Under pirate flag

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Movie
German title Under pirate flag
Original title Captain Blood
Country of production United States
original language English , French
Publishing year 1935
length 105 (theatrical version) minutes,
114 (restored version)  minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Michael Curtiz
script Casey Robinson
production Harry Joe Brown
Gordon Hollingshead
music Erich Wolfgang Korngold
camera Ernest Haller
Hal Mohr
cut George Amy
occupation

Under pirate flag (original title: Captain Blood ) is an American pirate film by director Michael Curtiz from 1935. The film made the leading actors Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland known and ensured a renaissance of adventure film. Lionel Atwill and Basil Rathbone can be seen in the villain roles .

The doctor Peter Blood becomes a slave on the plantation by an unfortunate accident and falls in love with the owner's niece. He and his fellow slaves later began life as pirates by chance and formed an alliance with the seedy pirate Levasseur. It wasn't until England and France were at war that Blood had a chance for rehabilitation.

action

In England in 1685 , numerous citizens rise up in a rebellion against the incompetent King James II. The Irish doctor Peter Blood is actually not part of the rebellion, but gives a rebel first aid, whereupon he is arrested and without adequate defense to hang to death is convicted. This judgment is changed when the king learns that there is a lack of slaves in the colony of Jamaica . So Peter Blood and numerous other convicts of the rebellion come to Port Royal . Here Peter is bought by the niece of the plantation owner Colonel Bishop, Arabella Bishop, who is attracted by his rebellious nature towards her despotic uncle. The group of British slaves are brutally humiliated by Colonel Bishop and his men and are branded for attempting to escape.

Peter is soon given more freedom than the other slaves, as he is the only competent doctor in the area to help Governor Steed, who is sick with gout . Peter uses this free space to work on escape plans for himself and the other slaves. Arabella suspects Blood's plans, but hides them from her uncle, since she has since fallen in love with the slave. After a while Port Royal is attacked by Spanish privateers; Blood and his fellow slaves use this to board the Spaniard's ship. They then shoot at the ships of the Spaniards and can just prevent England from losing Port Royal. Colonel Bishop enters the ship captured by the slaves and thanks them for their commitment, but does not want to campaign for the liberation of the slaves, whereupon he is thrown overboard.

Then the men begin a life as pirates under the leadership of Peter Blood. Peter Blood is soon considered one of the most successful pirates in the Caribbean and forms an alliance with the French pirate Levasseur. During a foray, Levasseur fell into the hands of the English Lord Willoughby and Arabella Bishop. At the agreed meeting point of the two pirates, Peter Blood sees his former owner again and wants to buy her from Levasseur. Since Levasseur does not want to get the ransom from Blood, but from the governor of the city of Port Royal, there is a fatal duel between Peter Blood and Levasseur.

After Peter Blood survived the duel, he sets sail for Port Royal to drop Arabella Bishop there. When the harbor is sighted, Blood and his crew hear the thunder of cannons; Port Royal is attacked by French ships as England and France are now at war. Now the English Lord Willoughby takes the opportunity to inform Peter Blood and his crew that the Glorious Revolution has deposed the old king. He gives them the pardon of the new King William of Orange . Restored loyal citizens of the British Empire through this pardon, Blood and his men encounter the French in battle and put down the attack. After the naval battle is won, Peter Blood is named new Governor of Port Royal by Willoughby for his services and also wins the hand of Arabellas.

backgrounds

The film is based on the novel Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini . After the films Treasure Island and The Count of Monte Christo were well received by the audience in 1934, it was decided to remake the 1923 Captain Blood film. The budget was less than a million dollars. Robert Donat and Jean Muir were originally supposed to play the leading roles, but Donat had to cancel because of his poor health. Errol Flynn, who had previously only played in small films and was still unknown, was hired in his place. Muir has also been replaced by 19-year-old Olivia de Havilland, who only made her debut earlier this year with three films.

Many scenes from the film were shot in the studio during the summer of 1935. Some scenes - such as the sword fight between Basil Rathbone and Flynn - were shot on Laguna Beach in California, but none in the Caribbean, where the film is actually set. The sea battle at the end of the film used almost 2500 extras, which was a very high number at the time. Templates and props from the silent film original were also used.

Errol Flynn later made seven more films with Olivia de Havilland and ten more films with Michael Curtiz, although Flynn and the strict Curtiz often argued during filming. During production, Flynn also had to be treated for a new outbreak of malaria that he contracted in Papua New Guinea .

The film received positive feedback from both critics and audiences. It was nominated for five Oscars, could not win any, but was still one of the box office hits of the year.

Awards

Oscar 1936 nominations in the categories

Reviews

“With thrifty means, thrilling and lively romantic lake adventure against a historical background. The film was the first step to Errol Flynn's star fame and ushered in a new golden era in pirate films. ” -“ Lexicon of International Films ”

“Undemanding pirate film with a historical background. Big presentation, lively staged. ” - 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic Film Critics, 3rd edition. Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 4453.

Soundtrack

  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold : Captain Blood · Under pirate flag. Original motion picture soundtrack . Tsunami, Andorra 2001, sound carrier no. TSU 0141 / UPN 4-011550-701411 - digitally restored original recording of the complete film music, recorded by the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra under the direction of the composer
  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Captain Blood. (Reconstructed Suite). on: Captain Blood . Marco Polo / HNH, Unterhaching / Munich 1995, sound carrier no. 8.223607 - digital new recording by the Brandenburg Philharmonic Potsdam under the direction of Richard Kaufman from 1994 (there are also numerous other new recordings of excerpts from the film music)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Under pirate flag. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used