text:
The Black Rose
2h 1950
In the time of the crusades, a Saxon youth is forced to run away from England. He goes with his loyal retainer who brings along a British long bow. The two go all the way to China where they become involved in intrigues in the court of Kubla Kahn.
Walter of Gurnie
Cecile Aubrey
Tristram
Michael Rennie
King Edward
New York opening: 1 Sep 1950
Twentieth Century Productions, Ltd.
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Great Britain and United States
Based on the novel The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain (Garden City, NY, 1945).
Color (Technicolor)
10,886ft (13 reels)
In the thirteenth century, two hundred years after the Norman Conquest of England, a fierce enmity still exists between Saxon and Norman. Saxon Walter of Gurnie is summoned from his studies at Oxford to the late Earl of Lessford's castle. Walter is the earl's illegitimate son, and because he believes that the earl's Norman wife prevented his father from marrying his mother, Walter hates the Normans above all else. Although the will reveals that the earl has left all his major possessions to his wife and lawful son, Edmond, he does acknowledge Walter as his son. He also bequeaths Walter a pair of boots and wills him into the service of King Edward I. When Walter loudly announces his opposition to the Norman king, Edward, who is also present, attempts to end the bitterness between Saxon and Norman and frees Walter of his obligation. Walter then proceeds to Gurnie, his childhood home, where only his grandfather Alfgar now lives. Because he believes the earl acted dishonorably toward his daughter, Walter's mother, Alfgar has sworn never to speak with anyone sharing the earl's blood, including Walter, and will only converse with him through a servant. Walter has been preceded by Friar Roger Bacon, who hopes to persuade him to resume his studies. Although he fails, Bacon mentions the distant land of Cathay, rich in gold and knowledge. Later that night, Walter aids a group of Saxons, led by his old friend Tristram, in a successful attempt to gain the release of some Saxon prisoners from the earl's dungeon. While in the castle, Walter claims his father's boots. In one, Walter finds a letter from his father, stating that he has left a small cache of gold in a secret place. Walter then determines to leave England with Tris to seek their fortunes in Cathay. Using the last of the earl's funds, Walter and Tris acquire a place on a caravan bringing gifts to the Kahn and guarded by General Bayan. Bayan is greatly impressed by Tris's ability as an archer and by Walter's skill at chess. Later, Lu Chung, the caravan master's servant, asks them to help Maryam, known as the "Black Rose," who wants to escape from the caravan and go to England. When Walter seems disinclined to help her, she maintains that her English father promised her God would provide a miracle to convey her to England, and she believes Walter is that miracle. Walter scoffs at her desire, but Tris speaks feelingly of the country's great beauty. As they near China, Bayan wages a brutal attack, killing men, women and children. Tris is sickened by this, so when Bayan moves south into China, Walter helps Maryam and Tris to escape. As punishment, Bayan sentences Walter to a trial by gauntlet, which he survives. Bayan then sends Walter as an emissary to the Chinese empress with orders to persuade the Chinese to surrender in the face of Bayan's great strength. At the palace, Walter finds Maryam and Tris. The Chinese believe that the presence of two "pale gods" fulfills an ancient prophecy and portends China's success in battle. While the war rages, Walter discovers the many advances China has made, including the manufacture of paper, printing and gunpowder. When the Chinese continue to lose their war against Bayan, however, Walter and Tris are threatened with death. By now, Walter and Maryam are in love. One night, wearing jewel-laden clothing and carrying samples of Chinese books, a compass and gunpowder, the three head for the river. They are ambushed before they reach safety, and Walter uses the gunpowder to clear their way. Tris is fatally injured in the explosion, and while Walter attempts to save him, he and Maryam become separated. Much later, Walter returns penniless to England, so delighting his grandfather that he forgets his vow never to speak to him. Walter recounts his adventures and reveals that he has left the Chinese inventions with King Edward. Later, the king arrives at Gurnie and Walter admits that Tris's love for England persuaded him that he is English first and Saxon second. Edward knights Walter and presents him with a coat of arms that contains a longbow in honor of Tris. To make his happiness complete, some of Bayan's warriors then appear with Maryam and the jewel-filled jacket he left behind in China.
Finlay Currie
Alfgar
Anthemus
Mary Clare
Countess of Lessford
Alfonso Bedoya
Lu Chung
Gibb Mclaughlin
Wilderkin
James Robertson Justice
Simeon Beautrie
Henry Oscar
Friar Roger Bacon
Laurence Harvey
Torin Thatcher
Hilary Pritchard
Hal, the miller
Ley On
Chinese captain
Valery Inkijinoff
Chinese minister
George Woodbridge
Ben Williams
Rufus Cruishank
Dickon
Peter Drury
Carl Jaffe
Mongolian officer
Alexis Chesnakov
Alan Tilvern
Thomas Gallagher
Buster Ambler
W. Andrews
Joan Bridge
Technicolor Color Consultant
W. Percy Day
Manuel Del Campo
Talbot Jennings
Ahmad Kamal
Louis D. Lighton
Muir Mathieson
Paul Sheriff
Abe Steinberg
Lyle Wheeler
Supervisor art Director
Michael Whittaker
Costume Designer by
The Black Rose (1950)
By Jeremy Arnold
The Black Rose (1950), a 13th-century historical adventure, stars Tyrone Power as a disinherited Saxon who flees England for China before he must attempt an escape back to England. Produced by Twentieth Century-Fox and filmed in lush Technicolor, it was among Power's last pictures for Fox before he ended his contract in 1952 to go freelance. After having finally gotten the chance to play a meaty drama against type in Nightmare Alley (1947), the studio had simply plunged him back into the swashbucklers of which Power had grown weary, starting with Captain from Castile (1947).
As Jeanine Basinger wrote in The Star Machine, "enthusiasm for film work began to die inside Power. His disappointment showed onscreen. He often seemed to be walking through his roles. Sadly for his ambitions and talents, his disillusionment affected his work and he began to look like an aging movie star whose ability was limited, a former pretty boy who couldn't act. He became less than he was."
Fox had actually bought the rights to Thomas B. Costain's novel The Black Rose in the autumn of 1945. Filming was set to start in July 1947 (immediately following production on Nightmare Alley) but was canceled due to rising production costs overall at the studio; the film's estimated $3.2 million budget was seen as too high. Still, when production was greenlit for a second time in 1949, the budget was $3 million, very high for the period.
Shooting finally began in Morocco in April 1949 with a mostly British crew numbering over 100. Interiors were later shot at Shepperton Studios and in two English castles. Joining Power in the cast were Orson Welles (who had also just appeared with him in 1949's Prince of Foxes), Jack Hawkins, Michael Rennie, Herbert Lom, Alfonso Bedoya (who according to one source was dubbed by Peter Sellers), Robert Blake and Laurence Harvey. The leading lady part of Maryam was offered to Leslie Caron, in what would have marked her film debut, but Caron's mother did not approve, and the role went to Cecile Aubry instead. (Caron would make her debut in An American in Paris [1951].)
Guiding this army of cast and crew was director Henry Hathaway, known for action-filled Westerns, noir and adventure films. He also had a reputation as a difficult taskmaster. Cinematographer Jack Cardiff later said Hathaway "was a toughie... He fired so many people that we had a plane called the Hathaway Special which used to fly people every couple of days back to England... [Hathaway] would die for that picture. He expected everyone else to die for the picture. And if they were not ready to die, he would just crucify them."
In an interview with Ronald L. Davis, Hathaway later dismissed the film. "It was cast badly," he said. "Jack Hawkins...was too old for his part. It should have been played by someone like Van Johnson... I didn't have a good time making that picture. If you don't have a good time, the picture doesn't turn out well." Hathaway also said that this was the first film he made after a cancer operation, and a doctor was hired to monitor him all through production – likely part of the reason the filming was not enjoyable for him.
Jack Hawkins, who plays Power's archer friend, later wrote that Power "was a joy to work with, [and] became one of my closest friends." Hathaway, he wrote, "taught me filming the tough way." For one particular scene, Hawkins "had to shoot [an arrow] over the camera in the general direction of a target that had been set up as a guide. The camera crew certainly had no confidence in my ability to shoot straight, and when I stepped out in front of the camera, they were rather pointedly cowering under a makeshift shield of sheets of thick cardboard. I drew the bow and let fly and, to everyone's astonishment, including my own, the arrow landed in the center of the target. Henry Hathaway came up and said, 'God damn it, you hit it!' 'Naturally,' I replied with dignity. 'I have been practicing extremely hard for the past six weeks.' 'OK. But don't overdo it!'"
Hawkins was nonplussed and told Hathaway he would not care if he was sent home and replaced by someone else. After that, he wrote, the two men got along, although Hawkins maintained that the director "made everyone's life hell" on the set.
Years later, Hawkins realized that "beneath his harsh exterior, [Hathaway] concealed a kindly nature." After Hawkins lost his voice following surgery for throat cancer in 1966, Hathaway was the first colleague to help him resume his career, by hiring him to help produce The Last Safari (1967) on location in Kenya, which "proved a tremendous boost to my confidence."
The Black Rose is notable for the beautiful Technicolor photography by Jack Cardiff, one of the great masters of light in film history. Around the time of this film, Cardiff was arguably at his artistic peak, shooting such visual feasts as A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) and The African Queen (1951). As he said in a 2005 interview, "I looked at each frame as a painting and then the camera became my paintbrush."
Cardiff remembered Orson Welles agreeing to play a Mongolian general in The Black Rose on the condition that his coat in the film would be lined with mink – even though the lining would never be seen by the audience. It turned out this was a crafty way for Welles to snag a good-looking costume for his film of Othello (1951), which he spent years making in bits and pieces. When his part in The Black Rose was finished, Cardiff said, "Welles slipped off with the coat... and turned [it] inside out so that he had a mink coat for Othello."
Jeanine Basinger, The Star Machine
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, documentary directed by Craig McCall, 2010
Ronald L. Davis, Just Making Movies
Jack Hawkins, Anything for a Quiet Life
Dennis McLellan, "Jack Cardiff Dies at 94," Los Angeles Times, 4/23/09
The Black Rose (1950), a 13th-century historical adventure, stars Tyrone Power as a disinherited Saxon who flees England for China before he must attempt an escape back to England. Produced by Twentieth Century-Fox and filmed in lush Technicolor, it was among Power's last pictures for Fox before he ended his contract in 1952 to go freelance. After having finally gotten the chance to play a meaty drama against type in Nightmare Alley (1947), the studio had simply plunged him back into the swashbucklers of which Power had grown weary, starting with Captain from Castile (1947).As Jeanine Basinger wrote in The Star Machine, "enthusiasm for film work began to die inside Power. His disappointment showed onscreen. He often seemed to be walking through his roles. Sadly for his ambitions and talents, his disillusionment affected his work and he began to look like an aging movie star whose ability was limited, a former pretty boy who couldn't act. He became less than he was." Fox had actually bought the rights to Thomas B. Costain's novel The Black Rose in the autumn of 1945. Filming was set to start in July 1947 (immediately following production on Nightmare Alley) but was canceled due to rising production costs overall at the studio; the film's estimated $3.2 million budget was seen as too high. Still, when production was greenlit for a second time in 1949, the budget was $3 million, very high for the period.Shooting finally began in Morocco in April 1949 with a mostly British crew numbering over 100. Interiors were later shot at Shepperton Studios and in two English castles. Joining Power in the cast were Orson Welles (who had also just appeared with him in 1949's Prince of Foxes), Jack Hawkins, Michael Rennie, Herbert Lom, Alfonso Bedoya (who according to one source was dubbed by Peter Sellers), Robert Blake and Laurence Harvey. The leading lady part of Maryam was offered to Leslie Caron, in what would have marked her film debut, but Caron's mother did not approve, and the role went to Cecile Aubry instead. (Caron would make her debut in An American in Paris [1951].)Guiding this army of cast and crew was director Henry Hathaway, known for action-filled Westerns, noir and adventure films. He also had a reputation as a difficult taskmaster. Cinematographer Jack Cardiff later said Hathaway "was a toughie... He fired so many people that we had a plane called the Hathaway Special which used to fly people every couple of days back to England... [Hathaway] would die for that picture. He expected everyone else to die for the picture. And if they were not ready to die, he would just crucify them."In an interview with Ronald L. Davis, Hathaway later dismissed the film. "It was cast badly," he said. "Jack Hawkins...was too old for his part. It should have been played by someone like Van Johnson... I didn't have a good time making that picture. If you don't have a good time, the picture doesn't turn out well." Hathaway also said that this was the first film he made after a cancer operation, and a doctor was hired to monitor him all through production – likely part of the reason the filming was not enjoyable for him.Jack Hawkins, who plays Power's archer friend, later wrote that Power "was a joy to work with, [and] became one of my closest friends." Hathaway, he wrote, "taught me filming the tough way." For one particular scene, Hawkins "had to shoot [an arrow] over the camera in the general direction of a target that had been set up as a guide. The camera crew certainly had no confidence in my ability to shoot straight, and when I stepped out in front of the camera, they were rather pointedly cowering under a makeshift shield of sheets of thick cardboard. I drew the bow and let fly and, to everyone's astonishment, including my own, the arrow landed in the center of the target. Henry Hathaway came up and said, 'God damn it, you hit it!' 'Naturally,' I replied with dignity. 'I have been practicing extremely hard for the past six weeks.' 'OK. But don't overdo it!'"Hawkins was nonplussed and told Hathaway he would not care if he was sent home and replaced by someone else. After that, he wrote, the two men got along, although Hawkins maintained that the director "made everyone's life hell" on the set.Years later, Hawkins realized that "beneath his harsh exterior, [Hathaway] concealed a kindly nature." After Hawkins lost his voice following surgery for throat cancer in 1966, Hathaway was the first colleague to help him resume his career, by hiring him to help produce The Last Safari (1967) on location in Kenya, which "proved a tremendous boost to my confidence."The Black Rose is notable for the beautiful Technicolor photography by Jack Cardiff, one of the great masters of light in film history. Around the time of this film, Cardiff was arguably at his artistic peak, shooting such visual feasts as A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) and The African Queen (1951). As he said in a 2005 interview, "I looked at each frame as a painting and then the camera became my paintbrush."Cardiff remembered Orson Welles agreeing to play a Mongolian general in The Black Rose on the condition that his coat in the film would be lined with mink – even though the lining would never be seen by the audience. It turned out this was a crafty way for Welles to snag a good-looking costume for his film of Othello (1951), which he spent years making in bits and pieces. When his part in The Black Rose was finished, Cardiff said, "Welles slipped off with the coat... and turned [it] inside out so that he had a mink coat for Othello."SOURCES:Jeanine Basinger, The Star MachineCameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, documentary directed by Craig McCall, 2010Ronald L. Davis, Just Making MoviesJack Hawkins, Anything for a Quiet LifeDennis McLellan, "Jack Cardiff Dies at 94," Los Angeles Times, 4/23/09
CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE, PRINCE OF FOXES and Others are Featured in the "Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set" on DVD
Fox will make a lot of matinee fans happy with Tyrone Power: The Swashbuckler Box Set, a collection of five of Power's most exciting pictures. The list includes one bona fide classic, an underappreciated epic and two more ambitious period swashbucklers. Fans tend to love Tyrone Power and the most notable 'swashbuckler' Errol Flynn for different reasons. Superstar Flynn is almost too dynamic for his movies, many of which are simply extravagant vehicles for his outsized talents. Tyrone Power is less of a superman figure and his characters are often subordinated to strong stories, which makes sense considering that many of them were personally produced by Darryl Zanuck. But even when Power's pictures fall short of perfection, they tend to be both intelligent and distinctive.
The set includes Captain from Castile, a superb epic ripe for rediscovery.
1941's Blood and Sandis a bullfighting film, not a swashbuckler per se. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez' novel is something of a Spanish national epic with its story of the rise and precipitous fall of Juan Gallardo, a famous matador. It has everything: an ambitious poor boy who wants to win back his father's good name; a faithful wife (Linda Darnell), a faithless lover (Rita Hayworth) and a worn old mother (Nazimova) who foresees that her son will meet the same cruel fate as his father.
Blood and Sandis an old story exceedingly well written for the screen by Jo Swerling. Juan seeks fame and honor but never learns to read or write. His faithful retainers (John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, Pedro de Cordoba) eventually desert him as he becomes more arrogant and irresponsible. As the debts mount, freeloading relatives like Juan's sister Encarnacíon (Lynn Bari) attack his good name. It's even lonelier at the top thanks to the pompous, predatory critic Natalio Curio (Laird Cregar). Curio feeds off the young matador's fame and then pretends that Juan's success is his doing. It's a rather accurate picture of the dishonest critic.
Tyrone Power shows in Blood and Sandthat he can handle serious dramatic roles. Linda Darnell is fresh from The Mark of Zorro and Rita Hayworth is perfect as the Spanish temptress Doña Sol des Muire. She's quite a sight when dancing with Anthony Quinn, who plays a competitor in the bullring. But Ray Rennahan's artful Technicolor cinematography probably distracted viewers from the performances. Director Rouben Mamoulian was always a pioneer in technical matters, and Blood and Sandis a showcase of interesting effects in the 3-strip process. Carmen's white wedding dress contrasts strongly with Doña Sol's alluring gowns. Mamoulian has Hayworth open a dark wrap, exposing a bright dress that lights up the screen like a matador's cape -- a trick used later by Vicente Minnelli in The Band Wagon. Under the Technicolor lights, Power's ornate matador outfits also take on magical hues.
[Spoiler] Blood and Sandretains Ibáñez' fixation on bullfighting as Fate, with the measure of a man determined by how he faces the possibility of death in the afternoon. Mamoulian stages two impressive scenes in the arena but leaves Juan's final confrontation mostly off-screen. By that time Juan has lost all of his friends, even John Carradine's Nacional, a socialist forever swearing to quit the corrupt blood sport. The old matador played by J. Carroll Naish curses not the bulls, but the bloodlust of the crowd that gathers for the ritual slaughter.
Fox's Blood and Sand has received a lucky break from the gods of video restoration. The clear image closely approximates the look of original Technicolor prints, with contrast ranging from inky blacks to the bright gleam in Rita Hayworth's eyes. Perhaps this Oscar winner for Cinematography received special treatment when labs were converting Tech films to normal Eastmancolor. The soundtrack features Alfred Newman's standard score and some great flamenco music. I presume that Ms. Hayworth's singing voice is dubbed, but she sounds very good.
Besides a photo gallery the main extra on Blood and Sand is a commentary by a director of photography, Richard Crudo. He devotes his track to camera-related issues, talks a bit about the Technicolor process and tends to drift onto tangential topics. The way to really learn about Technicolor on DVD is still Turner's fine documentary Glorious Technicolor, included on the special edition disc of The Adventures of Robin Hood. Blood and Sandis considered a textbook film when studying what Technicolor can and cannot do.
Made right at the outbreak of WW2, Son of Fury, the Story of Benjamin Blake is a fine example of Power as the archtype conceived by Darryl Zanuck: a disinherited nobleman fighting to regain his good name and fortune. The surprise is that Philip Dunne's good writing and John Cromwell's assured direction make this formula seem fresh once again.
Young Benjamin Blake (Master Roddy McDowall as a child) is the unrecognized son of the Blake family. Unscrupulous uncle Sir Arthur (George Sanders) takes Ben on as a bonded stable boy to ensure that he can never claim his noble title. As an adult, Benjamin woos Sir Arthur's daughter Isabel (Frances Farmer) and is accused of assault by his uncle, a hanging offense. With the help of a bar girl (Elsa Lanchester) Benjamin escapes to the South Seas, jumps ship with another bitter convict (John Carradine) and lives happily among the Polynesians, harvesting pearls and romancing an island girl that he names Eve (Gene Tierney). Benjamin returns to London with a fortune in pearls and engages lawyer Bartholomew Pratt (Dudley Digges) to recover his title and clear up his legal problem, so he can marry Isabel. Blake is instead arrested; when asked, Pratt disavows any knowledge of him.
The unpretentious Son of Fury is another undeservedly ignored gem. Unlike most swashbuckling heroes, Blake is not invincible. He loses several fistfights and is clubbed for talking back to the Captain of a sailing ship, who goes right on calmly giving instructions to his crew. Blake consistently puts his trust in others, a policy that pays off only 50% of the time.
Darryl Zanuck assembles a quality cast. Elsa Lanchester's good time girl is overjoyed at being treated like a lady by Blake's thoughtful gentleman. John Carradine is a terrific hardened criminal who finds peace and happiness in a South Seas paradise. As Carradine frequently plays villains, Son of Fury seems like a personal reprieve -- it's a joy to see him smile. The high-profile barrister Dudley Digges gets two entire scenes almost to himself. Harry Davenport is Blake's maternal grandfather, who is thrown into prison when Benjamin flees the country.
George Sanders must have loved playing S.O.B.'s, because his dastardly aristocrat is a real stinker. The marvelous Frances Farmer (Come and Get It) dresses up the first part of the picture with her wonderful smile and ambiguous affection for Blake. Also making sparks with Power is Gene Tierney as a Hollywood Polynesian complete with the full Max Factor treatment. She's a vision, and a major impetus for Blake to find a higher value than simply taking his uncle's place in the House of Lords. Son of Fury generates a good feeling about its characters and ends with a romantic reunion on the beach that leaves us feeling exhilarated. When Powers kissed 'em, they apparently stayed kissed.
Son of Fury is in fine shape, giving us John Cromwell's classy masked ball and the studio-bound Polynesian beaches in their original B&W glory. The Alfred Newman score has been isolated, the kind of extra that studios can give us any time, with thanks. The new featurette is an overview of the middle section of Tyrone Power's career, and is the best of the group of short subjects on these discs. Still & advertising galleries and a trailer are included as well.
1948's Captain from Castile is this collection's real dazzler. I wouldn't be surprised if the handlers and agents of Hollywood's top ten male stars see this disc in the next few weeks and propose a remake as a perfect vehicle for their clients. Castile makes Power the central character in nothing less than the Conquest of Mexico and paints a refreshingly non- PC view of La Conquista. Driven from his home by The Inquisition, Pedro de Vargas (Power) heads for Santo Domingo with rogue friends Lee J. Cobb and Jean Peters (in her first movie). There he hooks up with the near-piratical gold-hungry expedition of Hernán Cortez. This is probably the best role ever played by Cesar Romero; his Cortez hijacks the expedition from its lawful leaders and by charisma alone aims straight for Moctezuma's fabled City of Gold. Aztec interpreter Doñ Marina gives Cortez a linguistic advantage over Montezuma's advance guards and ambassadors, enabling him to bluff, bribe and smile his way toward the capitol. Curiously, the expected armed conflicts take place mostly off screen while we concentrate on Pedro's romance with Catana, the Jean Peters character. In what looks like some compromised restructuring, Pedro is gravely wounded in two redundant incidents, while we never see the battles with Moctezuma's armies.
This is perhaps the only film to capture the full spirit of the Spanish conquest. The Conquistadores may be ruthless opportunists but they also have the sheer guts to risk all in a wild quest. Life is short and death can come from almost anything, even a bellyache. Why not go for the big prizes of honor and riches as well as the blessings of God and country? Cortez laughs as he burns his own ships, forcing his men to trust in his grandiose promises of glory. One man's personality motivates an entire army.
The film provides a complex look at class differences and the role of Spain's corrupt Inquisitors. The handling of the Inquisition raises parallels with the American blacklist, but Captain from Castile is a couple of years too soon to have been inspired by the happenings at HUAC. Some viewers may also be surprised that the show does not portray the Aztecs as innocent victims. Cortez successfully conquered a nation that could easily have annihilated him, had it not been intimidated by his horses and his utter self-confidence.
The film benefits from terrific Mexican location work that evokes both Spain and the New World. The costumes and sets are superb; all that is lacking for the modern viewer are elaborate battle scenes. The ending will surprise some, as the story reaches its climax just as the wonders of victory lie before the conquerors, in a vision of a city floating on a lake. A real volcano is seen erupting behind many grand shots of marching armies -- no mattes, no fakery.
Finally, Alfred Newman's score is one of the best Hollywood ever turned out. A weird theme accompanies the Jean Peters character, a choice that's difficult to understand. The exultant Spanish march cue makes one want to jump in the saddle and cabalgar alongside Power and Romero; in 1954 the USC marching band adopted it as the school's official tune.
John Sutton is the hissable villain, Antonio Moreno is Pablo's noble father and Barbara Lawrence (Kronos) is Luisa, a high-toned Castilian girlfriend. When Pablo is sought by the inquisition, Luisa's reaction is to fret that she might be implicated should her handkerchief be found on him. Other notable faces include Alan Mowbray, Thomas Gomez, Marc Lawrence, Jay Silverheels, Chris-Pin Martin and Estela Inda as Doña Marina, Cortez's interpreter and paramour.
Captain from Castile's very good transfer almost captures the original's Technicolor luster. It has no real flaws but the colors in some scenes are on the weak side. A chatty commentary combines critic Rudy Behlmer and music expert Jon Burlingame with moderator Nick Redman; they discuss all of the actors as well as the film's status as one of the biggest productions of its day. The entire Alfred Newman score is provided on its own track, synchronized with cue IDs and conductor comments intact. Audio tracks in French and Spanish are provided but the Spanish track sampled appeared to make use of a different music score. An interview featurette gathers Patricia Neal, Colleen Gray, Terry Moore and Jayne Meadows to comment about their co-star, but soon bogs down in repetitious talk of how handsome and nice Power was. A B&W trailer and still & art galleries finish the package.
Prince of Foxes is yet another intelligent costume drama, one almost too intelligent for American audiences of the time. Power begins the show as Andrea Orsini, an unscrupulous opportunist doing dirty jobs for Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles, in fine form and perhaps at a decent weight for the last time). As an emissary, Orsini paves the way for Borgia to annex a neighboring petty kingdom, using flattery and well-timed bribes. Then Cesare dispatches Andrea to murder Count Verano (Felix Aylmer), woo his wife Camila (Wanda Hendrix, yet another interesting romantic foil for Power) and take their city fortress Cittá del Monte. Orsini is instead redeemed by Camila's fidelity to her husband, and changes sides to defy Borgia's mercenary armies. His only ally is Mario Belli (Everett Sloane), an assassin with the unmistakable face of a complete knave.
The big twist is that Andrea is actually a complete imposter; his mother is a poor peasant named Costanza (Katina Paxinou). Orsini's conversion to the side of goodness is well motivated. His defenders at Cittá del Monte can hold out against Borgia's armies only for so long, leaving him with the bitter choice is to flee or die defending a woman he's never possessed.
The utter ruthlessness of Welles' Borgia is a major delight; when Cesare and Belli chortle over each other's craven villainy, we can't help but be moved. Everett Sloane gets what may be 1949's most sadistic scene: at a fancy dinner, the assassin Belii offers to gouge a man's eyes out with his thumbs, and Camila is forced to watch.
Contributing heavily to director Henry King's success are the authentic locations in Italy. When we see a castle on a hill in this movie, it's the real deal. Most of the castle interiors also look authentic, enhancing the film's special atmosphere. The majority of the supporting characters are Italians but familiar Italian-American Eduardo Ciannelii has a nice bit, along with Mexican looker Ariadna Welter, later of The Brainiac and The Devil's Hand, which starred Tyrone Powers' second wife, Linda Christian. As many viewers have said, if Prince of Foxeswere in color, it would probably be considered a classic.
The print of Prince of Foxes is in great shape, showing off Leon Shamroy's fine B&W cinematography. Alfred Newman's music score is isolated on a second audio track. Besides the expected trailer and photo galleries, the disc offers a Movietone newsreel of Tyrone Power and Linda Christian's Italian wedding ceremony, which took place right after the completion of filming.
The newest picture in the package is 1950's The Black Rose from Thomas B. Costain, the author of The Silver Chalice. This costume picture ranges from England to China during the Crusades and was photographed in Technicolor by the great Jack Cardiff. Power is fine as Walter of Gurnie, a de-classed Saxon who prefers to seek his fortune in the Orient rather than serve a Norman king. Henry Hathaway directs, well enough to surmount some odd script transitions.
The rousing story engages a lively cast. James Robertson Justice is a man of letters, Finlay Currie is Walter's gruff grandfather and a young Laurence Harvey is Walter's mean-spirited half-brother. Michael Rennie is the fair-minded King Edward; this may be the role that landed Rennie the career-altering part of Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still. But the film's brightest supporting performance is by Jack Hawkins as Tristram Griffin, a longbow-wielding sidekick who earns equal status with Power in all but the romance department.
On the way to the Far East the adventurers meet a wild mix of character actors. From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre are Alfonso Bedoya as a caravan boss and Robert "Bobby" Blake as a servant boy. Peter Sellers reportedly dubbed a rather weird voice for Bedoya. The presence of these two actors makes us think that The Black Rose's Persian and Chinese desert vistas may have been filmed in Southern California. Herbert Lom is the caravan's owner; but his angles may have been filmed in England separate from the surrounding material.
The film manages a charming love story. The pixie-ish Cécile Aubrey, fresh from H.G. Clouzot's Manon is Maryam, a half-Persian half-English waif being shipped by Caravan as a concubine for the Kubla Khan. Maryam masquerades as a second helper boy. She slowly wins Walter over to her girlish dream -- of marrying a handsome English knight and returning with him to England. It's all handled charmingly.
Meanwhile, Walter and Tris have to contend with an imposing Persian general, Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Orson Welles plays this barbarian with his usual bombast and hauteur and befriends the two adventurers. Welles is already much heavier than in his previous year's Prince of Foxes. When Tristram shows his skill his longbow "Sarah", Walter decides not to tell the archer that if he misses, Bayan will have his head bashed in. The two friends break up in Cathay after becoming disillusioned by Bayan's war strategy: the general orders his troops to murder thousands of Chinese. Walter and Tris are then captured by the Dowager Empress and locked in a lavish pavilion; she believes that they're magic bird-gods sent from heaven to cast a spell of peace blocking Bayan's onslaught. When the war continues, the future doesn't look good for our heroes and Maryam. But Tris still has his longbow and Walter has been learning about the Chinese secret weapon called gunpowder.
The Black Rose is a fine movie but the disc looks drab compared to old Technicolor prints that sported the magical color contrasts of other films by cameraman Jack Cardiff, like Black Narcissus. It's nobody's fault, unless one expects Fox to commit a multi-million dollar restoration to a film with few commercial prospects. On small monitors the image will look fine, but on a projection TV the show is muddy and colors aren't as attractive as they might be. The film's many matte shots also fare poorly; the entire trip from Arabia to the Great Wall of China seems to be accomplished in front of a painter's canvas, with a little smoke thrown in. Luckily, the close-ups of Power and Cécile Aubrey look fine, and in this adventure the characters carry the story.
The Black Rose has a featurette called Tyrone Power: Family Reunion that gathers relatives like Tyrone Power IV, Taryn Power and Linda Christian on a sofa to discuss the actor's career. It's slow going once we've figured out who's who. An interactive pressbook is rather complicated to access; a still gallery and trailer are also present.
The Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set celebrates an enormously popular star never afforded much industry respect for his superior acting. Fox has transferred the films as carefully as possible, with only The Black Rose verging on inadequate in the image department. Each slim-cased disc contains an envelope with little collectable postcard - sized stills. The slipcover is a bit on the flimsy side but displays great artwork, as do the individual discs.
For more information about Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set, visit Fox Home Entertainment. To order Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set, go to TCM Shopping.
by Glenn Erickson
Fox will make a lot of matinee fans happy with Tyrone Power: The Swashbuckler Box Set, a collection of five of Power's most exciting pictures. The list includes one bona fide classic, an underappreciated epic and two more ambitious period swashbucklers. Fans tend to love Tyrone Power and the most notable 'swashbuckler' Errol Flynn for different reasons. Superstar Flynn is almost too dynamic for his movies, many of which are simply extravagant vehicles for his outsized talents. Tyrone Power is less of a superman figure and his characters are often subordinated to strong stories, which makes sense considering that many of them were personally produced by Darryl Zanuck. But even when Power's pictures fall short of perfection, they tend to be both intelligent and distinctive. The set includes Captain from Castile, a superb epic ripe for rediscovery. 1941's Blood and Sandis a bullfighting film, not a swashbuckler per se. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez' novel is something of a Spanish national epic with its story of the rise and precipitous fall of Juan Gallardo, a famous matador. It has everything: an ambitious poor boy who wants to win back his father's good name; a faithful wife (Linda Darnell), a faithless lover (Rita Hayworth) and a worn old mother (Nazimova) who foresees that her son will meet the same cruel fate as his father. Blood and Sandis an old story exceedingly well written for the screen by Jo Swerling. Juan seeks fame and honor but never learns to read or write. His faithful retainers (John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, Pedro de Cordoba) eventually desert him as he becomes more arrogant and irresponsible. As the debts mount, freeloading relatives like Juan's sister Encarnacíon (Lynn Bari) attack his good name. It's even lonelier at the top thanks to the pompous, predatory critic Natalio Curio (Laird Cregar). Curio feeds off the young matador's fame and then pretends that Juan's success is his doing. It's a rather accurate picture of the dishonest critic. Tyrone Power shows in Blood and Sandthat he can handle serious dramatic roles. Linda Darnell is fresh from The Mark of Zorro and Rita Hayworth is perfect as the Spanish temptress Doña Sol des Muire. She's quite a sight when dancing with Anthony Quinn, who plays a competitor in the bullring. But Ray Rennahan's artful Technicolor cinematography probably distracted viewers from the performances. Director Rouben Mamoulian was always a pioneer in technical matters, and Blood and Sandis a showcase of interesting effects in the 3-strip process. Carmen's white wedding dress contrasts strongly with Doña Sol's alluring gowns. Mamoulian has Hayworth open a dark wrap, exposing a bright dress that lights up the screen like a matador's cape -- a trick used later by Vicente Minnelli in The Band Wagon. Under the Technicolor lights, Power's ornate matador outfits also take on magical hues. [Spoiler] Blood and Sandretains Ibáñez' fixation on bullfighting as Fate, with the measure of a man determined by how he faces the possibility of death in the afternoon. Mamoulian stages two impressive scenes in the arena but leaves Juan's final confrontation mostly off-screen. By that time Juan has lost all of his friends, even John Carradine's Nacional, a socialist forever swearing to quit the corrupt blood sport. The old matador played by J. Carroll Naish curses not the bulls, but the bloodlust of the crowd that gathers for the ritual slaughter. Fox's Blood and Sand has received a lucky break from the gods of video restoration. The clear image closely approximates the look of original Technicolor prints, with contrast ranging from inky blacks to the bright gleam in Rita Hayworth's eyes. Perhaps this Oscar winner for Cinematography received special treatment when labs were converting Tech films to normal Eastmancolor. The soundtrack features Alfred Newman's standard score and some great flamenco music. I presume that Ms. Hayworth's singing voice is dubbed, but she sounds very good. Besides a photo gallery the main extra on Blood and Sand is a commentary by a director of photography, Richard Crudo. He devotes his track to camera-related issues, talks a bit about the Technicolor process and tends to drift onto tangential topics. The way to really learn about Technicolor on DVD is still Turner's fine documentary Glorious Technicolor, included on the special edition disc of The Adventures of Robin Hood. Blood and Sandis considered a textbook film when studying what Technicolor can and cannot do. Made right at the outbreak of WW2, Son of Fury, the Story of Benjamin Blake is a fine example of Power as the archtype conceived by Darryl Zanuck: a disinherited nobleman fighting to regain his good name and fortune. The surprise is that Philip Dunne's good writing and John Cromwell's assured direction make this formula seem fresh once again. Young Benjamin Blake (Master Roddy McDowall as a child) is the unrecognized son of the Blake family. Unscrupulous uncle Sir Arthur (George Sanders) takes Ben on as a bonded stable boy to ensure that he can never claim his noble title. As an adult, Benjamin woos Sir Arthur's daughter Isabel (Frances Farmer) and is accused of assault by his uncle, a hanging offense. With the help of a bar girl (Elsa Lanchester) Benjamin escapes to the South Seas, jumps ship with another bitter convict (John Carradine) and lives happily among the Polynesians, harvesting pearls and romancing an island girl that he names Eve (Gene Tierney). Benjamin returns to London with a fortune in pearls and engages lawyer Bartholomew Pratt (Dudley Digges) to recover his title and clear up his legal problem, so he can marry Isabel. Blake is instead arrested; when asked, Pratt disavows any knowledge of him. The unpretentious Son of Fury is another undeservedly ignored gem. Unlike most swashbuckling heroes, Blake is not invincible. He loses several fistfights and is clubbed for talking back to the Captain of a sailing ship, who goes right on calmly giving instructions to his crew. Blake consistently puts his trust in others, a policy that pays off only 50% of the time. Darryl Zanuck assembles a quality cast. Elsa Lanchester's good time girl is overjoyed at being treated like a lady by Blake's thoughtful gentleman. John Carradine is a terrific hardened criminal who finds peace and happiness in a South Seas paradise. As Carradine frequently plays villains, Son of Fury seems like a personal reprieve -- it's a joy to see him smile. The high-profile barrister Dudley Digges gets two entire scenes almost to himself. Harry Davenport is Blake's maternal grandfather, who is thrown into prison when Benjamin flees the country. George Sanders must have loved playing S.O.B.'s, because his dastardly aristocrat is a real stinker. The marvelous Frances Farmer (Come and Get It) dresses up the first part of the picture with her wonderful smile and ambiguous affection for Blake. Also making sparks with Power is Gene Tierney as a Hollywood Polynesian complete with the full Max Factor treatment. She's a vision, and a major impetus for Blake to find a higher value than simply taking his uncle's place in the House of Lords. Son of Fury generates a good feeling about its characters and ends with a romantic reunion on the beach that leaves us feeling exhilarated. When Powers kissed 'em, they apparently stayed kissed. Son of Fury is in fine shape, giving us John Cromwell's classy masked ball and the studio-bound Polynesian beaches in their original B&W glory. The Alfred Newman score has been isolated, the kind of extra that studios can give us any time, with thanks. The new featurette is an overview of the middle section of Tyrone Power's career, and is the best of the group of short subjects on these discs. Still & advertising galleries and a trailer are included as well. 1948's Captain from Castile is this collection's real dazzler. I wouldn't be surprised if the handlers and agents of Hollywood's top ten male stars see this disc in the next few weeks and propose a remake as a perfect vehicle for their clients. Castile makes Power the central character in nothing less than the Conquest of Mexico and paints a refreshingly non- PC view of La Conquista. Driven from his home by The Inquisition, Pedro de Vargas (Power) heads for Santo Domingo with rogue friends Lee J. Cobb and Jean Peters (in her first movie). There he hooks up with the near-piratical gold-hungry expedition of Hernán Cortez. This is probably the best role ever played by Cesar Romero; his Cortez hijacks the expedition from its lawful leaders and by charisma alone aims straight for Moctezuma's fabled City of Gold. Aztec interpreter Doñ Marina gives Cortez a linguistic advantage over Montezuma's advance guards and ambassadors, enabling him to bluff, bribe and smile his way toward the capitol. Curiously, the expected armed conflicts take place mostly off screen while we concentrate on Pedro's romance with Catana, the Jean Peters character. In what looks like some compromised restructuring, Pedro is gravely wounded in two redundant incidents, while we never see the battles with Moctezuma's armies. This is perhaps the only film to capture the full spirit of the Spanish conquest. The Conquistadores may be ruthless opportunists but they also have the sheer guts to risk all in a wild quest. Life is short and death can come from almost anything, even a bellyache. Why not go for the big prizes of honor and riches as well as the blessings of God and country? Cortez laughs as he burns his own ships, forcing his men to trust in his grandiose promises of glory. One man's personality motivates an entire army. The film provides a complex look at class differences and the role of Spain's corrupt Inquisitors. The handling of the Inquisition raises parallels with the American blacklist, but Captain from Castile is a couple of years too soon to have been inspired by the happenings at HUAC. Some viewers may also be surprised that the show does not portray the Aztecs as innocent victims. Cortez successfully conquered a nation that could easily have annihilated him, had it not been intimidated by his horses and his utter self-confidence. The film benefits from terrific Mexican location work that evokes both Spain and the New World. The costumes and sets are superb; all that is lacking for the modern viewer are elaborate battle scenes. The ending will surprise some, as the story reaches its climax just as the wonders of victory lie before the conquerors, in a vision of a city floating on a lake. A real volcano is seen erupting behind many grand shots of marching armies -- no mattes, no fakery. Finally, Alfred Newman's score is one of the best Hollywood ever turned out. A weird theme accompanies the Jean Peters character, a choice that's difficult to understand. The exultant Spanish march cue makes one want to jump in the saddle and cabalgar alongside Power and Romero; in 1954 the USC marching band adopted it as the school's official tune. John Sutton is the hissable villain, Antonio Moreno is Pablo's noble father and Barbara Lawrence (Kronos) is Luisa, a high-toned Castilian girlfriend. When Pablo is sought by the inquisition, Luisa's reaction is to fret that she might be implicated should her handkerchief be found on him. Other notable faces include Alan Mowbray, Thomas Gomez, Marc Lawrence, Jay Silverheels, Chris-Pin Martin and Estela Inda as Doña Marina, Cortez's interpreter and paramour. Captain from Castile's very good transfer almost captures the original's Technicolor luster. It has no real flaws but the colors in some scenes are on the weak side. A chatty commentary combines critic Rudy Behlmer and music expert Jon Burlingame with moderator Nick Redman; they discuss all of the actors as well as the film's status as one of the biggest productions of its day. The entire Alfred Newman score is provided on its own track, synchronized with cue IDs and conductor comments intact. Audio tracks in French and Spanish are provided but the Spanish track sampled appeared to make use of a different music score. An interview featurette gathers Patricia Neal, Colleen Gray, Terry Moore and Jayne Meadows to comment about their co-star, but soon bogs down in repetitious talk of how handsome and nice Power was. A B&W trailer and still & art galleries finish the package. Prince of Foxes is yet another intelligent costume drama, one almost too intelligent for American audiences of the time. Power begins the show as Andrea Orsini, an unscrupulous opportunist doing dirty jobs for Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles, in fine form and perhaps at a decent weight for the last time). As an emissary, Orsini paves the way for Borgia to annex a neighboring petty kingdom, using flattery and well-timed bribes. Then Cesare dispatches Andrea to murder Count Verano (Felix Aylmer), woo his wife Camila (Wanda Hendrix, yet another interesting romantic foil for Power) and take their city fortress Cittá del Monte. Orsini is instead redeemed by Camila's fidelity to her husband, and changes sides to defy Borgia's mercenary armies. His only ally is Mario Belli (Everett Sloane), an assassin with the unmistakable face of a complete knave. The big twist is that Andrea is actually a complete imposter; his mother is a poor peasant named Costanza (Katina Paxinou). Orsini's conversion to the side of goodness is well motivated. His defenders at Cittá del Monte can hold out against Borgia's armies only for so long, leaving him with the bitter choice is to flee or die defending a woman he's never possessed. The utter ruthlessness of Welles' Borgia is a major delight; when Cesare and Belli chortle over each other's craven villainy, we can't help but be moved. Everett Sloane gets what may be 1949's most sadistic scene: at a fancy dinner, the assassin Belii offers to gouge a man's eyes out with his thumbs, and Camila is forced to watch. Contributing heavily to director Henry King's success are the authentic locations in Italy. When we see a castle on a hill in this movie, it's the real deal. Most of the castle interiors also look authentic, enhancing the film's special atmosphere. The majority of the supporting characters are Italians but familiar Italian-American Eduardo Ciannelii has a nice bit, along with Mexican looker Ariadna Welter, later of The Brainiac and The Devil's Hand, which starred Tyrone Powers' second wife, Linda Christian. As many viewers have said, if Prince of Foxeswere in color, it would probably be considered a classic. The print of Prince of Foxes is in great shape, showing off Leon Shamroy's fine B&W cinematography. Alfred Newman's music score is isolated on a second audio track. Besides the expected trailer and photo galleries, the disc offers a Movietone newsreel of Tyrone Power and Linda Christian's Italian wedding ceremony, which took place right after the completion of filming. The newest picture in the package is 1950's The Black Rose from Thomas B. Costain, the author of The Silver Chalice. This costume picture ranges from England to China during the Crusades and was photographed in Technicolor by the great Jack Cardiff. Power is fine as Walter of Gurnie, a de-classed Saxon who prefers to seek his fortune in the Orient rather than serve a Norman king. Henry Hathaway directs, well enough to surmount some odd script transitions. The rousing story engages a lively cast. James Robertson Justice is a man of letters, Finlay Currie is Walter's gruff grandfather and a young Laurence Harvey is Walter's mean-spirited half-brother. Michael Rennie is the fair-minded King Edward; this may be the role that landed Rennie the career-altering part of Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still. But the film's brightest supporting performance is by Jack Hawkins as Tristram Griffin, a longbow-wielding sidekick who earns equal status with Power in all but the romance department. On the way to the Far East the adventurers meet a wild mix of character actors. From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre are Alfonso Bedoya as a caravan boss and Robert "Bobby" Blake as a servant boy. Peter Sellers reportedly dubbed a rather weird voice for Bedoya. The presence of these two actors makes us think that The Black Rose's Persian and Chinese desert vistas may have been filmed in Southern California. Herbert Lom is the caravan's owner; but his angles may have been filmed in England separate from the surrounding material. The film manages a charming love story. The pixie-ish Cécile Aubrey, fresh from H.G. Clouzot's Manon is Maryam, a half-Persian half-English waif being shipped by Caravan as a concubine for the Kubla Khan. Maryam masquerades as a second helper boy. She slowly wins Walter over to her girlish dream -- of marrying a handsome English knight and returning with him to England. It's all handled charmingly. Meanwhile, Walter and Tris have to contend with an imposing Persian general, Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Orson Welles plays this barbarian with his usual bombast and hauteur and befriends the two adventurers. Welles is already much heavier than in his previous year's Prince of Foxes. When Tristram shows his skill his longbow "Sarah", Walter decides not to tell the archer that if he misses, Bayan will have his head bashed in. The two friends break up in Cathay after becoming disillusioned by Bayan's war strategy: the general orders his troops to murder thousands of Chinese. Walter and Tris are then captured by the Dowager Empress and locked in a lavish pavilion; she believes that they're magic bird-gods sent from heaven to cast a spell of peace blocking Bayan's onslaught. When the war continues, the future doesn't look good for our heroes and Maryam. But Tris still has his longbow and Walter has been learning about the Chinese secret weapon called gunpowder. The Black Rose is a fine movie but the disc looks drab compared to old Technicolor prints that sported the magical color contrasts of other films by cameraman Jack Cardiff, like Black Narcissus. It's nobody's fault, unless one expects Fox to commit a multi-million dollar restoration to a film with few commercial prospects. On small monitors the image will look fine, but on a projection TV the show is muddy and colors aren't as attractive as they might be. The film's many matte shots also fare poorly; the entire trip from Arabia to the Great Wall of China seems to be accomplished in front of a painter's canvas, with a little smoke thrown in. Luckily, the close-ups of Power and Cécile Aubrey look fine, and in this adventure the characters carry the story. The Black Rose has a featurette called Tyrone Power: Family Reunion that gathers relatives like Tyrone Power IV, Taryn Power and Linda Christian on a sofa to discuss the actor's career. It's slow going once we've figured out who's who. An interactive pressbook is rather complicated to access; a still gallery and trailer are also present. The Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set celebrates an enormously popular star never afforded much industry respect for his superior acting. Fox has transferred the films as carefully as possible, with only The Black Rose verging on inadequate in the image department. Each slim-cased disc contains an envelope with little collectable postcard - sized stills. The slipcover is a bit on the flimsy side but displays great artwork, as do the individual discs. For more information about Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set, visit Fox Home Entertainment. To order Tyrone Power: Swashbuckler Box Set, go to TCM Shopping. by Glenn Erickson
According to 'Little, Rich' , the voice of Alfonso Bedoya was dubbed by Peter Sellers.
According to documents in the Twentieth Century-Fox Records of the Legal Department and the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Arts-Special Collections Library, the studio bought the rights to Thomas B. Costain's novel in October 1945 for $87,500. Writer Richard Tregaskis submitted a draft of the screenplay in April 1946. Credited screenwriter Talbot Jennings was then given the assignment, and the extent of Tregaskis' contribution to the released film has not been determined.
A June 1947 New York Times news item reported that production of The Black Rose, which was scheduled to start the following month, had been canceled. Producer Louis D. Lighton revealed that production costs had increased 33 percent in little more than a year, while box office returns had slightly decreased. The minimum estimate for production of The Black Rose was $3,200,000, with the possibility that the cost might be greater. At that time, the studio's investment in the film stood at $200,000. It had been decided to delay the project until costs and prospective revenues were in better synchronization. In March 1949, a Daily Variety news item reported that The Black Rose would start filming in Morocco on April 18, 1949, with a budget of $3,000,000, which was one of the studio's highest budgets in recent years. The budget included use of studio funds frozen in post-war Europe.
The production was based in Casablanca but filmed at locations throughout Morocco, including Meknes, Ouarzazate and Marrakesh. The 110 member crew was almost entirely British and all the technical equipment, construction materials, costumes and props were shipped by air and sea from England. Upon completion of the Moroccan sequences, the company returned to England to film at Warwick and Allington castles and at Shepperton Film Studios. A scene featuring "Walter" (Tyrone Power) and the "Empress of China" (Madame Phang), is in the film's post-production cutting continuity but was removed just prior to, or subsequent to, the film's release, and Madame Phang does not appear in the finished picture. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Color). In a modern interview, actress Leslie Caron stated that she was originally offered the role played by Cecile Aubrey, which would have been her first film role, but turned it down because her mother did not approve of the script.


Both famix and grammy aim to be language independent. The aim of this item is to stimulate a discussion between the participants about both meta-models. Possible discussion quesions range from where is the overlap between both models, what is each model supposed to do (+how?, +why?), what kind of operations do we apply on it, to which (language specific) problems did we meet. Throughout this discussion the origin of both meta-models should be stressed.
Some of you are probably familiar with Tom Tourwés work in which he applies logic programming on a program in order to detect code smells which are used for automatic refactorings. In his context Soul, as a logic engine for smalltalk is used to reason about code but it is also very usefull for reasoning about meta-models. This workshop offers the opportunity to learn more about the possibilities, limitations and practical usage of logic programming.
Each of us demands specific functionality from its programming environment. In a study about websystems and similar technologies you would prefer Java over C++ because of Java's built in web functionality (Servlets, threading, j2ee, sockets, ...). In this context we would like to investigate where Smalltalk might support our research activities. What for example about application servers, how is it used by the participants, what are possible drawbacks of using Smalltalk, what are the ameliorations... ?
Duploc is a tool that uses a very simple line matching algorithm to find duplicated code sequences in a programs source code. The idea of this session would be to extend this implementation with a parameterized technique. This comes down to writing a lexer framework which will be implemented for one specific language for example C++. The construction of a user interface which allows to select which identifiers and literals you would like to define as parameter. The tool should also allow a report to be written to a file in an exchangeable format. During this project different refactorings should be used to improve the new design.


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Hawaii As a Different Sort of Resort
The pilot for a new television drama begins shooting in March on Oahu. It's not unusual to hear Hawaii described as a resort, but this show is not about spas and fine dining. This is a futuristic thriller involving nuclear weapons and treason.Hawaii welcomes Hollywood to its shores once again for another TV series.
Last Resort is set in the near future, when the world is (still) on the brink of nuclear war. The crew of a nuclear submarine, the USS Nevada, refuses to execute direct orders to fire nuclear missiles issued under "suspicious circumstances." In return, the sub is fired upon by its own allies. The captain and crew find refuge on an island with a NATO listening station. There they declare themselves to be the world's smallest nuclear nation, independent and in possession of 24 nukes.
The hour-long pilot for ABC is created by Shawn Ryan, who also was executive producer of The Shield on FX, The Chicago Code on Fox and The Unit on CBS. While most of the mentions of the pilot so far have named these gritty series, Ryan was also a producer on Angel and Nash Bridges. I see a common theme: no shortage of testosterone. (Not that I'm complaining!)
According to TV Guide, Ryan will executive produce the series. He co-wrote the pilot with Karl Gajdusek, who created four episodes of the Showtime's Dead Like Me. Martin Campbell will direct the pilot. Campbell also directed Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as in his first appearance as James Bond and GoldenEye, the first Bond outing for Pierce Brosnan, along with The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro, both with Antonio Banderas.
Writers on The Legend of Zorro included some names familiar to fans of Hawaii Five-0: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (executive producers on 33 episodes). Neither is associated with the new pilot; it's just some fun trivia. Hawaii Five-0 also brought in a big-name action director for the pilot, so maybe this will be good luck for Last Resort.
The island that becomes home for the renegade sub and crew is called "Sainte Marina," so Hawaii is not playing itself in a leading role this time around. The stars are expected to be from the mainland, but local actors are being cast as co-stars, supporting and featured background roles, according to Hawaii Actors Network.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Besides the numerous disassembly tasks necessary for failure analysis, these facilities allow us to erect a wide variety of test apparatus, so that our engineers can measure and record load and stress data.
Our workshop is fully equipped to receive equipment or materials weighing up to 1 ton. Our specially designed loading bay offers clients easy access to deliver large parts and our internal winch capabilities allow easy and safe handling within the workshop.
Our mechanical laboratory is fully equipped with an extensive range of top quality tooling and equipment to handle the most complex of failure analysis tasks.
We may, for example, verify a suspect failure cause by duplicating the actual service loads in tests.
Our materials lab is where we test a wide range of commercial and consumer products to compare and verify actual performance capabilities. For example, our heat treating furnace allows tests to verify heat treatment specifications as well as investigate failures related to heat treatment history.
In-house MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) station used to identify cracks in ferrous metals (e.g. iron or other metals with iron content such as steel).
Mobile MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) for on-site inspection.
LPI (Liquid Penetrant Inspection) used to identify cracks in non-ferrous materials such as Aluminum or Copper.
Load testing up to 10,000lbs.
Our knowledge of engineering and materials science is a resource that underpins much of the forensic investigation work we carry out for our clients. When something fails, the soundness and appropriateness of the material immediately become issues. Baker Materials Engineering Ltd. has the skills and resources to delve into these important aspects. Our laboratory has been designed specifically to allow the testing and examination procedures that reveal what is critical to the failure.
In the metallurgy lab, under the microscope, our experts can scrutinize internal grain structures for heat treatment flaws. Mechanical properties can be measured at the micro scale providing definitive answers to failure problems.


text:
Home > Read > Pauline Studies
Epistles
The city was founded around 1,400 B.C. when the Hittites settled the area. It is thought that Cilicia was the capital of the area they designated Kuzziwatna. Cilicia became a Roman province in 64 BC after it was conquered by Pompey. Tarsus became the capital city. Tarsus was located on the southern coast of Asia Minor. Cilicia had two main regions: the western half with its mountainous terrain, and the eastern plain, which contained fertile land. Tarsus was located in the eastern region. The city is 79 feet above sea level and 10 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The city is built around the Cydnus River.
Tarsus was a prosperous city and intellectualism and education were its major distinctions. Strabo wrote thusly of Tarsus in the 1st century AD. : " The people at Tarsus have devoted themselves so eagerly, not only to philosophy, but also to the whole round of education in general that they have surpassed even Athens, Alexandria, or any other place that can be named where there have been schools and lectures of philosophers." The city also contained a number of schools of rhetoric; a method of speaking that Paul used in many of his epistles. Tarsus was also known as a center of Stoic philosophy.
Paul demonstrates a great grasp of the Hellenistic culture in his apologetic arguments of Acts and also in his epistles. He undoubtedly had first hand knowledge of this culture in Tarsus. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, was a Jew, a Tarsian citizen, and at the same time Roman. Only a "Hebrew sprung from Hebrews" could be the Apostle of the perfected Judaic faith; but he must be born and brought up in childhood among the Gentiles, a citizen of a Gentile city, and a member of the Roman aristocracy which ruled the Mediterranean world. While Paul spoke in Hebrew or Aramaic to the people of Jerusalem, he wrote in Greek and quoted from the Septuagint. Tent making was a common trade in Cilicia and the tents were made of material created from the hair of the mountain goats of the area.


Well, the tree is up and I am busy baking and wrapping and listening to holiday music.
favorite time of year. I love giving presents and wrapping presents. I have about 2 hours of wrapping time yet to go .
I do enjoy it so it flies by.
Some of the presents under the tree are faux ones I wrap study boxes and reuse them year after year I store the wrapped gifts in big plastic containers. I use those boxes for gifts for Pink Boy and me.
Marie, your tree is gorgeous in pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it. Wanted to come by and wish you the Merriest Christmas ever!
Thank you and you too! Pink thoughts!


DEATH: In the early evening of 25 March 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter without his chainmail, investigating the progress of sappers on the castle walls. Missiles were occasionally shot from the castle walls, but these were given little attention. One defender, in particular, amused the king greatly—a man standing on the walls, crossbow in one hand, the other clutching a frying pan he had been using all day as a shield to beat off missiles. He deliberately aimed at the king, which the king applauded; however, another crossbowman then struck the king in the left shoulder near the neck. He tried to pull this out in the privacy of his tent but failed; a surgeon called a "butcher" by Howden, removed it, "carelessly mangling" the King's arm in the process.
The wound swiftly became gangrenous. Richard asked to have the crossbowman brought before him; called alternatively Pierre (or Peter) Basile, John Sabroz, Dudo, and Bertrand de Gourdon (from the town of Gourdon) by chroniclers, the man turned out (according to some sources, but not all) to be a boy. He said Richard had killed his father and two brothers, and that he had killed Richard in revenge. He expected to be executed, but as a final act of mercy Richard forgave him, saying "Live on, and by my bounty behold the light of day", before he ordered the boy to be freed and sent away with 100 shillings. It is unclear whether the King's pardon was upheld following his death. Richard then set his affairs in order, bequeathing all his territory to his brother John and his jewels to his nephew Otto.


Confession: Napa Valley has never been my "go to" California wine region to visit. The wines are quite pricey and there can be an air of pretension at some of the larger tasting rooms. However, my experiences in Napa over the last year have helped me see that there is a whole lot more to Napa than egos and flashiness. Just like any wine region, it is hard to peg the region in one broad stroke (which I have been guilty of doing). Yes, there are plenty of stuck up tasting rooms, chateau after chateau that look like McMansions, and overpriced cult wines. But there is also plenty of honest, regional wine made in Napa. Wine made by individuals. Wines that are restrained. Good juice.
This old adage rings true: How do you make a million dollars in Napa? You start with a million. The cost of land and grapes is sky high, and with such a high barrier to entry, not all have what it takes to survive . For this reason, as a general rule, you're not going to see cheapy $8-12 grocery store wine from "Napa". The math just doesn't add up. But not all wines from Napa are out of reach. Below is a summary of my visit to three wineries where you can expect to try some great wines with no pretense!
Corison is a small, family-owned winery by Cathy Corison and her husband William Martin. Corison was founded in 1987 and their estate vineyard, Kronos, was purchased in 1995.
The tasting room is open by appointment only and is a "no frills" type of place. Here you are sure to try impeccable wines, with high prices to match, as their Cabs start at $100/bottle. However, this is a place that I would highly recommend. There is no attitude here. The wine is good. The people are great. And you will leave this tasting room, having learned things about Napa Cab that you might not have known before you came. That is the beauty of tasting room appointments. You get personal attention and the person leading your tasting (should) speak to you and walk you through the tasting at whatever level of wine knowledge you have. No need to feel embarrassed or inadequate.
There are two different tasting options. We went with the Library Experience which is generally $55/person (tasting fee waived with the purchase of 3 bottles of Cabernet or wine club enrollment). Though this tasting was waived for me as a member of the media. This tasting showcases their current releases and highlights a selection from their library. They also have a Collector's Vertical Experience, which is designed for serious Cabernet collectors interested in a deeper understanding of how Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon can speak eloquently of time and place. This flight features four decades of Cabernet, including two of their single vineyard estate wines. This tasting is $150/person ($100 for wine club members).
Grapes from Mendocino. No RS (residual sugar). Loved this guy….even took a bottle home. Great aromatics, good acidity, goes down easy.
This was a special wine to taste as it came from Cathy's library and has 15 years in bottle. The wine has a lovely garnet color. On the nose I got faint black fruit (blackberry), black pepper, plus cigar and smoke. The palate had beautiful muted fruit plus cigar, smoke, tobacco, and leather. Firm tannins. This wine is showing its age, but it is holding up. It's a masculine and dusty wine for sitting down with and really digging into.
This wine is a true Cabernet with Cab markers such as blackberry, black pepper and cassis. On the nose I also get bramble, and on the palate we also see plums. This is an outstanding wine with an Old World feel.
This is the only wine I tried from their estate vineyard, Kronos. This is a powerful wine with bright acid and fruit. On the palate we have juicy red and black fruit, including plum, cherry, and blackberry.
On the nose we have baked black fruit, like a coulis. Great acid, firm tannins, and medium + flavor intensity. This is a big boy that's showing off at this point in its life.
The tasting room of Ehlers Estate is located inside a gorgeous stone barn dating back to 1886. When I visited, the place was bustling with guests and energy. The vineyards are planted to Bordeaux varietals and by 2008, 100% of the Ehlers vineyards were certified organic. The tasting room is open daily and offers portfolio tastings for $35 (complimentary for wine club members). This is a great place to go for that picturesque vineyard feel with a warm and cozy tasting room.
A round and supple Napa Cab. I usually describe Napa Cabs as masculine, but this one has a soft femininity. Black fruit (blackberries), blueberries, black pepper on nose. On palate: blackberries, vegetal/bamble, chocolate/mocha/coffee.
Perfumed and pleasing on the nose. Would love a simple grilled skirt steak with this. Red fruit (cranberry, cherry, pomegranate), floral (violets), vegetal, and vanilla notes. Espresso beans on palate.
Red/black fruit (plum, cherry, raspberry, blackberry). Spice (vanilla, black pepper, cloves). Cedar/cigar box. Leather. This wine dances on my tongue and I get dark chocolate and a smokiness on the palate.
Aged 6 months sur lie (which adds significant body and weight). Slightly restrained on the nose, but I can detect citrus (lemon), yellow apple, wet stone/minerality. On the palate I also get citrus (lemon), plus stone fruit (peach/apricot), salinity/brininess. This is a textured….almost chewy, which is not a descriptor I usually use for whites.
Trione Winery & Vineyard is actually located in Sonoma County, but I felt it could be included in this wrap up, as they are very close to Napa. The Trione family has been deeply rooted in the Sonoma County wine industry for three generations, with the Trione Winery and brand starting in 2005. The grounds her are lovely with an equally comfortable tasting room (we even got a visit from the winery dog!).
A great wine and a great value! Stone fruit (apricot/white peach), minerality/wet stone, and smokiness.
Citrus (lime), red fruit (strawberry, raspberry), and floral (rose).
This wine has gone through full malolactic fermentation (which is where the tart malic acid has been converted to a smoother lactic acid (which is found in milk!). The MLF gives the wine a creamy and buttery feel. The wine also shows bruised yellow apples, pear, and vanilla.
Red cherry, black pepper, gaminess, and forest floor, with an aging potential of 7-10 years.
A traditional Bordeaux blend, showing red + black fruit (plum, blackberry), pyrazines, and black pepper. This wine gives me Cab on the nose, but more Merlot on the palate (a velvet silkiness). Also lovely tertiary notes of smoke and cigar.
What a wine! Baked/stewed black fruit such as blackberry compote and cassis, plus baking spices. Smooth, round tannins and 10-15 years aging potential.
Stewed red fruit (plum, cherry), plus black fruit (blackberries and currants) and vanilla. French oak gives a nice cigar box feel.
This one is aged in American oak. I get juicy black fruit (plums and blackberries). This wine is velvety, supple, rich.


Laughternoon with Cebuana Lhuillier: An Inspiring Word from the Very First Happiest Pinoy Mr. Winston Maxino and the Benefits of Pinoy Laughter Yoga.
The Search for the Happiest Pinoy 2019 is on, and its intimate press conference I recently attended cannot be more inspiring and timely, as I have been doing a rather crazy amount of juggling lately. Work, chores, preparations for my son's upcoming a whole week of graduation rehearsals, the graduation itself, an awards banquet, and a very long checklist to tick off for his Philippine Science enrollment for Grade 7.
Cebuana Lhuillier's Happiest Pinoy Search will always be dear to my heart. It was in 2012 that The Grasyas was born. Coined from the room where I stayed with long time blogging mommy friends, Iris Acosta of PinayAds.com, Iris Pulga of Entrepremom.info and Mauie Flores of The24HourMommy.com stayed and where friendship beyond blogging was officially born!