Captain Blood

"A million dollars worth of adventure!"

1935 1h 59m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 283

Adventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

“A million dollars worth of adventure!”

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Cast

Errol Flynn
Dr. Peter Blood
Olivia de Havilland
Arabella Bishop
Lionel Atwill
Colonel Bishop
Basil Rathbone
Levasseur
Ross Alexander
Jeremy Pitt
Guy Kibbee
Hagthorpe
Henry Stephenson
Lord Willoughby
Robert Barrat
Wolverstone

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Curtiz
Writers: Casey Robinson
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

91 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Ernest Haller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and Lionel Atwill carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A million dollars worth of adventure!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Curtiz directs. Ernest Haller behind the camera. Erich Wolfgang Korngold scores. George Amy cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
291 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Spanish.
4Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Ernest Haller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and Lionel Atwill carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A million dollars worth of adventure!".
9IMDB entry: tt0026174 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "governor", "jamaica", "exile", "treason".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Haller
Original score: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Editing: George Amy
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,200,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Captain Blood (1935)

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Michael Curtiz

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-03-18
★ 9/10
What a creature must sit on the throne who lets a man like you deal out his justice! Captain Blood is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted by Casey Robinson from the Rafael Sabatini novel. It stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander and Lionel Atwill. Music is scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and photography is shared between Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr. 1685, England, and Dr. Peter Blood (Flynn) is unjustly convicted of treason against the King. Escaping the death penalty, Blood and the other supposed rebels are sold into slavery at the English colony of Port Royal. Bought by kindly Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), Blood settles down to work as physician to the local governor. But when the town comes under attack from the Spanish, Blood and his friends seize the opportunity to commandeer the Spanish ship and escape... And Thus Captain Blood Began His Career Of Piracy. . . With A Ship, A Handful Of Men, And A Brain. . . It could all have been so different had Robert Donat not turned down the role of Captain Blood. In came Flynn at the last minute, a swaggering superstar was born and classic cinema got a handful of truly rousing swashbucklers that continue to delight millions even today. Not to mention it also brought further notice of de Havilland's ability, with this picture the first of eight she would make with Flynn. Even though it was seen of something of a gamble for Warner Brothers at the time, the film actually isn't that big in budgetary terms, all the remarkable, then, that Curtiz and his team have fashioned such an entertainingly rousing picture. Although Flynn gleefully dominates proceedings, and in the process gives the film its only real flaw by rendering much of the other characters to being like awe-struck observers, much of the credit for Captain Blood's success is down to Robinson's screenplay. Running at just over two hours in length, film is chocked full of action, plot and asides to the British monarchy of the 17th century, deftly split into two halves by the wily Curtiz. First half establishes the major players and incidence, taking a good honest man in a hot political climate and forcing him to go rogue. This then fills the second part as Blood becomes the feared pirate of the high seas, and then ultimately his journey back to a life of normality and love flecked happiness. In amongst this journey to piracy and back, film is decked out with moments of spectacle. Be it Flynn swishing and swashing with blade, or swinging in on a rope, or the sight of cannons blasting away in tall ship duels, Curtiz ensures the pace is brisk and the adrenaline is often stirred. In the mix is the chemistry between Flynn and de Haviland, which obviously hits the ground running, and two deliciously shifty turns from Messrs Atwill and Rathbone. Stunts are aplenty and although the sets are at times at the bare minimum, Curtiz and his photographers get maximum impact by going for a near Expressionist style. All of which is scored with thunderous verve by master composer Korngold. Flynn would better this with both "The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)" and "The Sea Hawk (1940)", but Captain Blood is undeniably the influential template. 9/10

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