I viewed the British Film Institute print of this early movie by Robert W Paul. Like his better-known contemporary Georges Melies in France, Britain's Paul was an early film-maker who experimented with the camera's possibilities to produce 'trick' films. While these very early movies must have baffled and delighted their audiences, I tend to dislike 'trick' films because what we're seeing is not any sort of stagecraft nor prestidigitation by a skilled conjuror: it's basically just jump cuts, the same device still being used sixty years onward to enable Samantha off 'Bewitched' to appear and disappear. While Paul and Melies deserve credit for innovation, from our modern jaded viewpoint the device has long since palled. (No pun intended on 'Paul'.)
'The Magic Sword', unlike so many Paul films but like quite a few of Melies's more ambitious productions, is lifted out of the genre of 'trick' films -- and is much more entertaining -- because it uses its camera effects in the service of telling an actual story, rather than merely showing objects appearing and vanishing. The IMDb synopsis of this film is accurate enough. Basically, this movie tells us the story of a 'mediaeval' knight and his fair lady. When the damsel is nobbled by hobgoblins, the knight must use a magical sword to help him rescue her. All of the supernatural events which we witness in this film are in the service of the story, rather than merely for the sake of "Hey presto!".
I'm impressed that these very early film-makers realised that the story is more important than the special effects. I can think of a few modern film-makers who need to learn that lesson.
The 'mediaeval' settings and costumes in 'The Magic Sword' are not remotely convincing, and not for one instant do we forget that these are actors performing on a proscenium stage. However, the story's a fantasy, so it doesn't need to be convincing. 'The Magic Sword' is a very charming film, which even modern audiences (jaded by CGI F/X) can appreciate. My rating: a full 10 out of 10.