Captain Blood

This weekend, after begin subjected to the whopping two-star reviewed newest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, people may be looking for a more satisfying swashbuckling movie.  Something with classic action, not the kind that melts your eyeballs and all laws of physics. A wholesome hero you won’t be too embarrassed about your kids emulating is helpful, even if it is entertaining to see your four year old stagger around asking why the rum is gone.  Add in just a dash of romance and Michael Curtiz’s Captain Blood from 1935 may be a perfect way to balance out this pirate weekend.

When Doctor Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) goes to treat men injured in an attempt to throw King James II off the throne, he is arrested for treason with the others.  Rather than waste the men on hanging, they are shipped to Port Royal in the Caribbean colonies to be sold as slaves.  As the men are being bought like livestock, the Governor’s niece, Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland), buys Peter to save him from an even crueler slave-driver than her uncle.  Nonetheless, the conditions Peter and his comrades endure are terrible and the punishment for trying to escape is branding.  When his owners realize that Peter is a doctor, he is given less manual labor jobs and makes house-calls, mostly for an old big wig’s flares of gout.  This also helps Peter plan an elaborate escape for all of the slaves.

You know what works better than their plan?  Pirates blasting Port Royal into chaos.  In all the confusion, Peter and the men escape and take over the pirate ship.  Since they are not welcome in England and will only become slaves again in Port Royal, they band together as pirates and go pillaging on the high seas with Peter acting as captain.

This is old fashioned, good time pirating we see in Captain Blood.  We see how they share the treasure equally and those injured or missing limbs from battle get a hefty bonus.  Peter enacts some rather strict rules for for these pirates, including never taking women hostages.  This code is more honorable and followed through more than just guidelines.  Yet, there is still some time to spend in Torguga living up a drunken yo-ho pirate’s life.

The French pirate, Captain Levasseur (Basil Rathbone), is an interesting opposite to Captain Blood.  He is a more ruthless man, drinking more rum and having several wenches.  I love his spot on the beach with a hammock strung between palm trees and barrels of rum around.  He proposes that he and Blood work together, making a sort of a pirating franchise, but when he wants to take Arabella as his personal prize (a big no-no in Blood’s code) he and Blood duke it out the best way pirates can, a sword fight on the beach.

I can only think of one downside to Captain Blood:  It takes a while to get to the juicy, fun pirate part of the film.  But once we’re there, there’s no going back and it is quite a fun ride full of blasting cannons, sword fights, lots of loot and wind in the sails.

“Up that rigging, you monkeys!  Aloft!  There’s no chains to hold you now.  Break out those sails and watch them fill with the wind that’s carrying us all to freedom!”

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Ah, now this is classic Robin Hood.  It’s not gritty action and realistic CGI arrows whizzing by, nor is it overtly cute and turned our heroes into singing cartoon animals.  The Adventures of Robin Hood is probably the best story told on film featuring the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forrest.  The thrill of adventure, romance and action are in perfect harmony here, while still keeping the legend in tact.

The film tells the classic story of Robin Hood.  While King Richard the Lionhearted (Ian Hunter) is off fighting in wars and becomes captured in Vienna, Prince John (Claude Rains) takes advantage of his absence and taxes the Saxons to no end, claiming it will pay for Richard’s release.  When Saxon Lord, Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn) learns of Prince John’s plan to seize the throne he begins a rebellion against Prince John and his Norman supporters who prey on the Saxons.  Robin gathers and protects all who support King Richard and along the way meet timeless characters like Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette), Little John (Alan Hale), and Lady Marian (Olivia de Havilland) who becomes lover and a great help from the inside to Robin.

There is, of course, the classic archery tournament, set up as a trap by Prince John.  It’s one of the most iconic scenes in any Robin Hood story.  It’s here the the award for art direction was won.  From Marion’s elegant dress to Robin’s thrifty disguise the costumes in this scene are very detailed and beautiful.  All around are brightly colored banners and tents that make me really appreciate the early film in color.  And somehow, there is that unbelievable shot where Robin splits an arrow down the middle.  I don’t think there was a special effects award yet, but that shot would have wont it.

I believe this film has some of the biggest and best action scenes you will find in the 1930’s.  Director Michael Curtiz, who took over for William Keighley at times, became the man behind the great action sequences.  It’s amazing to watch whole castle halls suddenly turn into epic sword fights with hundreds of extras clanging metal.  There’s even a wonderfully ingenious shot where a sword fight goes off camera, but the shadows are projected onto a wall until they come back into the frame.  And it’s not all swords and arrows, there’s a horse chase and a moment where Robin releases a gate, rides the pulled rope up and scales the wall to slow his enemies down.  It’s a wonderfully simple mechanic idea that we’ve seen in countless films, but here it just seems grander without any CGI.

If you want to see any Robin Hood film, I strongly suggest The Adventures of Robin Hood over all the others out there.  You won’t find a better mix of fun, action and romance in any others.  And you certainly won’t find a more charismatic Robin than Errol Flynn.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?”