Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply Perfect

Highly Overrated But Still Good

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Captain Blood loses some of his pirate crew when they are ambushed landing on the Caribbean island of La Hacha seeking supplies. Against the advice of his second in command he eventually goes ashore and disguising himself as a fruit seller (called Pedro Morales) engineers the rescue of his enslaved comrades. Which is the main problem with the film as it is set mostly ashore as Blood intrigues to release his men. This takes in the Marquis de Riconete who has been tasked to catch him, Isabelita Sotomayor who wants to leave the island with her beau George Fairfax and a helpful girl at an inn named Pepita Maria Rosados. It is slow going until the last half hour when it comes to life with action in the main town and a battle at sea.Louis Hayward is adequate as Captain Blood, as is Patricia Medina as Isabelita and Lowell Gilmore as Fairfax.George Macready is unfortunately a bit subdued as the Marquis. He has done villainy much better in other films. Billy Bevan plays Billy Bragg. Much needed liveliness is injected into the film by the lovely Dona Drake as spitfire Pepita. Based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini the last third of the film almost makes up for the duller early two-thirds of the movie.

In the 17th Century, daring buccaneer Louis Hayward (as Peter Blood) preys on Spanish ships sailing from the West Indies. The lawless captain sends some of his men ashore for supplies, but they are ambushed and enslaved. Meanwhile, King Charles II hires dastardly George Macready (as the Marquis de Riconete) to track down Mr. Hayward. Although it is considered foolish and dangerous, Hayward decides to rescue his men while disguised as a common fruit seller named "Pedro". The most excitement on land is generated by sexy Dona Drake (as Pepita), who delightfully fills her costume. Higher-billed Patricia Medina (as Isabelita Sotomayor) also wears it well. Producer Harry Joe Brown gives the popular character ingredients for a fun lower budget adventure, but director Gordon Douglas and his team can't quite keep it afloat. Hayward has little spring in his step and the "Fortunes of Captain Blood" trudges through its running time.**** Fortunes of Captain Blood (5/19/50) Gordon Douglas ~ Louis Hayward, George Macready, Dona Drake, Patricia Medina

To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting a lot from this one – I was under the impression it would be a remake of the seminal Michael Curtiz/Errol Flynn CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935), but Rafael Sabatini did actually pen a novel bearing its title – since neither the film under review, nor the sequel CAPTAIN PIRATE (1952; whose own viewing would follow presently), have much of a reputation within the genre concerned!; still, their Rafael Sabatini pedigree and the presence of swashbuckling regular Louis Hayward ensured my interest regardless. For better or worse, the fact that both are now available in virtually pristine (if non-anamorphic) editions is due to the massive box-office takings of the recent overblown "Pirates Of The Caribbean" saga!Anyway, I had already watched Hayward's previous buccaneer venture – namely Edgar G. Ulmer's THE PIRATES OF CAPRI (1949) – and, frankly, was wary of his making a convincing Peter Blood (truth be told, even Flynn's star-making turn had been somewhat overrated!); given that he usually tends to play fops harbouring a revenge agenda, the narrative contrives to put the actor in his element by having the former doctor don a South American disguise for a sizeable part of the duration! Plot-wise, it is – admittedly – no great shakes: a handful of Blood's gang are ambushed when they go ashore and put in chains, so he determines to free them. In the course of the 90-minute duration, he is helped and hindered (often both) by a number of other characters: a bartender, a saloon-girl, a prison warden enamoured of the latter (Alfonso Bedoya), a shifty nobleman, his girlfriend (leading lady Patricia Medina – clumsily named Isabelita!), and the obligatory chief villain (played by the ubiquitous George Macready). Blood's brawny crew, then, typically encompasses all sorts – from Scots to Swedes…and, perhaps mercifully, I only counted two negligible instances of comic relief on their part throughout!While it may appear half-hearted in black-and-white (especially in comparison with the glowing Technicolor afforded the sequel), director Douglas was practiced enough at this sort of thing (for the record, he had already guided both Hayward and Macready through the monochromatic paces of the R.L. Stevenson adaptation THE BLACK ARROW {1948} and, involving Macready yet again, would follow this with the colourful ROGUES OF SHERWOOD FOREST {1950}) to render the essence of the material via the modest means at his disposal. With this in mind, amid the sheer amount of fun to be had, it was possible to include such striking images as a hanging body casting a sinister shadow over a wall, a guard being set ablaze during the mass prison escape and, in the exciting seafaring climax, a bloodied Macready at the helm of the hero's own vessel "Avenger"(!); interestingly enough, Hayward will be forced to blow up his ship again in the sequel! By the way, I had been led to believe this involved the English King Charles II, but the royal by that name here (appearing in the guise of Curt Bois at the start of the film) actually presides over the French court!

I enjoy movie. I thought Louis Hayward was very charming with his witty humor and tongue to get himself in and out of trouble and to speak with a Hispanic accent. In this movie, Louis Hayward and his first mate remember very easy about their horrible times as slaves (they were sold into slavery by the English) which is why Hayward had to go back to and release his men even though it might cost him his life. It also seems that Louis raid the Spanish colonies while in the Errol Flynn raided both the English and Spanish colonies. George Macready did play an excellent role in the movie. I recognize his voice, but not his name. The women were also very funny as well as full of pride.