as Hadi or Tall Son is named Caliph, he takes time out to fluff the golden pillows on this throne, which resembles an enormous bean bag. While most adults should probably overlook this routine programmer, fans of Rock Hudson will certainly delight in catching the star early in his career. While no Errol Flynn in a role that needs one, Hudson is nonetheless engaging and captures and holds the eye whenever he is on screen.

Rock Hudson in his pre-Douglas Sirk days (the director who provided him with his best works, along with Frankenheimer's "seconds") and Iin a movie obviously aimed at the children's market . The screenplay may look like a poor man's "one and thousand nights" leftover ,but the colors are glistening ,Hudson is handsome as Harun, an oriental destitute prince in search of his father's murderer (the whodunnit is predictable and is not pivotal in the plot ); Piper Laurie has plenty of go as a feminist Sheherazade who mingles with the people,dressed up as a commoner or as a young man ("your skin is as smooth as that of a girl", says Harun);he even goes as far as to suggest they pick up girls for dinner! The ending borrows from king Arthur 's story,complete with sword in the stone,and the old scholar as Merlin. And the tournament looks like those of European Middle-Ages. The baddie uses a watermelon as the world, aping Chaplin in "the dictator ". But it was pleasant entertaining stuff for the kids of yore ; today's brats might be more demanding ....

Childlike cartoons for the opening credits, a lot of chat with the merchant (was his "selling" board a satire on modern practice?), one of the most unconvincing Arabian princesses in the history of Cinema, a pantomime brawl, then girlish chatter American-style in the harem, at which point I gave up. The only plus point was Rock Hudson looking great in Arab dress.

There is a scene of the badguys holding a cantaloupe in their hand saying something like: next the world. Good luck taking over Europe and Asian kingdoms because they probably would just like prove a bit of a hassle. The flick has smidges of whatever in things like the badguys wanting to take over once more as king and there is a pedestrian sense about this with no other innovative elements of note, just the title weapon, butchaknow what it is a good lesson in yet more of these middle eastern set adventures.

Harum is a fearless man of the people who comes to Bagdad to avenge the murder of his father and meets Krairuzan, a princess disguised as a commoner, who discovers a plot by a band of evil schemers trying to do away with her father, the Caliph. Meanwhile, Harum retrieves a golden sword which, in his hands, makes him invincible. Harum uses the sword in the name of justice and is doing quite well until a duplicate sword is placed in his scabbard during one of his off-guard moments, and he winds up in chains. It's a fun adventure, one thousand and one nights meets Arthurian legend sword in the stone. Rock Hudson does well as the hero, sword fighting with the bad guys, as does the ravishing Piper Laurie, whose character is quite energetic and charming. They both have good chemistry. The vizier played by George Macready and Gene Evans as his dim witted son are villains of the piece, who want to take over Baghdad. It's colourful, fast paced, humorous, has swordfights and romance - it's not to be taken too seriously, but fun, harmless escapism.

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.

Harum (Rock Hudson) from Basra is traveling across disputed land between Basra and Baghdad. His father is murdered and their camp destroyed. He is tasked by his father to take revenge. In Baghdad, he encounters Krairuzan (Piper Laurie) who is a princess dressed up as a commoner to see the regular popular. Her ruler father faces hidden foes in the palace who are stoking conflict with their Basra neighbors and were the ones responsible for the murder of Harum's father. It's a blending of One Thousand and One Nights and the Sword in the Stone. I like Piper Laurie's playfulness but Rock Hudson is a bit stiff. He's the classical hero. There is a bit of swashbuckling in this old fashion sword welding adventure. It needs more fun. It needs more of Krairuzan teasing Harum. It needs them to build the back and forth banter in their relationship. They have their moments but those are soon fleeting. It's almost good enough but I wouldn't recommend it.

The Golden Blade is directed by Nathan Juran and written by John Rich. It stars Rock Hudson, Piper Laurie, Gene Evans & George Macready. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and Technicolor photography by Maury Gertsman. By Allah! It would be magic, indeed, that this sword were mine at such a time as this. Colourful, energetic and costumed with skill, The Golden Blade doesn't lack for effort in the low expectation realm of Arabian Nights adventures. Sadly it's actually TOO daft and goofy when it's not meant to be. True enough that it isn't a film to be taken seriously in the first place, and judging by the performances of Laurie and Hudson, the cast are playing it purely for the undemanding popcorn munching crowd. But once over you just get reminded that there are far better films of this type out there and that the interesting premise, a sort of Arabian/Arthurian blend, isn't fully realised. Not enough swishing and swashing of the titular title weapon also annoys greatly. 5/10