A fun swashbuckler starring Errol Flynn. It's not especially great, but Flynn himself elevates it to a level far beyond what it would have been without him. Really, he's in full form here. The only other Flynn vehicle that I've seen is The Adventures of Robin Hood, which is a far better film. Still, I think Flynn is even better here. He's got such verve and personality. It's certainly not hard to see why he was such a monumental success with the opposite sex! As for the rest of the cast, I liked Ross Alexander as Blood's somewhat homoerotic friend, Jeremy Pitt, and Basil Rathbone has a nice small role as a partner and rival pirate. I really disliked Olivia de Havilland, however, whom I have liked elsewhere. I didn't even recognize her in Captain Blood; her character was too dull to deserve any attention. The dialogue is quite good, but the plot and structure of the screenplay are poor. I actually liked the first half, in which Blood has to fight for his freedom from the cruel slavery forced upon him by King James, better than the swashbuckling second half. I found myself yawning a bit at the sword fight and the sea battle finale. Still, it's a film worth watching. 7/10.
Review of Captain Blood
