Captain Blood
(1935)
|
Dr. Peter Blood, escapes and leads a revolt of his fellow prisoners. He seeks retribution by turning them into a pirate crew and himself into the head pirate, Captain Blood. With the bold declaration, "we the hunted will now hunt", he founds the 'Brotherhood of Buccaneers' to fight the villainous King James II. |
The fact that Casey Robinson returned to script this sequel to the 1935 swashbuckler Captain Blood might have given cause for optimism. But, unfortunately, the stunt casting of Errol Flynn's son Sean in the title role singularly fails to pay off, for while he shares his father's dashing looks, he has none of his insouciant screen presence. Filmed in Spain by Italian director Tulio Demicheli, the story rattles along, with a pirate attack and a race against a tidal wave providing the action highlights. But Flynn's scenes with over-protective mother Ann Todd and imperilled passenger Alessandra Panaro are surprisingly engaging.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Modestly produced but quite exhilarating pirate adventure notable for making a star of Errol Flynn. Direction makes the most of very limited production values.