Wonderful character development!

Just perfect...

I wanted to but couldn't!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The pirate movie is a sub-genre of the cinema. "Captain Blood," while not the first pirate movie, gave us all the infrastructure for those to come. Errol Flynn was born to play these parts. He had swagger, good looks, and a way of overcoming obstacles. At the beginning he is treated like dirt and shoved off to be enslaved by king and country. When he has a chance, he takes his fellow slaves, captures a Spanish ship, and sets off to rob and plunder any merchant ship he comes across. But there is also romance, betrayal, revenge, and scenes of incredible action. This hasn't always been my favorite kind of movie, but I can see why this one stands above so many others.

Timing can be everything. I had the misfortune of seeing "Captain Blood" shortly after seeing another Michael Curtiz/Errol Flynn swashbuckler, "The Sea Hawk," and the former pales in comparison in almost every conceivable way."Captain Blood" is a much talkier picture, and it's just not as fun. There isn't the same sense of adventure, and the pacing is much slower. Olivia de Havilland looks lovely, and Basil Rathbone shows up at one point as a rival pirate and adds some energy (he was always a welcome presence), but I overall found myself having trouble staying engaged in this one."Captain Blood" was officially nominated for two Oscars in 1935: Best Picture (in a year that saw 12 nominees!) and Best Sound Recording. But it also scored three write-in nominations: Best Director (Curtiz), Best Screenplay (Casey Robinson), and Best Scoring (which under the rules at the time would have gone to studio music department head Leo Forbstein, not the film's composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold). The Academy established a new rule forbidding write-in nominations the following year.Grade: B-

„CAPTAIN BLOOD" is an ambitious and very expensive project directed by Michael Curtiz. In 1935 year the adventure films are dominant. This genre was not so popular. That year the competition was great. Make a spectacular and expensive movie was "double-edged sword".Set design is mesmerizing. I think Curtiz targeted wanted to show adventurous beauty. Again, the scene is not supposed to act too exotic. Sound and effects are at a high level. The battles are spectacular. It is impressive to know that in certain sequences involved over 1,000 trainees. Errol and Olivia are practically "born" in this movie.Errol Flynn (Capt. Blood) very nice, good-looking, charming and dominant actor. Excellent fit in the adventure - action scenes. Former audience it was something new, somewhat exotic and exciting. His acting is not praised. I think, from the current point of view, that Flynn was a very good actor.Olivia de Havilland as Arabella Bishop was also on the beginning of her career. She picked up sympathy. Olivia is a very good actress and I'm not in any context discuss her beauty. She acts naturally and has a natural beauty. The chemistry between the two main actors is quite strange, but amazingly real. The duel between the Capt. Blood and Capt. Levasseur (Basil Rathbone) I would call epic. Well, the duel between the two men for a beautiful woman is almost always epic. Basil Rathbone, despite supporting role, has left a good impression.Lionel Atwill, who plays Arabella's uncle and, worse, Blood's nemesis, is a notch about the supporting player category. A somewhat strange and sinister person off screen, he was the in-house villain, ready and willing to snarl and glare.I think this movie, despite the year of issue, does not act old. The film begins and ends in a kind of a perfect circle. It features a lot of drama, adventure, action, charm and humor. This film, once watched, would or should bring a smile to everyone, except perhaps the most hardened movie goer. The story has flaws, but it is interesting. The soundtrack is excellent. Perhaps it is too much like a fairytale and romantic. Yes, in that fact I do not see anything wrong.

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 .