My Favorite Films

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Captain Blood (1935)

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May 9, 2011

50. Captain Blood (1935)

Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Plot: "An enslaved doctor and his comrades in chains escape and become pirates of the Robin Hood variety." (from IMDb)

Swashbucklers really aren't my thing (usually) but I decided to give this one a try solely because I love Olivia de Havilland. I also like Errol Flynn, but I am still lamenting the horrible wig that he wore in this film. Olivia was, of course, delightful. I love the spunk and the intelligence she imparts that makes her unique from many of the other '30s starlets. She's also breathtakingly gorgeous and adorable. Just look…

adorable laughing livvie

I wish she had more screen time in this but oh well.

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I thought the sets, scenery, and atmosphere were quite impressive. Others may beg to differ, but I really felt like I was transported visually to those places. I also love Korngold's music in general and his score here contributes greatly to the adventure-feel of the film.

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To be perfectly honest, I didn’t find the story all that exciting, but I am glad I saw this. I love Warner Brothers, I love Errol + Olivia, and that was enough for me to find this film worthwhile. If you enjoy pirates/adventure/swashbucklers, I imagine you will find this movie to be even more of a treat.

 livvie kissing errol captain blood

3 comments:

  1. Audrey,
    I agree that this wasn't Olivia and Errol's best pairing but any film with Errol in tights and romancing Olivia is still pretty darn good and worth an hour. : )
    Great screen grabs. I'm sure those stills will make Becky swoon when she sees this one.
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  2. This movie is the reason why I started loving Errol. He's so young & cute in this one. And I did like the plot, I mean a doctor becoming a pirate? That's totally cool :)

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  3. Okay, I agree with you there. That was pretty cool that he was a doctor. :)

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