The Sword of Valor: NFSA Digital Restoration

The NFSA has completed a digital restoration of The Sword of Valor (Duke Worne, USA, 1924), starring Snowy Baker as an American sailor who falls in love with the daughter (Dorothy Revier) of a Spanish noble.

We restored the film in collaboration with Haghefilm Digitaal in the Netherlands, completing a new HD scan of a 35mm tinted nitrate negative following an extensive clean-up of the image.

Baker utilises his strong horseriding skills in this action comedy set in Spain and the French Riviera. His beloved horse Boomerang receives a prominent credit and is even front and centre on the film's poster!

The Sword of Valor also features daring stunts and fine swordplay between Baker and the moustache-twirling villain played by Edward Cecil.

While Baker only made one major film after The Sword of Valor – Fighter's Paradise (Alvin J Neitz, USA, 1924) – he found a new career as manager of the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. There he taught Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn sword and fencing techniques and coached the 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor in horseriding for National Velvet (Clarence Brown, USA, 1944).