Editing Captain Blood (1935 film)

{{short description|1935 film by Michael Curtiz}}
{{For | the person behind the 17th attempted theft of the Crown Jewels | Colonel Blood}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Captain Blood
| image          = Captain_Blood.jpeg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Michael Curtiz]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Harry Joe Brown]]
* [[Gordon Hollingshead]]}}
| screenplay     = [[Casey Robinson]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Captain Blood (novel)|Captain Blood]]''<br>1922 novel|[[Rafael Sabatini]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Errol Flynn]]
* [[Olivia de Havilland]]
* [[Basil Rathbone]]
* [[Ross Alexander]]}}
| music          = [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]
| cinematography = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ernest Haller]]
* [[Hal Mohr]]}}
| editing        = [[George Amy]]
| studio         = [[Cosmopolitan Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1935|12|28|USA}}
| runtime        = 119 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $1,242,000<ref name="gross">[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239595348_Hollywood's_foreign_earnings_during_the_1930s John Sedgwick, Mike Pokorny, "Hollywood’s foreign earnings during the 1930s", 83 TRAC 1 (1) pp. 83–97 Intellect Limited 2010 p92]</ref> or $995,000<ref name="warners">Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 15 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551</ref>
| gross          = $3,090,000 (worldwide rentals)<ref name="wb">{{cite journal|first=H Mark |last=Glancy |title=Warner Bros Film Grosses, 1921–51: the William Schaefer ledger  |journal=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television |volume=15 |year=1995|pages=55–73 |doi=10.1080/01439689500260031 }}</ref><ref name="warners"/>
}}
'''''Captain Blood''''' is a 1935 American [[black-and-white]] [[Swashbuckler film|swashbuckling]] [[pirate film]] from [[First National Pictures]] and [[Warner Bros. Pictures]], produced by [[Harry Joe Brown]] and [[Gordon Hollingshead]] (with [[Hal B. Wallis]] as executive producer), directed by [[Michael Curtiz]] and starring [[Errol Flynn]], [[Olivia de Havilland]], [[Basil Rathbone]], and [[Ross Alexander]].

With a screenplay by [[Casey Robinson]], the film is based on the 1922 novel ''[[Captain Blood (novel)|Captain Blood]]'' by [[Rafael Sabatini]] and concerns an imprisoned doctor and his fellow prisoners who escape their cruel island captivity to become [[West Indies]] pirates.<ref name="tcm">{{cite web|title=Captain Blood (1935) |work=Turner Classic Movies |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2538/captain-blood |access-date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> An earlier 1924 [[Vitagraph Studios|Vitagraph]] silent film version of ''[[Captain Blood (1924 film)|Captain Blood]]'' starred [[J. Warren Kerrigan]] as Peter Blood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/captain-blood-v86605|title=Captain Blood (1924) - David Smith - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie|author=Janiss Garza|work=AllMovie|access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref>

Warner Bros. risked pairing two relatively unknown performers in the lead roles. Flynn's performance made him a major Hollywood star and established him as the natural successor to [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and a "symbol of an unvanquished man" during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="tcm" /><ref name="slant">{{cite web|last=Schager |first=Nick |title=Captain Blood |work=Slant Magazine |date=April 20, 2005 |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/captain-blood/1470 |access-date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> ''Captain Blood'' also established de Havilland, in just her fourth screen appearance, as a major star and was the first of eight films costarring Flynn and de Havilland. In 1962, Flynn's son [[Sean Flynn (photojournalist)|Sean]] starred in ''[[The Son of Captain Blood]]''.

==Plot==
In England in 1685, Irish doctor Peter Blood is summoned to aid Lord Gildoy, a wounded patron who participated in the [[Monmouth Rebellion]]. Arrested while performing [[Hippocratic Oath|his duties as a physician]], he is convicted of [[treason]] against [[James II of England|King James II]] and sentenced to death by the infamous [[George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys|Judge Jeffreys]]. By the whim of the king, upon his advisor Lord Sunderland's counsel, Blood and the surviving rebels are transported to the West Indies to be sold into slavery.

In [[Port Royal]], Blood is bought by Arabella Bishop, the beautiful niece of local military commander Colonel Bishop. Attracted by Blood's rebellious nature, Arabella tries to improve his situation by recommending him as the physician to the colony's governor, Steed, who continually suffers from painful [[gout]]. Outwardly resentful toward Arabella, yet silently appreciative for her efforts on his behalf, Blood develops an escape plan for himself and his fellow prisoners. The plan is almost uncovered by the suspicious Colonel Bishop, who has one of Blood's men, Jeremy Pitt, flogged and interrogated. Blood is spared a similar fate when a Spanish [[Man-of-war|man-o'-war]] attacks Port Royal. During the raid, Blood and his fellow prisoners seize the Spanish ship from its drunken night watch and sail away to begin lives of [[piracy]] in 1687.

Captain Blood's crew quickly achieve great fame among the [[buccaneer]]s of the [[Brethren of the Coast|Brotherhood of the Coast]], with Blood himself deemed the greatest captain of the coast. When Governor Steed is unable to contain the pirate menace, Colonel Bishop is appointed governor. He sends Arabella to England on an extended holiday, but three years later, she returns to the Caribbean. Her ship, also carrying royal emissary Lord Willoughby, is captured by Blood's treacherous partner, the French buccaneer Captain Levasseur, who plans to hold them for [[ransom]]. Blood forces Levasseur to sell them to him, relishing the opportunity to turn the tables on Arabella. When Levasseur vehemently objects, despite having accepted Blood's payment, the two pirate captains duel, with Blood killing Levasseur. Blood offers Arabella valuable jewelry from his conquests as a sign of his love for her. Ungrateful for her "rescue," Arabella is indignant at having been purchased by Blood and calls him a thief and a pirate. Although angered by her rejection, he orders his men to set sail for Port Royal, where he will deliver Arabella and Lord Willoughby, despite the danger to himself and his crew.

As they approach Port Royal, they sight two French warships attacking the city; Bishop has left it undefended in his single-minded pursuit of Blood. With England now at war with France, Lord Willoughby pleads with Blood to save the colony, but the captain and his crew refuse to fight for the corrupt king. Willoughby reveals that James was [[Glorious Revolution|kicked out of England and fled to France]] and is in hiding; England's new king, [[William III of England|William III]], has sent Willoughby to offer Blood and his men full pardons and commissions in the [[Royal Navy]]. This startling news quickly changes the pirates' minds, and they prepare for battle with the French.

After having had Arabella ferried ashore, Blood and his men approach Port Royal flying [[French ensigns|French colors]], but soon that ensign is replaced with the British [[Union Jack]]. A pitched ship-to-ship battle ensues, leading to frenzied hand-to-hand deck combat. Blood and his men defeat the French frigates, saving the colony, but not before losing their ship in the battle. As a reward for his daring action, Blood is appointed the new governor of Port Royal by Lord Willoughby, after which Arabella confesses that she loves him. Blood also has the pleasure of dealing with his hostile predecessor, having now returned from his pirate hunt and under arrest for [[dereliction of duty|abandoning his post]] in a time of war. As Arabella playfully pleads with the new governor to spare her uncle's life, Blood finally reveals his face to the astonished Bishop, greeting him with the phrase "Good morning, Uncle".

==Cast==
[[Image:Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn in Captain Blood trailer.JPG|thumb|De Havilland and Flynn in ''Captain Blood'']]
{{Cast listing|
* [[Errol Flynn]] as Peter Blood
* [[Olivia de Havilland]] as Arabella Bishop
* [[Lionel Atwill]] as Colonel Bishop
* [[Basil Rathbone]] as Levasseur
* [[Ross Alexander]] as Jeremy Pitt, Blood's friend and [[navigator]]
* [[Guy Kibbee]] as Henry Hagthorpe, Master Gunner
* [[Henry Stephenson]] as Lord Willoughby
* [[Robert Barrat]] as John Wolverstone
* [[Hobart Cavanaugh]] as Dr. Bronson
* [[Donald Meek]] as Dr. Whacker
* [[Jessie Ralph]] as Mrs. Barlow
* [[Forrester Harvey]] as Honesty Nuttall
* [[Frank McGlynn Sr.]] as Rev. Uriah Ogle
* [[Holmes Herbert]] as Capt. Gardner
* [[David Torrence (actor)|David Torrence]] as Andrew Baynes
* [[J. Carrol Naish]] as Cahusac
* [[Pedro de Cordoba (actor)|Pedro de Cordoba]] as Don Diego
* [[George Hassell (actor)|George Hassell]] as Governor Steed
* [[Harry Cording]] as Kent
* [[Leonard Mudie]] as [[George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys|Baron Jeffreys]]
* [[Ivan Simpson]] as The Prosecutor
* Stuart Casey as Capt. Hobart
* Dennis D. Auburn as Lord Gildoy
* [[Mary Forbes]] as Mrs. Steed
* [[E. E. Clive]] as Clerk of the Court
* [[Colin Kenny (actor)|Colin Kenny]] as Lord Chester Dyke
* Maude Leslie as Mrs. Baynes
* [[Vernon Steele]] as [[James II of England|James II]]
* [[Gardner James]] as Slave
* [[Murray Kinnell]] as	Court Clerk (uncredited)
* [[Halliwell Hobbes]] as [[Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland|Lord Sunderland]] (uncredited) 
}}

==Production==
Warner Bros. was inspired to remake the film, which it had first produced as a silent picture in 1923,<ref name="films">Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, ''The Films of Errol Flynn'', Citadel Press, 1969 p 31</ref> after the popularity of ''[[Treasure Island (1934 film)|Treasure Island]]'' (1934) and ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (1934 film)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]'' (1934) revived the Hollywood swashbuckler genre.

Some of the film's sea-battle footage was taken from the silent film ''[[The Sea Hawk (1924 film)|The Sea Hawk]]'' (1924).

===Music score===
''Captain Blood'' features a stirring and romantic musical score, the first of its type for a sound film, by Austrian composer [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]. In 1935, Warner Bros. asked Korngold to score the film, but he declined, feeling that a story about pirates was outside his range of interest. However, Korngold changed his mind after watching the filming.

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor = Cornsilk|quote="Korngold not only had the background but also had the gift of melody, an innate sense of theater, and the skills to manipulate sentiment, emotion, humor, and excitement. In short, if [[Jack L. Warner]] had been praying for such a composer, then his prayers had been answered". --Film historian, [[Tony Thomas (film historian)|Tony Thomas]]<ref name=Thomas>Thomas, Tony. ''Korngold: Vienna to Hollywood'', Turner Entertainment (1996)</ref>{{rp|10}}}}

Korngold was required to compose more than an hour of symphonic music in only three weeks. The short time frame forced him to borrow portions of symphonic poems by [[Franz Liszt]], which constituted approximately ten percent of the score. As such, Korngold was unwilling to take credit for the entire film score, insisting instead that his credit be for "musical arrangement" only.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|8}}<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwCEqrD4Z7I 'Captain Blood'' trailer segment]</ref>

''Captain Blood'' became an immediate hit, with an Oscar nomination for the score.<ref>[http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1936 Oscar nominees for 1936]</ref> As Korngold's first fully symphonic film score, it marked a milestone in his career, as he became the first composer of international stature to sign a contract with a film studio.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|10}}<ref name=Woodstra>Woodstra, Chris, Brennan, Gerald, Schrott, Allen, editors. ''All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music'', Hal Leonard Corp. (2005) p. 701</ref> It also launched Flynn's film career and gave a major boost to that of de Havilland, who would appear in another seven [[feature films|features]] with Flynn. Korngold would score six more starring Flynn.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|21}} The film also opened the way for other costumed, romantic film adventures, which had not been seen since the silent era.<ref name=Thomas/>{{rp|9}}

===Budget===
The film's production budget was {{USD|1242000|year=1935}}.<ref name="tcm"/>

===Casting===
The lead role was originally offered to [[Robert Donat]], who had starred in the successful 1934 film ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (1934 film)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]''.<ref name="slant"/> The asthmatic Donat turned down the role, concerned that the action sequences would be too strenuous for him.<ref name="thomas-67">Thomas 1983, p. 67.</ref> A series of screen tests with various actors led to Flynn, an unknown Australian actor. In January 1935, Warner Bros. signed Flynn and brought him to Hollywood after seeing him in the British B picture ''[[Murder at Monte Carlo]]''.<ref name="thomas-67"/> For the female lead role, [[Jean Muir (actress)|Jean Muir]] was originally chosen to play opposite Donat, but after Muir declined the role, the studio focused on the 19-year-old de Havilland, who had starred in three previous films that same year, including ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' for director [[Max Reinhardt]].<ref name="thomas-67"/>

===Filming locations===
Most of the film was shot on a sound stage in the summer of 1935. Some exterior scenes, such as the sword fight between Rathbone and Flynn on a Caribbean shore, were shot at [[Laguna Beach, California]]. The final battle sequence between Blood's pirate crew and the French ships employed one of the largest technical crews assembled for a film, requiring 2,500 extras.<ref name="tcm"/>

During filming, Flynn collapsed from a bout of [[malaria]] that he had contracted in [[New Guinea]].

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film was a box-office success,<ref name="thomas-71-72" /> earning Warner Bros. a profit of $1.462 million.<ref>''Errol & Olivia: Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood'' by Robert Matzen, 2010</ref> According to Warner Bros., it earned $1,357,000 domestically and $1,733,000 overseas.<ref name="warners" />

===Critical response===
''Captain Blood'' premiered on December 26, 1935 at the [[Mark Strand Theatre]] in New York City<ref name="Brown125">{{cite book |title=Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from its Beginnings to the Present |last=Brown |first=Gene |year=1995 |publisher=MacMillan |location=New York |isbn=0-02-860429-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/movietimechronol00brow/page/125 125] |url=https://archive.org/details/movietimechronol00brow/page/125 }}</ref> and was released in the United States on December 28, 1935. The film received positive reviews and notices and wide public approval.<ref name="thomas-71-72">Thomas 1983, pp. 71–72.</ref> However, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'s'' review cited weaknesses in the storyline:{{blockquote|'Blood' is a spectacular cinematic entry, which, while not flawless, is quite compelling. Its sundry little discrepancies, however, count against a more satisfying final tally. The inconsistencies, while not frequent, are rather prominent and at times irritating. 
As, for instance, the climactic sea battle of the lone pirate ship (Blood's), now a volunteer in the cause of England, against the two French vessels. One French frigate stands idly by until Blood's corsair conquers one and then directs his attack on the other. The finale with the discomfited governor, in whose place Blood is appointed, is rather tent-twent-thirt [excessively melodramatic].

And underlying it all, as a productionary shortcoming, is the false premise of the titular Capt. Blood. Here is a gallant, engaging young blade who, under pirate's colors, repels the very aspects which first cement his brave appeal.<ref name=Variety>[https://archive.org/stream/variety121-1936-01#page/n43/mode/2up "CAPTAIN BLOOD"], film review, ''Variety'', New York, N.Y., January 1, 1936, page 44; retrieved December 22, 2017. The compound adjective "tent-twent-thirt" in ''Variety'''s review derives from theatrical slang for "ten-twenty-thirty", which was once used to describe the early vaudevillian shows and other staged productions that were distinguished by their cheap admission prices (ten, twenty, or thirty cents) and by their highly melodramatic storylines or by characters displaying exaggerated emotions and actions.</ref>}}

Despite also finding flaws in the "scripting" of ''Captain Blood'' and in the presentation of some battle sequences, ''Variety'' called Flynn's performance "impressive" and predicted that his work in the film would provide him with "future big marquee values."<ref name=Variety/>

Writing for ''[[The Spectator]]'' in 1936, [[Graham Greene]] offered a tepid review, describing the film as his favorite of those that he had reviewed that week but describing it as "a fine spirited mix-up" and noting the "magnificently wrong characterization" of King James. Greene also wrote that much of the film included anachronistic details related to clothing and setting.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Greene|first= Graham|author-link= Graham Greene|date= 21 February 1936|title= I Dream Too Much/Anything Goes/Faust/Hohe Schule/Captain Blood|journal= [[The Spectator]]}} (reprinted in: {{cite book|editor-last= Taylor|editor-first= John Russell|editor-link= John Russell Taylor|date= 1980|title= The Pleasure Dome|url= https://archive.org/details/pleasuredomegrah00gree/page/54|page= [https://archive.org/details/pleasuredomegrah00gree/page/54 54]|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 0192812866}})</ref>

''[[FilmInk|Filmink]]'' magazine later wrote: "Flynn was lucky – not just in being at the right place at the right time with the right lack of competition, but with his collaborators on Captain Blood."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/films-errol-flynn-2/|title=The Films of Errol Flynn: Part 2 The Golden Years |date=November 10, 2019}}</ref>

===Awards and honors===
The film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] and, despite not being nominated, [[Michael Curtiz]] received the second-highest number of votes for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] as a write-in candidate. Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Casey Robinson, also unnominated, received substantially more write-in votes than did most of the official nominees.

The film was also nominated in the categories [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Music (Scoring)]], [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Sound Recording]] ([[Nathan Levinson]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Writing (Screenplay)]].<ref name="oscars-1936">{{Cite web|title=The 8th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners |work=The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1936 |access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref>

''Captain Blood'' has been recognized by the [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2001: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630082934/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills400.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]]:
** Peter Blood – Nominated Hero<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150527/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv400.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2005: [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/scores250.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-date=November 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106023410/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100years/scores250.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Cultural references===
A clip of the film was used in the 1985 film ''[[The Goonies]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026174/movieconnections|title = Captain Blood (1935) - IMDb|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref>

==Radio adaptation==
''Captain Blood'' was adapted as a radio play on the February 22, 1937 broadcast of [[Lux Radio Theater]] with Flynn, de Havilland and Rathbone reprising their film parts.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Those Were The Days|journal=Nostalgia Digest|date=Spring 2013|volume=39|issue=2|pages=32–39}}</ref> The radio version is included among the special features of the 2005 DVD version.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Thomas |first=Tony |title=The Complete Films of Errol Flynn |publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York |year=1969 |isbn=978-0806502373}}
* {{cite book|last=Thomas |first=Tony |title=The Films of Olivia de Havilland |publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York |year=1983 |isbn=978-0806509884}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Captain Blood (1935 film)}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* [https://archive.org/download/Lux02/Lux_37-02-22_Captain_Blood.MP3 ''Captain Blood''] on [[Lux Radio Theater]]: February 22, 1937
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/film/7924/captain-blood ''Captain Blood''] at Virtual History

{{Captain Blood}}
{{Michael Curtiz}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Blood (1935 Film)}}
[[Category:Captain Blood]]
[[Category:1935 films]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]
[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
[[Category:1930s historical adventure films]]
[[Category:American historical adventure films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American swashbuckler films]]
[[Category:Films set in the Golden Age of Piracy]]
[[Category:Seafaring films]]
[[Category:Films about prison escapes]]
[[Category:Films based on British novels]]
[[Category:Films set in 1685]]
[[Category:Films set in 1687]]
[[Category:Films set in Jamaica]]
[[Category:Films set in England]]
[[Category:Films set in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Michael Curtiz]]
[[Category:Films scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of James II of England]]
[[Category:Fiction about the Monmouth Rebellion]]
[[Category:English-language historical adventure films]]