Captain Blood

John Chard

What a creature must sit on the throne who lets a man like you deal out his justice! Captain Blood is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted by Casey Robinson from the Rafael Sabatini novel. It stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander and Lionel Atwill. Music is scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and photography is shared between Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr. 1685, England, and Dr. Peter Blood (Flynn) is unjustly convicted of treason against the King. Escaping the death penalty, Blood and the other supposed rebels are sold into slavery at the English colony of Port Royal. Bought by kindly Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), Blood settles down to work as physician to the local governor. But when the town comes under attack from the Spanish, Blood and his friends seize the opportunity to commandeer the Spanish ship and escape... And Thus Captain Blood Began His Career Of Piracy. . . With A Ship, A Handful Of Men, And A Brain. . . It could all have been so different had Robert Donat not turned down the role of Captain Blood. In came Flynn at the last minute, a swaggering superstar was born and classic cinema got a handful of truly rousing swashbucklers that continue to delight millions even today. Not to mention it also brought further notice of de Havilland's ability, with this picture the first of eight she would make with Flynn. Even though it was seen of something of a gamble for Warner Brothers at the time, the film actually isn't that big in budgetary terms, all the remarkable, then, that Curtiz and his team have fashioned such an entertainingly rousing picture. Although Flynn gleefully dominates proceedings, and in the process gives the film its only real flaw by rendering much of the other characters to being like awe-struck observers, much of the credit for Captain Blood's success is down to Robinson's screenplay. Running at just over two hours in length, film is chocked full of action, plot and asides to the British monarchy of the 17th century, deftly split into two halves by the wily Curtiz. First half establishes the major players and incidence, taking a good honest man in a hot political climate and forcing him to go rogue. This then fills the second part as Blood becomes the feared pirate of the high seas, and then ultimately his journey back to a life of normality and love flecked happiness. In amongst this journey to piracy and back, film is decked out with moments of spectacle. Be it Flynn swishing and swashing with blade, or swinging in on a rope, or the sight of cannons blasting away in tall ship duels, Curtiz ensures the pace is brisk and the adrenaline is often stirred. In the mix is the chemistry between Flynn and de Haviland, which obviously hits the ground running, and two deliciously shifty turns from Messrs Atwill and Rathbone. Stunts are aplenty and although the sets are at times at the bare minimum, Curtiz and his photographers get maximum impact by going for a near Expressionist style. All of which is scored with thunderous verve by master composer Korngold. Flynn would better this with both "The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)" and "The Sea Hawk (1940)", but Captain Blood is undeniably the influential template. 9/10