The Swordsman * (1948, Larry Parks, Ellen Drew, George Macready, Edgar Buchanan) – Classic Movie Review 11,820

Director Joseph H Lewis’s 1948 American Technicolor swashbuckler film The Swordsman is set in 18th-century Scotland, and stars Larry Parks, Ellen Drew, George Macready and Edgar Buchanan.

The handsome son – swordsman Alexander MacArden (Parks) – and the beautiful daughter – Barbara Glowan (Drew) – of rival Scots families fall in love, Romeo and Juliet-style, while war breaks out between the factions yet again as Barbara’s cousin Robert Glowan (Macready) tries to destroy the MacArden family.

So there is nothing new here then, and no one looks or sounds remotely Scottish in this cheap-looking, flop romantic adventure. It is a fairly poor effort from cult name director Lewis. Still, reliable scene-stealers Macready and Buchanan (as Angus MacArden) are good fun as the rival patriarchs, and there is William E Snyder’s Technicolor photography to enjoy too.

The original screenplay by Wilfrid H Pettitt  was originally called Annie Laurie.

It was filmed by March 1947 and released by Columbia Pictures on 2 January 1948.

The cast are Larry Parks as Alexander MacArden aka Donald Frazer, Ellen Drew as Barbara Glowan, George Macready as Robert Glowan, Edgar Buchanan as Angus MacArden, Ray Collins as MacIan, Marc Platt as Murdoch Glowan, Michael Duane as Colin Glowan, Holmes Herbert as Lord Glowan, Nedrick Young as Bruce Glowan, Robert Shayne as Ronald MacArden, and Billy Bevan as Old Andrew.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,820

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