One of my fondest TV memories from my childhood in the '80s was a spoof adventure serial called THE FLASHING BLADE which they used to show on Saturday morning telly - Going Live, I believe. In it, a rebel hero won the hearts of women around him and valiantly fought off oppressors, and altogether it was a witty and affectionate spoof. Finally, fifteen years on, I catch up with the film which inspired that spoof.

THE SCARLET BLADE is an entertaining Hammer swashbuckler, a colourful and lively romp with direction from the stalwart John Gilling, who can usually be relied upon to deliver a dependable movie. The period setting is as good as ever in a Hammer movie, horror or otherwise, and the various action sequences are very well staged and always exciting. On a technical level, the movie is above average in almost every respect. The plot, on the other hand, is basic stuff which happily focuses more on complex characters than other adventures of the period (a lot of Italian movies, for instance). However, it's the acting which stops this film from being an outright classic.

Taking the lead of the swashbuckling hero is Jack Hedley (who he?),unfortunately not one of Hammer's most charismatic leads. Sure, he's fine with the physical stuff but otherwise he's quickly forgotten. The same with female lead and love interest June Thorburn, and despite being a traitor her performance is quite uninteresting and the romance between her and Hedley slows the pacing of the film down somewhat. Thankfully two British dependables are on hand to raise the interest a little. First up is Lionel Jeffries, putting in another nice pompously villainous turn, although the film has a slight twist at the end to redeem his character somewhat. By far the most interesting actor in the film is Oliver Reed. Although he's only supporting, he takes on the complex part of one of Jeffries' men, also a traitor, who secretly loves Thorburn and is pushed out into the cold when she falls in love with Hedley. Reed gives a quiet turn as the role calls for, but is also very intense and brooding in the part and his performance excellent as usual. Definitely an undervalued actor. Apart from Reed, this is lightweight and simplistic stuff, old-fashioned escapism which is fun to watch on a rainy afternoon.

When Hammer's production schedule was cleared in 1956 to make way for more horror films, the plug was pulled on the long-in-preparation 'King Charles and the Roundheads'.

Having in the intervening seven years made another Robin Hood adventure and a pirate yarn, Hammer finally made their Cavaliers v. Roundheads picture with a suitably gory title and Lionel Jeffries, of course, as a roundhead (with Oliver Reed as his saturnine young henchman ironically sporting a fake scar on his face in an entirely different place from the real one he acquired on his left cheek in a nightclub brawl a year later). Jack Hedley makes a rather gentle leading man, and although improbably cast as Jeffries' daughter, the late June Thorburn (who gets to wear a magnificent hat) plays a far greater role in the plot than the leading lady usually does in such nonsense.

Plenty of people get killed - and Hedley is flogged at one point - but compared to Tigon's harrowing Civil War subject 'Witchfinder-General' a few years later it's a pretty placid affair, with a jaunty score by Gary Hughes.

The English Civil War much like our own in America has been fodder for numerous historical adventure stories. And the stories have been told from both the Cavalier and Roundhead sides with each taking turn at being the hero and villain of same. It was that kind of period in the United Kingdom history, subject to many different interpretations on all sides.

In this one the Royalist cavaliers are the heroes, they've been driven underground pretty much in 1648 and are now concerned with rescuing King Charles I and spiriting him away to safe exile. Charles is now in the custody of Colonel Lionel Jeffries and Captain Oliver Reed of Oliver Cromwell's Ironsides army and is on the way to London for trial and execution.

Jeffries has set up headquarters in the manor of the Beverleys who were Royalists now dispossessed of their property. Jeffries is one real pig as I recall and not living the spartan puritan life that his kind were wont to preach about. He's even got a marriage arranged for his daughter June Thorburn to Oliver Reed. But June's a secret Royalist whose heart is set on Jack Hedley the elder of the two Beverley brothers who is leader of an underground group of Royalists.

The intrigue in trying to rescue the King is tangled up with the romantic intrigue of this triangle and it leads to a lot of tragedy all around. History tells us what happened to Charles I, if he ruled rather badly, he certainly died nobly for his cause. As for the personal intrigues, you have to see the film for that.

The Scarlet Blade was playing as the second half of a double bill as I recall, probably with some Hammer horror feature. I remember at the time thinking how much more interesting Oliver Reed was as the shrewd, but villainous Roundhead than Jack Hedley was as the dashing, but rather wooden cavalier. Maybe Thorburn ought to rethink what she's doing. Of course this was before Oliver Reed became an international star, but his appeal was dead-on.

If you get a chance to see The Scarlet Blade, you'll see an average, but entertaining swashbuckler that might have been better with Reed as the hero.