Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1950s 2 Mins Read

    Sword Of Freedom

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 5 8 – 1 9 6 0 (UK)
    39 x 30 minute episodes

    American actor Edmund Purdom buckled his swash through 39 episodes of this costume action-adventure series set in Renaissance Florence, where his Marco del Monte artist-cum-swordsman character led freedom’s battle against the corrupt Duke de Medici (Martin Benson) and his political henchman, Machiavelli (Kenneth Hyde).

    The Italian Robin Hood was aided in his noble task by his model (and former pickpocket) Angelica (Adrienne Corri) and his gentle-giant friend, Sandro (Rowland Bartrop).

    The polished, imperturbable villainy of Benson’s Duke de Medici and the sinister determination of Derek Sydney’s Captain Rodrigo came satisfyingly close to Sapphire Films’ earlier personification of rampant evil: Alan Wheatley’s viperish Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood.

    Sapphire had also produced The Buccaneers (1956-57) and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956-57) for ITC.

    The well-tried formula should have been foolproof: elegant costumes and settings, glimpses of historical figures (Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci), duel scenes, love scenes, escape scenes and lots of intense manoeuvring and subterfuge.

    But, in comparison with similar, contemporary series, Sword of Freedom was a lacklustre piece of period staging, generally lacking in zest and conviction.

    Whatever possibilities were latent in this costume drama, the result was so deficient in pace and tension that the viewer could remain quite complacent in feeling that they had seen it all before.

    Those contributing scripts included blacklisted (as an alleged Communist sympathiser) American writer Ring Lardner Jr.

    Marco del Monte
    Edmund Purdom
    Angelica
    Adrienne Corri
    Sandro
    Rowland Bartrop
    Machiavelli
    Kenneth Hyde
    Duke de Medici
    Martin Benson
    Francesca de Medici
    Monica Stevenson

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Vise, The
      Vise, The
      1 9 5 4 - 1 9 6 1 (UK) 221 x 30 minute episodes This British drama series from…
    • Robin Hood
      Robin Hood
      1 9 5 3 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes This was the first television series based on the legend…
    • Adventures of Robin Hood, The
      Adventures of Robin Hood, The
      1 9 5 5 - 1 9 5 8 (UK) 143 x 30 minute episodes The Adventures Of Robin Hood was made…
    • Tickled Pink
      Tickled Pink
      1 9 7 8 (Australia) 6 x 25 minute episodes 1 9 8 1 (Australia) 6 x 25 minute episodes This…
    • Most Wanted
      Most Wanted
      1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 (USA) 22 x 60 minute episodes Los Angeles mayor Dan Stoddard…
    • Man from Interpol
      Man from Interpol
      1 9 6 0 (UK) 39 x 30 minute episodes The globe-trotting adventures of Anthony Smith (Richard Wyler) - Scotland Yard's…
    • Sword of Justice
      Sword of Justice
      1 9 7 8 (USA) 10 x 60 minute episodes This NBC series was a cross between Superman and Zorro with…
    • Our Dora/My Wife's Sister
      Our Dora/My Wife's Sister
      1 9 5 6 (UK) 39 x 30 minute episodes This comedy series from Granada debuted on 18 September 1956 as…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHidden Truth, The
    Next Article Tales Of Mystery

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • If The Crown Fits
      1 9 6 1 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes King Rupert X (Robert Morley […]
    • Cold War
      The term ”Cold War” was first used by Bernard […]
    • Delltones, The
      Australian vocal harmony group The Delltones formed in Sydney in […]
    • Mark Wynter
      Mark Wynter was born Terence Sidney Lewis on 29 January 1943 and […]
    • BMX Bandits (1983)
      Teenage BMX riders Goose (James Lugton) and PJ (Angelo D’Angelo) […]
    • This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
      “How much blacker could it be? None, none more […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.