As great as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" is, for me "The Sea Hawk" is the all-time Errol Flynn film, the first one I'd show to someone who had never seen an Errol Flynn film and wondered what the fuss was about.
He's at the height of his powers here, handsome, athletic, assured, able to smoothly change tones from scene to scene and even within a scene as he woes his leading lady, the beautiful Brenda Marshall, calling her "Our Lady of the Roses" or as he accepts the official recriminations of Queen Elizabeth while expressing his friendship and loyalty to her.
The film contains one brilliantly done scene after another. Usually, the big battle comes at the beginning of the film as Flynn, (Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, based on Sir Frances Drake), captures a Spanish galleon full of oars manned by enslaved Englishmen and carrying Claude Rains' Spanish Ambassador and his beautiful daughter, (Marshall). Then we get Thorpe's charmingly shy wooing of Marshall and his wry exchanges for Flora Robson's Elizabeth. There's a haunting scene where Marshall has found out that Thorpe's mission to Panama will be a trap but arrives too late to stop him from sailing, able only to watch wishfully as he and his ship disappear into the fog. Then come the jungle battles and the eerie sight of Thorpe's apparently abandoned ship, the Albatross where the last remnants of his crew are captured. We see Thorpe and his men become galley slaves themselves but rebel and take over the ship to sail back to England, where Thorpe has a dramatic swordfight with the villain, Lord Wolfingham, (Henry Daniel), obviously intended to match or exceed the famous one between Flynn and Rathbone in 'Robin Hood'. Robson ends it by making a Churchillian speech prior to the battle with the Spanish Armada, which is not depicted here, (unlike the somewhat similar 1937 British Film, Fire Over England with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh). It's probably best it wasn't as the emotional peak for this film had already been reached.
The action of this film takes place about a decade before the previous years "Elizabeth and Essex". Here Flynn is not trying to take over the Kingdom and his affection for Elizabeth makes more sense. Robson's Elizabeth doesn't probe into her neurotic psyche the way Bette Davis does but she had a greater presence and a charming sense of humor, even if she retains the quick temper. Marshall is a statuesque heroine but the emotional timbre of her performance is convincing. The cast is full of the 'usual suspect' of an Errol Flynn film. Alan Hale continues to be joined at Flynn's hip. Rains plays another schemer, although he loves his daughter, as does Daniel, who had a similar role in 'Elizabeth and Essex'. Unlike Rathbone, he was no swordsman and their duel in the finale is done by stuntmen but still very effective. Donald Crisp is the stalwart courtier, warning Elizabeth of the Spanish threat. Una O'Connor repeats her role as the heroine's maid from 'Robin Hood'. Montagu Love, King Henry VIII in "The Prince and the Pauper" and the Bishop of the Black Canons in 'Robin Hood', is King Philip of Spain here, his shadow falling over the map of the known world as he declares that one day it will simply be a map of Spain. William Lundigan makes another appearance but can't survive the jungle. You can also recognize Edgar Buchanan in an early role, shortly after he turned his dentistry practice over to his wife. Swashbuckling was more fun.
Michael Curtiz keeps his usual brisk pace and the film is blessed by another great musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold live it the lush romantic ambiance old Hollywood was so good at. The brief 'Dona Maria's Song' is amazingly beautiful. Just one more perfect thing for a perfect film.
The background of all this was the war that had begun the previous year. England was being bombarded by the Luftwaffe while the descendants of the sea hawks, the RAF struggled against great odds to prevent an invasion. Hitler clearly had the same ambitions as Philip. America was still officially neutral, as England was at the beginning of this film. The messages were even clearer to the audiences of the time than they are now: seek the peace but be prepared for war - and let the heroes come forth!
He's at the height of his powers here, handsome, athletic, assured, able to smoothly change tones from scene to scene and even within a scene as he woes his leading lady, the beautiful Brenda Marshall, calling her "Our Lady of the Roses" or as he accepts the official recriminations of Queen Elizabeth while expressing his friendship and loyalty to her.
The film contains one brilliantly done scene after another. Usually, the big battle comes at the beginning of the film as Flynn, (Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, based on Sir Frances Drake), captures a Spanish galleon full of oars manned by enslaved Englishmen and carrying Claude Rains' Spanish Ambassador and his beautiful daughter, (Marshall). Then we get Thorpe's charmingly shy wooing of Marshall and his wry exchanges for Flora Robson's Elizabeth. There's a haunting scene where Marshall has found out that Thorpe's mission to Panama will be a trap but arrives too late to stop him from sailing, able only to watch wishfully as he and his ship disappear into the fog. Then come the jungle battles and the eerie sight of Thorpe's apparently abandoned ship, the Albatross where the last remnants of his crew are captured. We see Thorpe and his men become galley slaves themselves but rebel and take over the ship to sail back to England, where Thorpe has a dramatic swordfight with the villain, Lord Wolfingham, (Henry Daniel), obviously intended to match or exceed the famous one between Flynn and Rathbone in 'Robin Hood'. Robson ends it by making a Churchillian speech prior to the battle with the Spanish Armada, which is not depicted here, (unlike the somewhat similar 1937 British Film, Fire Over England with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh). It's probably best it wasn't as the emotional peak for this film had already been reached.
The action of this film takes place about a decade before the previous years "Elizabeth and Essex". Here Flynn is not trying to take over the Kingdom and his affection for Elizabeth makes more sense. Robson's Elizabeth doesn't probe into her neurotic psyche the way Bette Davis does but she had a greater presence and a charming sense of humor, even if she retains the quick temper. Marshall is a statuesque heroine but the emotional timbre of her performance is convincing. The cast is full of the 'usual suspect' of an Errol Flynn film. Alan Hale continues to be joined at Flynn's hip. Rains plays another schemer, although he loves his daughter, as does Daniel, who had a similar role in 'Elizabeth and Essex'. Unlike Rathbone, he was no swordsman and their duel in the finale is done by stuntmen but still very effective. Donald Crisp is the stalwart courtier, warning Elizabeth of the Spanish threat. Una O'Connor repeats her role as the heroine's maid from 'Robin Hood'. Montagu Love, King Henry VIII in "The Prince and the Pauper" and the Bishop of the Black Canons in 'Robin Hood', is King Philip of Spain here, his shadow falling over the map of the known world as he declares that one day it will simply be a map of Spain. William Lundigan makes another appearance but can't survive the jungle. You can also recognize Edgar Buchanan in an early role, shortly after he turned his dentistry practice over to his wife. Swashbuckling was more fun.
Michael Curtiz keeps his usual brisk pace and the film is blessed by another great musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold live it the lush romantic ambiance old Hollywood was so good at. The brief 'Dona Maria's Song' is amazingly beautiful. Just one more perfect thing for a perfect film.
The background of all this was the war that had begun the previous year. England was being bombarded by the Luftwaffe while the descendants of the sea hawks, the RAF struggled against great odds to prevent an invasion. Hitler clearly had the same ambitions as Philip. America was still officially neutral, as England was at the beginning of this film. The messages were even clearer to the audiences of the time than they are now: seek the peace but be prepared for war - and let the heroes come forth!