Captain Blood. 1935. Directed by Michael Curtiz.

(5/8/01)

Errol Flynn was simply irresistable, to use a hackneyed phrase, in his first major film. He had presence and personality and a relaxed naturalness before the camera. I was quite surprised, seeing Captain Blood a week after Anthony Adverse as to how much better a film it was. Bothwere elaborate costume films produced in 1935 by the same studio, but Captain Blood is a lot more fresh and alive and entertaining. It is consistently interesting. I suppose that can be ascribed to the fact that it was made by a first-class director.

Olivia de Havilland is far more alive and interesting here than in Anthony Adverse. Yes, there was that chemistry between her and Flynn. There is a wonderful tension set up between them which is based on the motif that each is in turn "owned" by the other. Then there is Basil Rathbone with that delicious French accent. The duel between him and Flynn is a highlight, climaxed in that shot of him dead on the shore against those chords of Korngold's music.

The humor is well done, providing expert comic relief, perfectly placed accents. The two inept doctors, the gouty governor and blustering Lionel Atwill--none of them seem forced or strained or out-of-place.

There is a beautiful visual atmosphere about this film. Ithas a very old-fashioned "look" about it, almost as if it were an artifact of its time. And there is a sense of place, of the Caribbean (and especially Jamaica) as an exotic locale. This is very much a film about a place. I love that wonderful beach where Flynn and Rathbone have their duel.

While writing about the visual atmosphere, I want to mention a couple of shots with large shadows on the wall. I think these could be described as "chiaroscuro," but I'm not sure. I'm thinking of one in particular that was in the first part of the film. I think it is when Flynn is dragged off to prison.

This film has a good story, a human story. It is about a man who is wronged, a noble man who is viewed by the world as a criminal and who in fact does turn criminal. It is about his vindication and his return to a position of respectability. It may be an old story, but one that has a lot of meaning for us, and it is here given a first-class treatment.

And that scene, towards the end, when Lord Willoughby--played with so much dignity by Henry Stephenson--tells Errol Flynn that King James has been dethroned and that King William has pardoned him and his men brought tears to my eyes. The long struggle, the time of being outcasts is finally over.