Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland (RIP), Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander
From: Warner Bros.
Errol Flynn: actually a Hemsworth relative?
OK, I know that's not true (even though Flynn was born in Tasmania); it was just a flippant comment I said to myself early on due to his appearance here. Of course the main reasons for watching this was for me to tip my cap to the late Olivia de Havilland. It was great that we still had one big name from the Golden Age of Hollywood still alive until last weekend. My mom liked several Errol movies, including this one; she also commented in the past that she was glad de Havilland was still alive. I was able to watch this without being tremendously sad due to recent events.
This is a swashbuckling adventure that was a lot of fun throughout. Sure, it takes some time until Flynn and crew are on the high seas but that is important as time is needed to set up the story. Peter Blood-who I will refer to as Pete as it allows for less snickering at his name-is a doctor in late 17th century Britain (real life events play into the plot; that is the Monmouth Rebellion and the Glorious Revolution; that is the attempt then successful overthrow of King James II, who was replaced by King William III) who is falsely accused of being a traitor so he is sent to the Caribbean as a slave. He ends up on a plantation and most of the people in power there are real louts so it is quite easy to root for our hero and the other slaves. Of course, Olivia-the niece of one of the louts-was actually a nice person-and of course at first the relationship between the two leads was rather rocky until it changes. Note that once Pete and his pals becomes pirates, Pete makes it clear that they can't do some of the vile things that pirates actually did throughout history. This included “doing bad things to women,” to paraphrase.
It is a fun adventure which had memorable characters, an engaging story, nice action beats (besides the expected ship battles, there is a duel not done with swords, but instead fencing epees; the ending sequence was quite impressive for the time period) and was more thrilling as a pirate movie than any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. That series focusing on the supernatural was one of its many issues... but there are also the Byzantine plots that are just unnecessary, villains that are loathsome in the worst ways, not knowing what to do with Captain Jack Sparrow after he unexpectedly became a huge hit, and totally screwing up the romance between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan.
Anyhow, it was a good idea to see something my late mother enjoyed so much. The two leads were the best aspects of the movie, especially when they were together. Despite appearing in a few movies together, their relationship was allegedly only platonic. No matter the case, I wish they still made motion pictures like this.
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