Captain Blood (1935 film)
| Captain Blood | |
|---|---|
 1935 US Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Written by | Casey Robinson |
| Produced by | Harry Joe Brown Gordon Hollingshead |
| Starring | Errol Flynn Olivia de Havilland Basil Rathbone Ross Alexander |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | George Amy |
| Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates | Dec. 25, 1935 (NY)[1] Dec. 28, 1935 (LA) |
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Captain Blood is a 1935 swashbuckling film made by First National Pictures and Warner Brothers. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Harry Joe Brown and Gordon Hollingshead with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay, written by Casey Robinson, is based on the novel of the same name by Rafael Sabatini. It features a stirring musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Some of the impressive sea-battle footage was taken from The Sea Hawk (1924) (not to be confused with Flynn's 1940 film of the same name, though some of the footage was also reused in the initial sea battle scene).
The film stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland with Lionel Atwill and Basil Rathbone. It was the first of eight films co-starring De Havilland and Flynn, and in 1938, the two would be re-united with Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Plot
In seventeenth century England, Irish Dr. Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) is summoned to aid Lord Gildoy, a wounded patron who had participated in the Monmouth Rebellion. Arrested while performing his duties as a physician, he is convicted of treason against the King and sentenced to death by the infamous Judge Jeffreys in the Bloody Assizes, but by the whim of King James II (who sees an opportunity for profit), Peter Blood and the surviving rebels are transported to the West Indies to be sold into slavery. In the English colony of Port Royal, Peter Blood is purchased by Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland), the beautiful niece of the local military commander Colonel Bishop. Arabella, attracted by Blood's rebellious nature, does her best to improve his chances of living by recommending him as the personal physician of the local governor, who is suffering from a gouty foot.
Outwardly resentful towards Arabella for trying to do him favors, but on the inside silently appreciative for her support, Blood nevertheless continues to hatch a plan of escape for himself and his fellow slaves. The plan is almost foiled when Bishop gets suspicious and has one of the men flogged in an attempt to make him talk, and Blood is spared a similar fate when a Spanish squadron attacks the town, During the raid, Blood and his fellow slaves escape, seize control of the Spanish raiders' ship and sail away to begin a life of piracy, in which Blood soon achieves incredible success and fame. When the old governor is unable to contain the pirate menace, Colonel Bishop is promoted to his post, and Arabella is sent to England for a recreational sojourn.
Some years later, whilst travelling back to the Caribbean, the ship on which Arabella and royal emissary Lord Willoughby (Henry Stephenson) are travelling is captured by Blood's treacherous partner, Captain Levasseur (Basil Rathbone) and the two personages held for ransom. Blood purchases them himself, relishing the opportunity to turn the tables on his former owner, but Levasseur objects vehemently and is killed in the ensuing duel.
Blood decides to take Arabella and Lord Willoughby to the safety of Port Royal. As they approach the port, they sight two French warships attacking the colony. Bishop and his men are nowhere to be found, since Bishop has deserted his post in his single-minded hunt throughout the Caribbean for Blood. Willoughby pleads with Blood to save the colony, but the captain and his crew to a man refuse to fight for James II of England. However, when Willoughby reveals that James II has since been deposed in the Glorious Revolution and that Willoughby has been sent by the new king, William of Orange, to offer a full pardon, emancipation, and a commission with the Royal Navy to Blood and his men, they joyfully change their minds at this good news and prepare for battle. After setting Arabella ashore, they approach the harbor disguised under French colors and save the colony in a pitched battle. As a reward, Blood is appointed the new governor of the colony and has the pleasure to deal with his hostile predecessor, now in serious trouble for dereliction of duty, and finally wins the hand and heart of Arabella.
Cast
- Errol Flynn as Peter Blood
- Olivia de Havilland as Arabella Bishop
- Lionel Atwill as Colonel Bishop
- Basil Rathbone as Levasseur
- Ross Alexander as Jeremy Pitt, Blood's friend and navigator
- Guy Kibbee as Hagthorpe, another crewman
- Henry Stephenson as Lord Willoughby
- Robert Barrat as Wolverstone
- Hobart Cavanaugh as Dr. Bronson
- Donald Meek as Dr. Whacker
- Jessie Ralph as Mrs. Barlow
- Forrester Harvey as Honesty Nuttall
- Frank McGlynn Sr. as Rev. Ogle
- Holmes Herbert as Capt. Gardner
- David Torrence as Andrew Baynes
| class="col-break " |
- J. Carrol Naish as Cahusac
- Pedro de Cordoba as Don Diego
- George Hassell as Governor Steed
- Harry Cording as Kent
- Leonard Mudie as Baron Jeffreys
- Ivan F. Simpson as the prosecutor
- Mary Forbes as Mrs. Steed
- Edward E. Clive as Clerk of the Court
- Colin Kenny as Lord Chester Dyke
- Vernon Steele as James II
- Uncredited cast members include Reginald Barlow, Matthew Beard, Yola d'Avril, Halliwell Hobbes, Murray Kinnell, Chrispin Martin, Jim Mason, Artie Ortego, Paul Panzer, Frank Puglia, Georges Renavent, Buddy Roosevelt, Tom Steele, Renee Torres, Blackie Whiteford, Tom Wilson[2]
Award nominations
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and, despite not being nominated, Michael Curtiz received the second-greatest number of votes for Best Director, solely as a write-in candidate. Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Casey Robinson also failed to be nominated and also received substantially more votes for their work on this film than most of the official nominees.
The film was also nominated in the categories Music (Scoring), Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson) and Writing (Screenplay).[3]
Adaptations to Other Media
Captain Blood was adapted as a radio play on the February 22, 1937 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater with Flynn, de Havilland and Rathbone all reprising their film parts. This radio version is included in the Special Features of the DVD version compiled in 2005.
References
- ^ Brown, Gene (1995). Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from its Beginnings to the Present. New York: MacMillan. p. 125. ISBN 0-02-860429-6.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) In New York, the film premiered at the Strand Theatre. - ^ Full cast and crew at Internet Movie Database
- ^ "The 8th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
External links
- Captain Blood at IMDb
- Captain Blood on Lux Radio Theater: February 22, 1937
- Captain Blood at Virtual History