The Sword and the Rose
Disney Tale : Princess Mary, the sister of Henry VIII, forges her own path through her brother's court in pursuit of love. Disney Heroine : The Disney Princess no one knows about. Mary Tudor, played brilliantly by Glynis Johns, is Henry VIII's sister and something of a firebrand. Nowadays the word 'feisty' is bandied around whenever a female character in film or TV happens to show a modicum of independence, bravado and determination to stand up for themselves, particularly against male characters. It's often presented as a 'new' thing (despite describing characters since at least the 70s) but here, way back in 1950, we have a 'feisty' Disney heroine. That said, Mary's feistiness does mainly revolve around her romantic liaisons which slightly undercuts the good intentions. Mary basically wants to marry for love rather than politics and has her eye on Charles Brandon. There is excellent scene early on where Mary offends Henry's wife, Kathe...
