This pirate's story of guts and glory is, pretty much, a "Robin Hood" tale of the high seas.If you don't take 1935's "Captain Blood" too seriously - Then - Yes. It can actually be quite an enjoyable 2-hour romp of pre-CGI swashbuckling action.Directed by Michael Curtiz (of "Casablanca" fame) - "Captain Blood" stars movie-idol and heartthrob, Errol Flynn (26 at the time) in his first major movie role (as the title character).Set in the 17th century - This $1.5 million production first takes its story to England and then it's onto a high seas adventure to Port Royal, Jamaica where (guess what?) romance is, indeed, waiting for Captain Blood with arms opened wide. (kissy-kissy-smooch-smooch)(And you can be sure that with a name like "Blood" there's gonna be some serious changes made)

Thrilling swashbuckling who launched then unknown Errol Flynn to fame at a great role in which he becomes pirate of the Caribbean . This classic story of romantic adventure by Michael Curtiz , filmed in Hollywood , comes to life enriched by brilliant photography and adapted rightly to the screen . It deals with a doctor named Peter Blood (Errol Flynn , as Robert Donat turned down the role , he had been unable to accept the part) who is imprisoned and exiled into slavery in Port Royal , Jamaica ; there he falls in love for a beautiful young (Olivia De Havilland) and is mistreated by a tyrannical governor (Lionel Atwill) . As the enslaved doctor and his colleagues in chains escape but he is detained , though the timely interruption a Spanish ship turned pirate under the protection of the gold and crimson flag of King Philip of Spain . The Port Royal town is taken , then the pirates land , to loot , pillage and celebrate it . Port Royal was a popular homeport in which many of the crews turned pirate and used the city as their main base during the 17th century against the Spanish treasure fleets . Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar . Blood and his comrades flee and Peter is forced into piracy . And this Captain Blood began his career of piracy with a ship , a handful of men and a brain ; carving a crimson career , until his name became the terror of the Caribbean , until his name became the pride and toast of every buccaneer of the brotherhood of the coast . As Blood and his crew sailing recklessly through dangerous waters , from the Caribbean islands along Atlantic Ocean today he still lives in hundreds of legends . As he leads his followers against the evil governor but finally earns pardon for his swashbuckling ways . The picture in which Tasmanian-born Flynn -who took the part Robert Donat declined for health reasons- , following just a couple of small Hollywood characters , burst upon the world as a new star . It launched 26-years-old Errol and 19-year-old Olivia De Havilland in perhaps the best pirate tale ever . Love interest De Havilland would go to appear with Errol in 7 more features , such as : The Charge of the Light Brigade , Robin Hood , The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex , The died with the boots on , Santa Fe trail , among others . This lusty pirate drama has plenty of punch and pace , as well as amusement . The action and fencing scenes are choreographed with an unity and surge of which all the best Hollywood filmmakers would have been proud . Combination of overwhelming battle ships , sword-play and full of villainy , romance , swashbuckler and heroism . Exciting script by Casey Robinson who also penned a sequel : The son of captain Blood with Sean Flynn , Errol's son . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic confrontation between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone .Intelligently budgeted using miniature sets and ship shots from silents when possible . In fact , no full-sized ships were used in the battle scenes . It was created by a combination of process shots, miniatures, and footage from the silent film , Sea Hawk (1924), which was based on another Rafael Sabatini novel . Very good support cast in this historical/pirate/adventure tale of heroism and swordplay , standing out the followers support actors : Lionel Atwill , Henry Stephenson , Donald Meek ,Robert Barrat , Guy Kibbee , J Carrol Naish , Ross Alexander , Vernon Steele as King James II who was overthrown by Guillermo of Orange (1688) and special mention for Basil Rathbone as Levasseur , though he felt miscast as a French pirate. Evocative cinematography in black and white by Hal Mohr , though also available colorized . First original and impressive musical score by Erich Wolfgang Kongold . He had only three weeks for scoring this picture, he used portions of two tone poems by Franz Liszt for some of the action scenes . Well narrated in pirate fashion , being masterfully directed by Michael Curtiz . Michael worked together Errol a total of 12 times, but Errol Flynn and Michael Curtiz disliked each other intensely . Errol Flynn's son Sean Flynn later played Captain Blood's son Robert Blood in The son of captain Blood (1962) . Rating : 7.5/10 , above average pirate movie , entertaining as well as stirring stuff that provides audience amusement . Enjoyable production packs enough thrills , breathtaking sea battles , tempestuous romance and exciting situations for a good time . It will appeal to Flynn/Havilland fans and pirate movies aficionados .

. . . who leads a charmed life. Whenever his tail gets caught in the wringer, Wash Day is suddenly cut short. If he pokes Victory in one eye, she gives him a wink with the other. If it was his turn to be drawn and quartered, he'd beat Mel Gibson at rock-paper-scissors to swap places in line. He's not unlike CANDIDE, plus the nine lives of a cat. The only thing mitigating CAPTAIN BLOOD's success is that most of his key battles are won over the French, which isn't saying much. But BLOOD plays down to the level of his competition, prevailing against all comers, as a Zorro of the seas. His pirate crew is about the most docile bunch you'd ever run across, at least as far as he's concerned. He can do almost no wrong in their eyes, whether it's frittering away a fortune in booty on his own private beauty, or leading a suicide foray on her behalf (the exact same ending, with the two same actors--Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland--that Warner Bros. recycled a couple of years later to close THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE).

"Captain Blood" was Flynn's first starring role, and it's also his most exuberant and energetic performance. Despite whatever anxiety he might have suffered offstage -- apparently requiring several scenes to be re- shot -- the end result is one of the most spirited swashbucklers ever made, unsurpassed in almost eighty years.Flynn plays an Irish doctor with a Tasmanian accent who, in 1685, gets caught up in the Glorious Rebellion against James II of England, and carted off to Jamaica as a slave. There he's bought by the lovely Olivia deHavilland, the cruel governor's young niece. Eventually he escapes, with the rest of the slaves -- but not before he and Olivia fall in love.Flynn's life of piracy comes to us mostly via montage, cutting out most of the middle third of Rafael Sabatini's novel. A doomed partnership with Basil Rathbone (sporting a magnificently fake French accent) climaxes with a terrific duel on the beach, and reunites the starcrossed lovers in time for a thunderous sea-battle. A handful of shots of the great sailing ships were lifted from older silent films -- I'd love to see the movies that produced that sort of spectacle!Michael Curtiz began his partnership with Flynn with this movie, and I think the animosity between the two was responsible for much of Flynn's rowdy, passionate screen persona. He preferred working with Raoul Walsh, but their collaborations never came up with anything quite as memorable. Curtiz, as usual, creates a beautiful picture, with terrific sets, expressive shadows, and fluid camera-work -- the style is so perfect that you might not even notice how brilliant it is, because every shot and every scene is so intuitively correct. The music, by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, set the high standard for classic Hollywood adventure films that every subsequent composer has tried to live up to.In short, this movie has everything you'd ever want from an old- fashioned action film: romance, heroics, sword fights, pitched battles, humor and villainy.