Captain Blood

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

When British actor Robert Donat dropped out of Warner Bros. Captain Blood, the studio took a chance on its new contractee, Tasmania-born Errol Flynn. Adapted from the novel by Rafael Sabatini, the film is set during the oppressive reign of King James II. Irish physician Peter Blood (Errol Flynn), arrested for treating a wounded anti-crown rebel, is condemned to slavery in Jamaica. Here he earns several privileges after treating the governor (George Hassell) for gout; this does not rest well with Lionel Atwill, the wicked owner of the plantation on which Blood is forced to work. Nor is Atwill pleased with the growing relationship between his niece Arabella (Olivia DeHavilland) and the imprisoned doctor. An attack on Jamaica by Spanish pirates gives Blood and his fellow slaves the opportunity to become buccaneers themselves. After several months of fighting and plunder, Blood's men capture a merchant ship bearing Arabella. Blood fights a duel with a French pirate (Basil Rathbone) over the girl; having "won" her, Blood intends to have his way with her, but his more decent instincts prevail. When King James is overthrown by William of Orange, Blood is given a commission and lauded as a hero as a reward for his bravery against the Spanish galleons. He is appointed governor of Jamaica, wins the hand of the lovely Arabella, and genially forces Atwill to eat crow. This seemingly outsized swashbuckler was actually a very economical production, using stock footage from several silent films. Captain Blood transformed the 26-year-old Errol Flynn into a star; he's a little clumsy in the dialogue department at times, but cuts a dashing figure in the action scenes. The film also represented the cinematic debut of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who wasn't completely happy with his hastily written score and asked that his on-screen credit be diminished to "musical director". Long available only in its 99 minute re-issue version, Captain Blood has been restored to its full, glorious 119 minute length. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the movies 1935 with:
  • Newsreel
  • Musical short Johnny Green and His Orchestra
  • Comedy short All-American Drawback
  • Cartoon billboard frolics
  • Theatrical trailers
  • New featurette Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler Is Born
  • Audio-only bonus: Radio production with the film's stars
  • English and French languages
  • English, French, and Spanish subtitles

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1935
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1935 (Nathan Levinson)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Errol Flynn - Peter Blood
       Olivia de Havilland - Arabella Bishop
       Basil Rathbone - Capt. Levasseur
       Lionel Atwill - Col. Bishop
       Ross Alexander - Jeremy Pitt
       Guy Kibbee - Hagthorpe
       Henry Stephenson - Lord Willoughby
       Robert H. Barrat - Wolverstone
       Hobart Cavanaugh - Dr. Bronson
       Donald Meek - Dr. Whacker
       Jessie Ralph - Mrs. Barlowe
       Forrester Harvey - Honesty Nuttall
       Frank McGlynn, Sr. - Rev. Ogle
       Holmes Herbert - Capt. Gardner
       David Torrence - Andrew Baynes
       J. Carrol Naish - Cahusac
       George Hassell - Gen. Steed
       Vernon Steele - King James
       Alphonse Martell

• Director:

  Michael Curtiz

• Producer:

  Harry Joe Brown, Ahsi N. Eslid

• Screenwriter:

  Casey Robinson

• Book Author:

  Rafael Sabatini

• Cinematographer:

  Ernest Haller, Hal Mohr

• Composer (Music Score):

  Hugo W. Friedhofer, Ray Heindorf, Erich Wolfgang Korngold

• Editor:

  George J. Amy

• Art Director:

  Anton Grot

• Costume Designer:

  Milo Anderson

• Special Effects:

  Fred Jackman, Sr.

• Consultant/advisor:

  Fred Cavens

• Sound Recordist:

  Nathan Levinson

REVIEW:

• Captain Blood is typical of the better-grade Warner Bros. efforts of the mid-1930s, combining first-rate production values with heavy-duty star power. Directed by Michael Curtiz with his usual economical style and talent for staging complex sequences, the film is among the best of the adventure films of its era, if at times too talkative for a film with only formulaic things to say. The United States was still suffering from the Great Depression in 1935, and films like Captain Blood provided audiences with inexpensive relief from the struggles of the era: the hero is handsome, the beautiful maiden is appealing, good triumphs over evil, and there's a happy ending, all to the stirring music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi