Douglas Fairbanks' real
life son became a skilled actor and starred in
some great adventure movies (Gunga
Din, The Prisoner
of Zenda) and some not so great (Safari)
but the cinematic descendent of Douglas Fairbanks
was Errol Flynn, king swashbuckler of the late
1930's.
Arrested
Pirates. |
|
Many film enthusiasts have
said Errol Flynn was great. But to be fair to
his legacy and more accurate in assessing the
nature of his popularity it should be said that
Errol Flynn was a great actor. His characters
were larger-than-life men in tights and the films
were costumed in extravagance with scores that
became historic. But at the center of all the
majestic accessories was a rare and talented actor.
Some of today's stars who
take on adventure roles would benefit from noticing
that Flynn played his characters not only as brimming
with confidence but also with moments of fear
and vulnerability. This allows an audience to
recognize their shared humanity and live more
vicariously through the heroes and heroines on
screen. Flynn's awesome command of the screen
is most apparent in his three greatest films,
Captain Blood,
The Adventures of Robin
Hood and The Sea
Hawk.
Of course Flynn would not be Flynn if he didn't
charm every lady he shares a scene with. That's
just him. But in The
Sea Hawk he explores a character prone
to, of all things, heart-sickness. He sheds the
broad smile and lusty laughter of Robin Hood and
presents a hero fiercely driven by his noble heart.
Flynn is very serious in this film and very sincere
and it is these qualities that make this swashbuckler
so endearing.
Crossing daggers. |
|
The Sea Hawks, led by Captain
Thorpe (Flynn), are a crew of British pirates
fighting and looting in secret loyalty to the
Queen. There are fears the all-conquering Spaniards
have gone too far and have now set England in
their ambitious sights.
The Spanish Ambassador, played by the great Claude
Rains, has a niece, Maria (Brenda Marshall), who
falls in love with Captain Thorpe. She is torn
by her feelings for him and her loyalty to her
uncle. Reinforcing her vacillating allegiance
is the fact that she is half English and half
Spanish.
Seton I. Miller and Howard Koch
wrote the script. Koch, a Casablanca
writer, was likely the one who came up with the
film's melodramatic centerpiece. Maria discovers
that the Queen has sent Captain Thorpe on a secret
mission. Deciding finally that she can't
be without him, she races alone to the dock wanting
to go with him but reaches it just a little too
late. Her tearful radiant face stares out over
the ocean while the Sea Hawks' ship sails.
Little does she realize Captain Thorpe is at the
ship's stern staring longingly back at land
thinking of her. It is a beautifully crafted piece
of movie romance without a single line of dialogue.
Spanish
Ambassador vs. Flynn's Captain Thorpe. |
|
The anthropomorphisized monkey
from Raiders of the Lost
Ark is here offering the same token of
levity amidst all the dangerous intrigue. Some
of the cinematic language of Steven Spielberg
is here as well. For example, there is a scene
where characters shadows precede them into an
establishment the way Indiana Jones' shadow
did when first visiting Marian Ravenwood at her
bar.
Michael Curtiz directed The
Sea Hawk, Captain
Blood and The Adventures
of Robin Hood. Many of the same faces can
be found in these films. The movies have a lot
in common but are also very different. Is it too
severe a condemnation to wonder if these films
could have been produced today? If Flynn and Curtiz
were working in today's Hollywood
would Robin Hood have been made or would they
have been forced to produce Captain
Blood Part II? And would The
Sea Hawk instead be Captain
Blood Part III? Fortunately, these films
were made in the 1930's and early 1940's
and some of the more powerful filmmakers of today
can at least look to them for inspiration. (Stephen
Jared) |