Writers: Rafael Sabatini, Michael Hogan, Robert Libott, Frank Burt
Composer: Paul Sawtell
Starring: Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina, George Mcready, Alfonso Bedoya, Dona Drake, Lowell Gilmore, Wilton Graff, Curt Bois, Lumsden Hare, Billy Bevan, Harry Cording, Duke York
More info: IMDb
Tagline: Sabatini's famous buccaneer in swashbuckling adventure...exotic romance!
Plot: When some of his crew are captured by the Spaniards in Rio De La Hacha, pirate Captain Peter Blood enters the city in disguise in order to free his men from Marquis De Riconete's prison.
My rating: 7/10
Will I watch it again? Nah.
Here's a solid pirate adventure that ticks off the boxes of what you'd expect, delivering some swashbuckling action, intrigue, romance, ship battles but no buried treasure. That's OK because what's here is fun, fast and entertaining. The performances hit all the right beats and there's not an actor you could say was the weakest link. They all do a fine job, especially Dona Drake as the fire-y barmaid, Pepita Maria Rosados. She's great. Hayward does a great job as Captain Blood. As long as you don't compare him to Errol Flynn you'll be just fine. The story almost couldn't be simpler; Captain Blood goes to an Island to rescue jailed members of his crew. That's it, but there's enough side business going on that it fills the time nicely and without feeling like it's just busy work. There's plenty of sword fighting to satisfy that itch. It's beautifully shot in B&W, there are a few laughs (intentional) and the pacing moves lickety-split. Before you know it your 90 minutes is up and your appetite for pirate adventure has been sated.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment