Warner Bros. Pictures presents "CAPTAIN BLOOD" (1935) (119 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill & Basil Rathbone

Directed by Michael Curtiz

The quintessential swashbuckler. Irish doctor Dr. Peter Blood (Flynn) is wrongly sentenced to deportation and slavery to the Caribbean. He plans an escape and now seeking vengeance forms an alliance with the French buccaneer Capt. Levasseur (Bathbone). However during their reign of piracy they capture Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland) and Blood's feelings are betrayed when he challenges Levasseur over her.

Atwill played many a screen villain, but I'm not sure he was ever better as the pompous blundering oaf Colonel Bishop. My favorite scene is when Flynn routs out the Spanish pirate attack on Port Royal by seizing the pirate ship. When Atwill comes on board to thank those who turned the tables on the pirates he gets quite a reception. The dialog in this scene and the final result of this oaf being tossed into the harbor is priceless.

Quintessential Flynn in his "breakout" role is outstanding and a fabulous Eric Wolfgang Korngold score that still rings true today.

Special mention goes out to Basil Rathbone, flawlessly cast as a French corsair.

BIOS:
1. Michael Curtiz [aka: Manó Kertész Kaminer] [Director]
Date of Birth: 24 December 1886 - Budapest, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary)
Date of Death: 10 April 1962 - Hollywood, California

2. Errol Flynn [aka: Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn]
Date of Birth: 20 June 1909, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Date of Death: 14 October 1959, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

3. Olivia de Havilland
Date of Birth: 1 July 1916 - Tokyo, Japan
Date of Death: Still Living

4. Basil Bathbone [aka: Philip St. John Basil Rathbone]
Date of Birth: 13 June 1892 - Johannesburg, South Africa
Date of Death: 21 July 1967 - New York City, New York

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 119 min on DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (10/28/2008)