When Knighthood Was in Flower is a 1922 American silent historical film directed by Robert G. Vignola, based on the novel by Charles Major and play by Paul Kester. The film was produced by William Randolph Hearst (through his Cosmopolitan Productions) for Marion Davies and distributed by Paramount Pictures. This was William Powell's second film. The story was re-filmed by Walt Disney in 1953 as The Sword and the Rose, directed by Ken Annakin.
Contents
Plot
To secure a peace treaty, Henry VIII arranges for his sister, Mary Tudor, to marry Louis XII. However, her heart belongs to Charles Brandon. The lovers attempt a daring escape, only to be captured. When Brandon is falsely framed for murder, Mary makes a heartbreaking choice: she agrees to wed Louis to spare Brandon's life. Following Brandon's exile, the frail and ailing French king dies shortly after the nuptials. Thwarting the matrimonial advances of Louis's nephew, Francis I, Mary reclaims her destiny and is ultimately reunited in marriage with Brandon.
Cast
Marion Davies as Mary Tudor
Forrest Stanley as Charles Brandon
Lyn Harding as Henry VIII
Teresa Maxwell-Conover as Queen Catherine (credited as Theresa Maxwell Conover)
Pedro de Cordoba as Duke of Buckingham
Ruth Shepley as Lady Jane Bolingbroke
Ernest Glendinning as Sir Edwin Caskoden
Arthur Forrest as Cardinal Wolsey
Johnny Dooley as Will Sommers
William Kent as King's tailor
Charles K. Gerrard as Sir Adam Judson
Arthur Donaldson as Sir Henry Brandon
Downing Clarke as Lord Chamberlain
William Norris as Louis XII
Macey Harlam as Duc de Longueville
William Powell as Francis I (credited as William H. Powell)
George Nash as An adventurer
Gustav von Seyffertitz as Grammont
Paul Panzer as Captain of the Guard
Flora Finch as French countess
Guy Coombs as Follower of Buckingham
Production
Exteriors were shot at Windsor Castle, England. With an estimated cost of $1,500,000, it was considered by Life "the most expensive film that has ever been produced" in 1922. According to Variety, William Randolph Hearst launched "the most expensive and extensive campaign that has ever been organized for anything theatrical", with over 650 billboards in New York, 300 subway advertising placards, special booths in department stores that sold souvenir books, and a dazzling string of electric signs that pervaded Times Square, upon which Will Rogers quipped that Davies's next film would be titled When Electric Light Was in Power.
Marion Davies makes her entrance coming down the river on a royal barge. The barge was a full-sized replica built in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The scene and the dance were filmed on the Laddins Rock Farm in Stamford/Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Hearst commissioned two songs from Victor Herbert: "The When Knighthood Was in Flower Waltz" and "The Marion Davies March," which were played at the New York premiere.
Reception
Robert E. Sherwood defined the film "gorgeously beautiful [...] flashily romantic and stirringly impressive", ranking it as one of the best pictures of the year and appreciated Vignola's "genius for lighting and composition". In 1922, Motion Picture News stated the film was "not only Cosmopolitan's greatest achievement [but] one of the greatest achievements of the silversheet", wrote a positive review of the cast and praised Vignola "for his masterly direction".
Delight Evans cited the film among "the most entertaining photoplays ever made" on Photoplay in 1923. It was ranked #10 on Screenland's reader poll of "The Ten Best Screenplays Ever Made" in 1924. The Motion Picture Guide praised the film for its "tremendous production values, excellent direction, a good script, and an outstanding cast", giving it three out of four stars.
It was a triumph for Marion Davies, and she was named "Queen of the Screen" and the #1 female box office star of 1922 at the annual theater owners ball (Rudolph Valentino was named #1 male star). However, the movie was negatively received in London and, according to Davies, the English did not accept an American woman playing an English character. Despite the controversy, it was appreciated by Edward, Prince of Wales, who defined it "a wonderful picture". British art dealer Joseph Duveen stated the film setting was "the most stupendous reproduction of Henry the Eighth court life that has ever been achieved — a marvelous piece of artistry".
Legacy
The film was spoofed in Broncho Billy Anderson's When Knights Were Cold (1923), starring Stan Laurel and Mae Dahlberg.
Ben Model used portions of the songs commissioned by Hearst for the film's New York premiere in his theatre organ score for the 2017 restoration of the film. The restored film was scanned from an original 35mm nitrate print preserved by the Library of Congress. Its color tints have been reinstated and the film's hand-colored sequence has been digitally replicated. The first time this restored Knighthood was seen just "as it appeared in the 1920s" was at a special screening in May 2023 at New York City's historic Jefferson Market Library.