BEFORE: Wrapping up the pirate chain tonight with another Errol Flynn classic. I just read an article in the Star Wars Insider, where the stunt coordinator from the prequels listed his top 5 movie sword fights, and this film was included.
THE PLOT: Geoffrey Thorpe is an adventurous and dashing pirate, who feels that he should pirate the Spanish ships for the good of England. In one such battle, he overtakes a Spanish ship and when he comes aboard he finds Dona Maria, a beautiful Spanish royal.
AFTER: This film's plot has links to a distinct historic event, the Spanish Armada of 1588. I'm not saying that it's historically accurate, but I hope it got some of the details right, in its account of the days leading up to that event. Part of the motivation for the Armada was Spain's dissatisfaction with English privateers raiding ships (privateers = pirates).
Watching this one was a bit of a struggle for me, though - I kept falling asleep while watching it in my usual post-midnight movie timeslot, finally quit halfway through and finished it at the office after 5 pm. Too much talkie-talkie about trade routes and treason, and not enough stabby-stabby. Congratulations, you found a way to make the life of a pirate boring.
I found it unusual that Flynn's character, Captain Thorpe, was portrayed at the start of the film as someone who gets tongue-tide around women. That sure doesn't fit with what we now know about Flynn's extra-curricural adventures in Hollywood. Flynn seemed like the Barbra Streisand of the 1930's, in that he knew EXACTLY what camera angle he looked best at, and always tried to face the camera just so. How much time did he spend in front of the mirror, perfecting the most dashing angle?
When the action shifts to Panama, there was a distinct change to a sepia tone, at least in the copy I taped off of TCM. I wonder if that was in the original print, or part of a restoration - anyway, it works to denote the heat of the tropics, or perhaps the alien nature of the New World. I haven't seen anything like that in any other film, except for "Traffic".
As for that swordfight, it's probably the best, most exciting part of the film - Thorpe takes on 4 British soldiers at a time, how nice of them to all move at 1/4 speed so he can battle them all together. But then in the final duel, chairs, tables and candles all get thrown into the mix, for some down-and-dirty fighting that really looks like both parties are doing whatever it takes to win.
NITPICK POINT: The isthmus of Panama was a hot trading spot, even back in the 1580's? You guys know there was no Panama Canal back then, right?
NITPICK POINT #2: For all the Spanish nobles and conquistadors seen in this film, there's not one Spaniard with anything close to a Spanish accent.
Also starring Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains (last seen, er, unseen in "The Invisible Man"), Flora Robson, and Alan Hale (father of the guy who played Skipper on "Gilligan's Island")
RATING: 3 out of 10 leg-irons
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