This is part of the 20th Century Fox's Tyron Power swashbuckler boxed set. There was not a lot of swashbuckling in this movie, but the story and its stars still make it a fairly entertaining experience. The movie is based on Edison Marshall's novel about a young boy, Ben, who was the rightful heir of a large estate in Bristol England. However, he has to earn his way to what rightfully belongs to him. In the movie, Roddy McDowell plays Ben as a boy while Tyron Power plays him after he grows into manhood.
As the movie opens, Ben is living and working with his grandfather, Amos Kidder (Harry Davenport). However, when Sir Arthur Blake (George Sanders), discovers that Ben is his dead brother's son, he gets a legal writ making him Ben's guardian so that he can keep a close eye on him. Arthur then makes Ben his indentured stable boy. As Ben grows up, he and Arthur's daughter, Isabel (Frances Farmer) fall in love but can do nothing about it because of their stations in life. Even Arthur's wife, Helena (Kay Johnson)--who had once been in love with Ben's father-- quietly takes Ben's side, hoping that he can someday prove his legitimate claim to the estate. After Ben assaults his master and runs away from the estate to earn money for his cause, Ben's grandfather is jailed. But, Ben and his grandfather are able to communicate to each other through a prostitute, Bristol Isabel (Elsa Lanchester), who knows how to get in and out of jail without drawing undue suspicion. Ben's grandfather relates (through Bristol Isabel) that he should make his fortune in the Indies and THEN try to make his case for the estate, with money in his pocket.
Ben stows away on a ship headed for the Indies. Aboard this cruelly run ship, he meets another stowaway, Caleb Green (John Carradine). Green's crime is that he is a debtor. They both plan and execute an escape from the ship to a South Pacific island. Caleb had heard, from a 'Spanisher,' that the island atoll is loaded with valuable oyster pearls. His information proves to be correct, and they soon harvest a fortune in pearls to free themselves from their past stations.
However, while on the island, Ben meets and falls in love with one of the island natives, whom he calls 'Eve' (Gene Tierney). He also becomes a great hero to the natives by teaching them how to make crud tools and improve their lives. Even though Eve loves Ben, she knows that he is waiting for some European ship to someday come along and take him back to England for revenge and to makes his rightful claim. She helps him watch for such a ship. When a Dutch ship eventually DOES land near the island, Ben departs on the ship, but Caleb decides to stay on the island for life.
When Ben returns to England with his fortune in oyster pearls, he is capable of buying himself into respectability through an agent there, Bartholomew Pratt (Dudley Digges). Pratt takes some of his pearls and promises to use his influence to research and uncover the truth about Ben's parents. However, when Ben is put on trial for his past crimes, Pratt doesn't meet his promise and it looks as though Ben may face the ultimate penalty... As the movie draws towards its ending, it fills in the lack of swashbuckling with some dramatic moments and surprises.
There are some interesting variations to the actors' usual character types. For example, Tyron Power is never very physical and when he physically fights someone, he always loses. It is not his physical gymnastics that wins the day here. It is, instead, his steadfastness about revenge and his rights. Furthermore, this is not the George Sanders that we are used to either: While we are used to seeing him as a powerfully-connected courtier, a dandy, a fop, or a cleverly smug Addison DeWitt-type character, here he is a physically brutal pugilist who would rather live by his fists and his whip than his wit, wordplay and cryptic charm.
As the movie opens, Ben is living and working with his grandfather, Amos Kidder (Harry Davenport). However, when Sir Arthur Blake (George Sanders), discovers that Ben is his dead brother's son, he gets a legal writ making him Ben's guardian so that he can keep a close eye on him. Arthur then makes Ben his indentured stable boy. As Ben grows up, he and Arthur's daughter, Isabel (Frances Farmer) fall in love but can do nothing about it because of their stations in life. Even Arthur's wife, Helena (Kay Johnson)--who had once been in love with Ben's father-- quietly takes Ben's side, hoping that he can someday prove his legitimate claim to the estate. After Ben assaults his master and runs away from the estate to earn money for his cause, Ben's grandfather is jailed. But, Ben and his grandfather are able to communicate to each other through a prostitute, Bristol Isabel (Elsa Lanchester), who knows how to get in and out of jail without drawing undue suspicion. Ben's grandfather relates (through Bristol Isabel) that he should make his fortune in the Indies and THEN try to make his case for the estate, with money in his pocket.
Ben stows away on a ship headed for the Indies. Aboard this cruelly run ship, he meets another stowaway, Caleb Green (John Carradine). Green's crime is that he is a debtor. They both plan and execute an escape from the ship to a South Pacific island. Caleb had heard, from a 'Spanisher,' that the island atoll is loaded with valuable oyster pearls. His information proves to be correct, and they soon harvest a fortune in pearls to free themselves from their past stations.
However, while on the island, Ben meets and falls in love with one of the island natives, whom he calls 'Eve' (Gene Tierney). He also becomes a great hero to the natives by teaching them how to make crud tools and improve their lives. Even though Eve loves Ben, she knows that he is waiting for some European ship to someday come along and take him back to England for revenge and to makes his rightful claim. She helps him watch for such a ship. When a Dutch ship eventually DOES land near the island, Ben departs on the ship, but Caleb decides to stay on the island for life.
When Ben returns to England with his fortune in oyster pearls, he is capable of buying himself into respectability through an agent there, Bartholomew Pratt (Dudley Digges). Pratt takes some of his pearls and promises to use his influence to research and uncover the truth about Ben's parents. However, when Ben is put on trial for his past crimes, Pratt doesn't meet his promise and it looks as though Ben may face the ultimate penalty... As the movie draws towards its ending, it fills in the lack of swashbuckling with some dramatic moments and surprises.
There are some interesting variations to the actors' usual character types. For example, Tyron Power is never very physical and when he physically fights someone, he always loses. It is not his physical gymnastics that wins the day here. It is, instead, his steadfastness about revenge and his rights. Furthermore, this is not the George Sanders that we are used to either: While we are used to seeing him as a powerfully-connected courtier, a dandy, a fop, or a cleverly smug Addison DeWitt-type character, here he is a physically brutal pugilist who would rather live by his fists and his whip than his wit, wordplay and cryptic charm.