Captain Blood: The Thrilling Errol Flynn Swashbuckler Makes Its Grand 4K Debut (Criterion 4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

Two-time Academy Award winning director Michael Curtiz will forever be known primarily for his work on "Casablanca," a beloved film that has gone down in history as one of the very greatest movies of all time. However, his immense talent as a director didn't stop there, for his filmography also includes such great works as "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and "Mildred Pierce," the first two of which earned him two additional Oscar nominations.

That said, before all of those incredible projects, he was most known for a sweeping swashbuckling adventure called "Captain Blood," starring the legendary Errol Flynn in what would become his breakout role. The film ended up being a major hit, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (ironically losing to another sea adventure, "Mutiny on the Bounty"), and even resulted in Curtiz coming in 2nd for Best Director as a write-in candidate. With the film having just reached its remarkable 90th anniversary last year, Criterion is celebrating by inducting the film into their prestigious collection with a marvelous 4K upgrade, so now it's time to dig into yet another classic to see why it's still considered such a wonderful experience after so many decades.

Starting in England in 1865, we meet Doctor Peter Blood (Errol Flynn), who is called to help Lord Gildoy (Dennis D. Auburn), a rebel wounded in a revolt against King Charles II. Dr. Blood soon finds himself arrested for helping him and sentenced to be sold into slavery in the West Indies. In Port Royal, he is bought by Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland), the niece of Colonel Bishop (Lionel Atwill), the local military commander. Arabella finds herself attracted to Blood, so she decides to help him out by recommending him as personal physician to Governor Steed (George Hassell), who is suffering from gout.

He is able to help the Governor, which improves his station slightly and allows him to start planning an escape for himself & his fellow slaves. However, before they can execute their plan, Port Royal is attacked by a Spanish ship, setting off a chain of events that eventually has Dr. Blood becoming Captain Blood, a notorious pirate backed by his loyal comrades. Will this new life on the high seas see him through to the end of his days, or will fate perhaps have something else in store for him?

To get right to the point, "Captain Blood" is a riveting adventure that wastes no time getting to its epic tale. From the start, we find our protagonist drawn tangentially into a rebellion simply by doing his duty as a physician, which leads to slavery, a daring escape attempt, a surprise attack, lots of piracy, betrayal, swashbuckling, and an exciting climactic battle. Along the way, there's even a little romance thrown in, which does lead to a slight concern that the film may start straying into melodrama, but screenwriter Casey Robinson makes the wise decision not to take that path and instead keeps the focus on the far more exciting part of Blood's journey.

Aside from its well-structured screenplay (which came in 3rd place as a write-in candidate at that year's Oscars) and Curtiz's superb direction, the film is also driven by Flynn's strong, charismatic performance, which, as mentioned, was the role that launched him into stardom. In fact, he would go on to work with Curtiz many more times on classics like "The Adventures of Robin Hood," "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex," and "The Sea Hawk," all of which were just a few years after "Captain Blood." He showed very early on that he had exactly what was needed to be a leading man: talent, charm, and dashing good looks, all of which helped him stand out in this monumental role in his career.

In the end, this is another example of a film where it's not that hard to see why it has endured as such a beloved classic. For over 90 years, fans of grand adventures have returned to it over and over, while new generations of fans continue to discover it along the way, and with Criterion adding it to their collection and giving it their top-notch treatment, it will no doubt continue to do just that for many more decades to come.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Captain Blood" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 1.37:1 transfers of excellent quality. Keeping in mind that the film just turned 90 years old last year, the picture looks rather amazing throughout the two-hour duration, highlighting its incredible period details & action sequences. Likewise, the uncompressed monaural soundtrack is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, as always, Criterion has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's new upgrade.

Special Features:

Commentary by Alan K. Rode, Author of Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film

Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler is Born (23 Minutes): A 2005 documentary about the making of the film.

Lux Radio Theatre (59 Minutes): A radio adaptation from 1937, starring Flynn, De Havilland, and Rathbone.

Conclusion:

Even after 90 years, Michael Curtiz's "Captain Blood" remains a spectacular adventure that gives you just about everything you could want in a thrilling & riveting pirate outing, driven forward strongly by Casey Robinson's well-structured screenplay, which wisely keeps the focus primarily on said adventure, and Errol Flynn's charming & charismatic breakout performance. Criterion's 4K upgrade is nothing short of stunning, particularly given the age of the film, making this an easy recommendation to add to your personal collection.

Score: 4/5

Available on Criterion 4K/Blu-ray starting today.

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