Two hundred years after the Norman Conquest, during the reign of Edward I, Saxon scholar Walter of Gurnie, the illegitimate son of the lately deceased Earl of Lessford, returns from Oxford and hears the reading of his father's will. He receives only a pair of boots, but Walter recognizes it as a token of his father's love for him. The earl's Norman widow takes Saxon hostages against possible unrest. Walter joins a group of Saxons who free them, but is forced to flee England when he is recognized. Walter, accompanied by his friend Tristram Griffen, a Saxon archer, sets out to make his fortune in Cathay during the time of the Pax Mongolica. The pair join a caravan of gifts being sent by the merchant Anthemus to Kublai Khan, who is preparing to invade China. The caravan is under the protection of Mongol general Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Impressed by Tristram's archery skill and his English longbow and Walter's scholarship, Bayan takes an interest in the Englishmen. Lu Chung, the head of the caravan, blackmails Walter into assisting the escape of Maryam, Anthemus's half-English sister, nicknamed the "Black Rose", being sent as one of the gifts. Maryam loves Walter, but he is too interested in his adventure to pay her any attention. Tristram does not like all the killing and decides to get away. He takes Maryam with him because she wants to go to England. Bayan sends Walter on a mission to see the Song dynasty Empress of that part of China not yet under Mongol rule. When he arrives, he is told that he must stay in China as a "guest" for the rest of his life. Then he finds Tristram and Maryam had also been captured and imprisoned. During this time, Walter realizes he loves Maryam. The three of them decide to escape. Tristram dies. The small boat in which Maryam is waiting for Walter in drifts away before Walter can catch her. Walter returns to England alone. Walter is welcomed back by the Norman King Edward because of all the cultural and scientific knowledge he has brought back from China. The king knights Walter and grants him a coat of arms. Two Mongol emissaries from Bayan show up. They have brought the Black Rose to England to join Walter there.
The Black Rose was the first film Henry Hathaway directed after an operation for cancer. He had a doctor with him on set. Hathaway later said he felt the movie was badly cast, saying Jack Hawkins was "too old" for his role and that Cécile Aubry "didn't have a lick of sense. I tried to get Leslie Caron but Caron said she loved ballet and didn't want to be in pictures." He also says he and Orson Welles got along "terrible" because Welles would not follow direction. "It pleased him to outwit people. That was the trouble with him throughout his career."
Reception
Trade papers called the film a "notable box office attraction" in British cinemas in 1950.
Controversy
There are unsubstantiated stories regarding a 40 second scene in the film where the bodies of two Moroccan peasants can be seen hanging from a tree. The two bodies were said to have been offered to the movie director by a French colonel called Louis Morin because of his admiration for actor Orson Welles. The film was shot in Morocco, which was a French colony at the time.
