Sea Hawk The (1940)

One of the best pirate movies you’ll ever see (though not quite as good as Captain Blood (1935) in my opinion). One of the many director Michael Curtiz-actor Errol Flynn collaborations which also features great (of course) performances by Claude Rains Flora Robson Donald Crisp Alan Hale Henry Daniell Una O’Connor J. M. Kerrigan James Stephenson & Brenda Marshall (seen in some obscure films). Howard Koch and Seton Miller (The Criminal Code (1931)) wrote the screenplay; the title was taken from the Rafael Sabatini novel (and 1924 film). Received Oscar nominations for Art Direction Special Effects Sound and Score.

Flynn plays the titled pirate from England – Geoffrey Thorpe; Hale Stephenson and Crisp (?) are members of his crew. In one of his raids freeing British slaves held by Spain he meets and falls for a Spanish beauty Dona Maria Alvarez de Cordoba (Marshall whose uncle is Rains) but naturally she wants nothing to do with him. However when she finds he has returned her jewels her opinion of him begins to change. Eventually he is “hired” by his Queen Elizabeth I (Robson) to disrupt Spain’s ships and battles Lord Wolfingham (Daniell).

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