Very best movie i ever watch

hyped garbage

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Director Richard Wallace co-produced this action adventure seafaring film with Grover Jones, who based his screenplay on the Kenneth Roberts novel. Executive producer Hal Roach was evidently trying to capitalize on Warner Bros. successful Errol Flynn pirate films like The Sea Hawk (1940), which had been released earlier in the year. Unfortunately, he didn't have the lead nor character actors to rise above its B programmer status, though Elmer Raguse did receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound, Recording. The cast includes Victor Mature, Louise Platt, Leo Carrillo, Bruce Cabot, Robert Barrat, Vivienne Osborne, Roscoe Ates who plays a stuttering crewman, and Alan Ladd (among others).The time period is August, 1812 when war rages between England and the United States, with France involved in the mix. Mature plays Dan Marvin, who'd been rescued as a boy by American Captain Dorman (Barrat) on his ship the Olive Branch. Marvin had therefore grown up with Dorman's daughter Corunna (Platt). Now that both are of age, they're on the brink of consummating their relationship with an adult romance, but each is a little too feisty and neither is willing to relinquish any 'power' to the other. In fact, Corunna is so strong willed that she dubs Dan "Captain Caution" when he'd rightly surrenders the ship to the British after her father was killed; she vows revenge as a privateer. The Olive Branch had been at sea so long no one aboard even knew that there was a war going on. Three of the prisoners aboard the English ship are Frenchman Lucien Argandeau (Carillo), his wife Victorine (Osborne), and another American Lehrman Slade (Cabot), who had been a prisoner about Argandeau's ship the Formidable for slave trading before the British had commandeered it.With help from the ladies, who are given quarters above decks by the British, the prisoners below decks get some small arms (knives and a pistol) which enables them to join the action when an American ship attacks them; the British are overwhelmed and their ship is sunk. The freed Olive Branch is then commanded by Corunna assisted by Slade, who has charmed his way into her confidence. Victorine comforts Dan, who Corunna & Slade has made stay a prisoner. Mrs. Argandeau and her husband Lucien are on the outs because of his affairs with other women. Meanwhile, Dan has 'adopted' the English drummer boy Travers (Clifford Severn) he'd saved during the conflict. Of course, Slade is untrustworthy and, once they make port in France, he crosses the channel back to England where he blackmails another slave trader into capturing the Olive Branch for his own purposes.Again, Dan and Lucien find themselves imprisoned in the bowels of a British ship. This time, with the help of Newton (Ladd), who ends up killing the corrupt captain, and several others who'd been treated like slaves, 'forced' to operate the ship, they're able to escape, re- attack their captors, and rescue the Olive Branch for (a finally grateful) Corunna. A shirtless Mature was called into action as a gladiator to fight a large brute in order to distract the crew such that the other American prisoners could swim to a nearby ship to escape. Naturally, Corunna no longer thinks her nickname fits Dan, and they embrace before the closing credits.

This misty, seafaring film looks and sounds very beautiful, and atmospheric. I just couldn't get involved with the story; and found the acting fantastically uneven. I can imagine the direction given to Victor Mature before he enters the French tavern - "Enter left and look startled!" - The ship had a sort of "beatnik/hippie" type character on board. The French waitress was cast against type, I though. The characters really treat her poorly! I wonder, is the film's message that women are "bad luck"? It's a fair film - probably, kids in theaters would have enjoyed spending an afternoon in the theater on the "Captain Caution" ship. If I was a 10-year-old kid boy the '40s, I would have liked this movie more. **** Captain Caution (1940) Richard Wallace ~ Victor Mature, Louise Platt, Leo Carrillo

An early Victor Mature effort, CAPTAIN CAUTION tells the tale of a merchant vessel assaulted by the British at the start of the War of 1812. The vessel's captain is killed and his daughter (so-so actress Louise Platt) assumes command. She decides to pursue the British and is given the choice of Mature or Bruce (KING KONG) Cabot for first mate. The spot goes to Cabot, who turns out to be a privateer in the employ of the highest bidder, in this case the British. He convinces her to head for France rather than America, and once in port, the ship is taken. She unwisely stays with Cabot, who is now planning to sail for America, while Mature and his loyal followers are held prisoner. With the help of a very young Alan Ladd, Mature and the boys escape and pursue Cabot's ship. As you can imagine, the action never stops and the battle scenes are eye-popping even in black and white. Taken from a Kenneth Roberts novel, CAPTAIN CAUTION is a forgotten mini-masterpiece that only falls down whenever the leading lady takes center stage. But the young Victor Mature is pretty impressive in his two-fisted role and Cabot plays his traitor role just subtly enough to convince even the most jaded moviegoer. Plus the wonderful Leo (CISCO KID) Carillo is aboard for comic relief. Too bad the film wasn't shot in color.

The first few minutes of this film hooked me and I had hopes that it would be an excellent film. After all, the idea of a film set during the War of 1812 was intriguing--this is a subject rarely talked about in movies. However, after a short time, it became obvious that the film was high on the anachronism factor--in other words, having people behaving totally uncharacteristically from that time period. The notion of a lady sea captain setting off to attack and punish the British just never would have or could have happened in 1812. While this was silly, it still didn't mean the film couldn't have been exciting. Unfortunately, even if you ignore this plot problem, about a half hour into the film it also became amazingly dull and talky. Instead of an Errol Flynn-style adventure film, it just all ground to an almost complete halt. Sure, it picked up for the rousing conclusion, but by then I had really lost interest and just wanted the whole thing to end due to poor writing. Plus, in this conclusion, it made fighting in a naval battle look FUN! This "fun" element is pretty stupid as well as a bit disturbing--and further evidence it is a mediocre film.