Captain Blood

1935
Approved
1h 59m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

16K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer3:33

Action Epic Adventure Epic Historical Epic Romantic Epic Sea Adventure Swashbuckler Action Adventure History Romance

After treating a Monmouth rebel against King James II in 1680s England, a young Irish doctor is exiled as a slave to Jamaica where he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the most feared p... Read allAfter treating a Monmouth rebel against King James II in 1680s England, a young Irish doctor is exiled as a slave to Jamaica where he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.After treating a Monmouth rebel against King James II in 1680s England, a young Irish doctor is exiled as a slave to Jamaica where he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

16K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,294

9,448

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 5 Oscars
- 5 nominations total

Trivia
The first screen duel between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, which would be reprised three years later (and to grander effect) in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Goofs
The courtroom scene is introduced by a shot of the royal coat of arms, in the form adopted in 1837. In the next scene, a window in the palace shows the shield correct for 1603-1707, reflecting the claim on the crown of France first made by Edward III of England in 1340.

Quotes
Sentry: Pirates! Spanish pirates!
Dr. Peter Blood: This is what I call a timely interruption! Though what'll come of it - the devil himself only knows!

Alternate versions
Originally released at 119 minutes, Warner Bros. cut 20 minutes worth of footage from the film for its theatrical reissue in 1951, in order that it could fit onto a double bill with _Sea Hawk, The (1940)_, also trimmed for the same reason. The cut reissue version was also broadcast for many years on television. The film was restored to full length when first released on VHS in the 1980s; this is also the version later released on DVD and now shown on TCM.

Connections
Edited from The Sea Hawk (1924)

Soundtracks
Fugal Episode from Prometheus
(1850, revised 1855) (uncredited)
Composed by Franz Liszt
Adapted and Re-orchestrated by Hugo Friedhofer and Erich Wolfgang Korngold

User reviews165

Review

Featured review

Flynn and De Havilland in one of the best pirate movies of all time...

'Captain Blood' made stars of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland when it was released, both winning their roles by default when other casting attempts failed. It's a rousing pirate adventure tale, told as only Rafael Sabatini in his novel could do. Aside from a splendid script, it has Michael Curtiz at the directorial helm and Erich Wolfgang Korngold supplying the stirring background music. The Flynn-de Havilland-Korngold-Curtiz package would be repeated many times by Warner Bros. since the ingredients proved a smash hit, most notably in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.

Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) is a physician wrongly accused of being a traitor and sent to the West Indies into a life of slavery. He is purchased at the auction block by a spirited beauty (Olivia de Havilland) whose father happens to be the Governor (Lionel Atwil). When he leads other prisoners in an escape plan and succeeds, he becomes a pirate on the high seas. Eventually he is involved in a fight, a duel to the death with another pirate (Basil Rathbone) in order to win the fair heroine. The climactic duel between Flynn and Rathbone is on par with their other famous duel in 'Robin Hood'.

Fans of either Errol Flynn or Olivia de Havilland cannot fail to enjoy this romantic adventure done in the grand style by a studio that knew it had two future stars in the making.