The Sea Hawk (1940) User Reviews (103)

A Lot To Like In Yet Another Entertaining Flynn Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 3 January 2008]

This is definitely an Errol Flynn classic, meaning one of his best films and the charismatic star of the mid-'30s to mid-'40s did a number of entertaining ones. He's best known - on screen, that is - as a swordsman from his "Captain Blood" and "Adventures of Robin Hood" days, but he also was terrific as boxer James J. Corbett in "Gentlemen Jim" and as western star "Wade Hatton" in "Dodge City."

He's great here as pirate "Geoffrey Thorpe" and what makes this pirate movie different is that half of the action scenes are on land, not sea. (They on are on island, or back in the castle of Queen Elizabeth). Flynn captains "The Albatross" and is a privateering ship captain for her Majesty the queen in the 1500s. They are battling the Spanish in this story. The real bad guys are some of the turncoats in Elizabeth's court.

The film is interesting even with its length of over two hours. It keeps a good balance of drama, action, romance and suspense, never overdoing any of those.

While it's hard to beat the entertainment duo of Director Michael Curtiz and actor Flynn, Brenda Marshall as "Doria Maria," Thorpe's love interest, doesn't quite cut it. Olivia de Havilland usually played his female interest, and - although that doesn't require she play in every Flynn movie - they could have found someone more attractive and likable than Marshall who, justifiably, had a thin career. Her casting in here is a big mystery to me.

Whatever, Flora Robson was fun to watch as "Queen Elizabeth." Claude Rains and Henry Daniell played their normal bad-guy roles well and Thorpe's crew, led by Flynn's best friend Alan Hale, are all entertaining guys.

I enjoyed the sepia-tone sequence when Flynn and the boys go for the gold on the Panama island. That was a nice, little visual twist to this black-and-white movie..

Not to be left out is the sweeping score, under the direction of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, which is one of the more magnificent ones you'll hear in a classic film.

Excellent film!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 11 May 2004]

I'm always up for some good, old-fashioned swashbuckler fun, and The Sea Hawk is one of the most amusing entries in that field. Directed by specialist Michael Curtiz and starring the legendary Errol Flynn. They previously worked together on `Captain Blood', the film that started the trend of popular sea adventures. Even though Captain Blood has a lot more range and features more plot-diversity, The Sea Hawk definitely is more spectacular and the swordfight sequences are far more exciting. The cinematography on this action sequences has seemly improved in the period between the two films. Errol Flynn portrays Geoffrey Thorpe, captain of the Albatross. He's a Sea Hawk and those privateers serve and protect the English Queen in their own particular way. The greedy King Phillip of Spain has set his mind to conquering Britain as well and to cover up his plans, he politely sends an ambassador to meet the Queen. However, Captain Thorpe and his crew boycott the Spanish and they righteously foresee a war between the two nations. Things are getting even more complicated when some prominent members of the British counsel turn out to be betrayers and – of course – Capt. Thorpe falls in love with the beautiful niece of the Spanish ambassador.

Errol Flynn clearly developed more charisma over the years and he already looks a lot more believable in his role of privateer now. He's excellently supported by Alan Hale who plays his first crewmember, Mr. Pitt. Flora Robson seems to make a career out of playing Queen Elizabeth's look-alike, since it already is the third film in which she plays this role. The best actor in the cast (even beating Errol Flynn) obviously is Claude Rains with in his terrific role of the vicious Spanish ambassador. The Galleons (both the Spanish as the British) look great and some historical aspects (like slavery and inquisition) are greatly included. The Sea Hawk is excellent, well-made fun and a must for all the nostalgic movie lovers.

A terrific recruiting poster--and the film's not bad either

[rhoda-1 · 8/10 · 3 December 2006]

The most sombre of Errol Flynn's 3 great adventure films (the others are Captain Blood and Robin Hood), this dark movie has none of the sexy romping or witty banter that enliven the other two. It has, however, plenty of passion, if not the romantic kind. The Sea Hawk dramatises the need for the US to enter World War II, with sixteenth-century Spain standing in for Nazi Germany, and analogies to wartime Europe every few minutes.

At the beginning, Flynn's privateers board and sink a Spanish ship, freeing its galley slaves (ie, victims of Nazism). The Spanish heroine is horrified when she sets eyes on them for the first time, and Flynn later tells her he realised, when he saw her expression, that she was not as cold as he thought (ie, decent people should sympathise with the conquered nations, not act as if the suffering doesn't exist because they don't see it). There are forceful speeches by Flynn, Queen Elizabeth, and her ministers about England's policy toward Spain, whose king we have heard saying that he wants to conquer the whole world to satisfy his own ambitions. The Queen says that King Philip may not be planning to attack England and she doesn't want to make him angry. Flynn says why would he be building up a navy if he didn't intend to use it. The Spanish ambassador rebukes Flynn for freeing the galley slaves, who he says were properly tried and sentenced under Spanish law. Flynn replies that an Inquisition court and slavery are not what any Englishman would recognise as proper--he seems to stop just short of saying "cruel and unusual punishment"! The Queen is warned that England may find herself all alone in a world of enemies. The courtiers who oppose antagonising Spain are shown as doing so because they are profiteering traitors, not because they have different ideas. So the Queen can be regarded as a stand-in not only for Churchill but for Roosevelt.

When Flynn and his men are betrayed, and then captured by the Spaniards and made into galley slaves, they manage to slip their chains and then silently wait below decks for the Spanish to pass by, one at a time, and then pull each one down below and overpower him--in other words, they literally become underground fighters.

The film ends with a fiery speech from Queen Liz, who says who the hell is King Philip to tell us what to do, and promises to turn all the trees in England into ships to fight those Spanish bastards, with everyone cheering her on. For an utterly persuasive combination of argument and emotion, this was a pitch for the US entering the war that should have won all the Warner Brothers honorary knighthoods.

Great Entertainment From Flynn & Co.

[Snow Leopard · 21 May 2001]

In "The Sea Hawk", hero Errol Flynn, director Michael Curtiz, and composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold provide great entertainment very similar to that in their earlier classic that starred Flynn as Robin Hood. Supporting actors Alan Hale, Claude Rains, and Una O'Connor also are back, joined by Brenda Marshall, Flora Robson, and Henry Daniell. The movie provides rousing action, a good story, and some memorable characters.

Flynn's character is Geoffrey Thorpe, who is a "sea hawk", a privateering ship captain in the late 1500's indulged by Queen Elizabeth (Robson) and allowed to raise havoc with Spanish shipping in a time when Spain's dominance was at its peak. The story in "The Sea Hawk", like the action in "The Adventures of Robin Hood", is loosely based on historical circumstances, although this time the tone is often more serious. This film is in black-and-white instead of Technicolor, giving it a different feel. (There is a very nice touch when the scenes in the New World are tinted in golden-brown, an effective way of emphasizing the different setting.) There are also extensive scenes of the suffering and humiliation experienced by the English galley slaves imprisoned by the Spanish fleet, instead of the very brief scenes of Saxon suffering in "Robin Hood". But the main emphasis is still on the swash-buckling action that made Flynn so popular.

There are ship-to-ship fights, chases, escapes, and of course sword fights. Flynn's charisma and infectious good nature are usually enough to carry even far-fetched action, and here the story itself is more than good enough to be worthwhile in its own right. "The Sea Hawk" is good, classic entertainment.

Errol at his best

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 12 February 2006]

My favorite Errol Flynn movie has always been The Sea Hawk. Flynn made this in 1940 at the height of his career. All it is missing is Flynn's usual screen partner in that period, Olivia DeHavilland.

Errol Flynn plays the fictional privateer Geoffrey Thorpe who with the well known real characters like Drake, Frobisher, and Hawkins, raid the rich Spanish commerce from the New World which is what Europeans of the day were referring to the western hemisphere as. Queen Elizabeth of England gave all knowing wink to their activities and the realm took a cut of their loot.

One day Flynn attacks the ship carrying the Spanish ambassador Claude Rains and his niece Brenda Marshall who's English on her mother's side. That's it for Flynn.

But Queen Elizabeth has some traitors in her midst. The clever Lord Wolfingham played by Henry Daniell is in the Spanish pay. Daniell was one of the best screen villains ever. He was always a cold and calculating individual and had a voice with a built in sneer. He very cleverly deduces Flynn's future plans and lays a trap for him. See the film and find out, but suffice it to say Daniell is no fool.

Jack Warner saw that Flynn's films were always well scored musically. Flynn swashbuckled to some of the best film music ever composed. Here the composer is Erich Wolfgang Korngold, in other films with Warner Brothers, it's Max Steiner. Korngold's score isn't quite on par with the one he did for Robin Hood, but it's one you will not forget.

This was the last film Errol Flynn did with director Michael Curtiz. David Niven in his memoirs made of Curtiz a figure of some fun, he was the guy with the fractured English who uttered the memorable phrase that became Niven's title for his memoirs, 'bring on the empty horses.' Flynn in his memoirs hated him with a passion in that Curtiz put his players in some dangerous situations without regard for safety. After this he refused to work with him. But between them, Curtiz and Flynn did some grand entertainment. Curtiz later won an Oscar for directing Casablanca.

Flora Robson repeats her role as Queen Elizabeth, she had previously portrayed Elizabeth in Fire Over England back in the old country. It's probably the part she's most identified with in her career.

Brenda Marshall who is probably better known for being Mrs. William Holden, pinch hits for Olivia DeHavilland. Olivia was trying to get some better acting roles that she knew she could do and not be a crinolined heroine all the time. Jack Warner refused to see her as anything else for a long time.

Others in the cast who stand out are Alan Hale, Una O'Connor, Gilbert Roland and William Lundigan has a death scene that will haunt you for a long time.

The Sea Hawk is also a film that made use of a film process known as sepia tone. It's probably the film best known for it. The whole sequence of when Flynn sails his ship, the Albatross, to Panama is photographed in sepia tone. It makes the film come out a kind of brackish yellow. Since Warner Brothers didn't want to spring for full technicolor, this process is effective in demonstrating the jungle heat that Flynn and his men and the Spaniards for that matter operate under.

It is also no accident that this film was made in 1940 showing brave England refusing to buckle under to a tyrant from the European continent. Phillip II of Spain, played by Montagu Love, controlled a whole lot of the world's real estate at that point in time and wanted more. The meaning for the audiences of 1940 could not have been more clear.

The Sea Hawk is grand entertainment. In my humble opinion Errol Flynn's best film and one of the best of the swashbuckling genre.

A great adventurous story!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 9/10 · 14 February 2005]

What really makes "The Sea Hawk" good is the great adventurous story. It's filled with action, romance and adventure. A true swashbuckler.

Errol Flynn really is one superb hero. Not only has he got the right looks but he also was a very talented actor who unfortunately died far too early at the age of 50.

I also love how the rest of the characters are portrayed such as Elizabeth I and the 'gentleman' villains. Also the love story is done good in a non-distractive way and Brenda Marshall really was one beautiful woman!

Still its funny to see how much more polite the English are portrayed than the Spanish. Not only do they politely capture all the Spanish soldiers but they also find time to free all the galley slaves and take them ALL on their ship back to England. It really is funny to see how black and white the story is at times. But this is really my only small point of critic about this movie.

A very entertaining adventurous swashbuckling movie with some wonderful music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. After more than 60 years it hasn't lost any of its power and therefor is recommendable to everyone, even those who aren't familiar with 'classics'.

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

the blueprint for swashbuckling adventure

[mjneu59 · 7/10 · 1 January 2011]

This textbook example of Hollywood derring-do from the Warner Bros. vaults features Errol Flynn at his most dashing and heroic, squaring off against the Spanish armada and winning the hand of beautiful noblewoman Brenda Marshall. It might appear stale by today's high-tech action/adventure standards, but with a generous stock of swordplay, sea battles, romance, and heroism it's a formula that never fails to please, and one which movie makers have been trying to duplicate (with only mixed success) ever since.

Familiar faces in the attractive cast include Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, the ubiquitous Alan Hale, Gilbert Roland, and Flora Robson, portraying Queen Elizabeth I only one year after the definitive Bette Davis performance in 'The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'.

Golden korn

[Spleen · 9/10 · 16 August 1999]

It's Erich Wolfgang Korngold who carries "The Sea Hawk". He picks it up at the first frame with a rousing trumpet fanfare; he follows the story all the way from England to Panama, where a kind of syncopated not-jazz-exactly with saxophones makes its way into the score; he even bursts into song (well, not him personally) when Captain Thorpe's and his crew win through to freedom - and, after so much musical participation, that moment when the sailors become a chorus never strikes me as unnatural.

Korngold's brisk motion would count for nothing if the actors or the direction or the story were lethargic, of course - and they aren't. Errol Flynn plays an "I know I'm breaking international law, but hey, I'm charming and dashing and the Spaniards aren't" role - and hey, he IS charming and dashing, and the Spaniards aren't. A lot of films are described as roller-coaster rides. Many of them are just one thing after another, and don't feel at all like a single ride in a single vehicle. With "The Sea Hawk", I'm not sure about the vehicle, but we ARE taken on a single, swift ride. Few adventure films can beat it.

Flynn

[BILLYBOY-10 · 6/10 · 7 June 2011]

EF does a decent job of buckling his swash in this B&W (why no color, it's 1940)? It's interesting how the B&W turns to sepia when they hit Panama and then back to B&W once back in England. I liked Flora Robson as QEI in this and both Henry Danielle (his sword fighting scenes with EF are a hoot; he obviously couldn't duel so a double was used and then close up of just his head bobbing around to make it look like he was actually doing it)and Claude Raines made perfect villains. The obligatory female interest in this epic was kind of sappy looking and couldn't act, but provided a means for Errol to get back into see QE after his return from Panama. I recently overdosed on film noir and accidentally discovered pirate movies so was looking for something in blinding Technicolor with red headed sultry vixens. Oh, well...tonight I'm watching Flame and the Arrow with Virginia Mayo so my redhead fix will be quite satisfied I'm sure. I saw a VividColor MellerDrama with her and Arlene Dahl (or was it Rhonda Fleming & Arlene Dahl)...whatever...when they were both on screen, I needed sunglasses. I'm off subject. A pretty good movies, I gave it six, maybe give it more as I view others.

The Real Star of this Film

[hjmsia49 · 8/10 · 4 July 2006]

While among the finest of Hollywood's swashbuckling classic films, the fine performances of its stars are still eclipsed by the rousing musical score of Erich Korngold. His music is timeless and an outstanding example of Hollywood's least appreciated contributors- the composers of film music. The art of film scoring, matching each scene with just the right music, has never received the recognition and accolades it truly deserves. The contributions of Korngold, Alfred Newman, Victor Young, John Barry, Henry Mancini, Maurice Jarre, John Williams and countless others are incalculable to the success of the films they scored. When Dorothy Hamill won her Gold Medal for Ladies Figure Skating at the Winter Olympics, she skated to music from "The Sea Hawk." Korngold's classic score was still fresh and stirring decades later.

Not bad, but there is better Flynn out there

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 20 May 2011]

1902. That's when the first color short was made. 1939. "Gone With The Wind" and "The Wizard Of Oz." Both in remarkable color.

I mention that because when I watched this 1940 film by cheapo Warner Brothers (who certainly made fine movies), I kept thinking what a shame it was that considering the budget film, WB didn't throw in a bit more money to make it in color. This films cries out for color!!!!! Of course, one of the reasons it's in black and white is that some scenes from the 1924 silent version were cut into the production. A few scenes in the print used on TCM have badly deteriorated.

Perhaps the best performance in the film is that of Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth.

This is a rousing tale, although for me, there are a number of Flynn movies that I would place above it. Historically, apparently it's not very accurate. Perhaps Flynn's best acting in the tale is when he is a prisoner -- essentially a galley slave -- aboard a Spanish ship...Flynn not in control.

There are a number of fine character actors here, including Flynn's frequent sidekick Alan Hale, but, from my perspective, none of the roles stand out.

Worth seeing once, or maybe twice, but this title won't sit along side other Flynn movies on my DVD shelf.

"To prepare for a war which none of us wants"

[Steffi_P · 9/10 · 22 April 2007]

The Sea Hawk was the eleventh of twelve collaborations between actor Errol Flynn and director Michael Curtiz, and one of the best. It's a return to the sure-fire swashbuckler format that had given them their biggest successes so far, but it has a maturity and a darkness to it that was absent from their previous efforts.

Comparing this to Flynn's previous sea-faring adventure Captain Blood, made in 1935, you can see how much cinema had changed in the intervening years. Despite the title, the earlier film isn't really that bloodthirsty. Its depiction of slavery is fairly tame, there aren't too many deaths, and the tone remains optimistic throughout. The Sea Hawk on the other hand, while still a rousing swashbuckler is shot through with despair. The galley-slave scenes come far closer to reality than Captain Blood's plantation. Darker still are the sepia-tinted Panama scenes, where some men are gunned down in cold blood, only for others to die by inches under a glaring sun. Above all, you really get the impression that this time, the enemy is truly menacing, and it will take the heroes more than a few cutting remarks and a few minutes of derring-do to get out alive. The approach of World War Two (which broke out during production) in particular seems to have cast a shadow over this picture.

The Sea Hawk is not an out-and-out propaganda piece, but demonstrates that fear of a sinister, aggressive nation bent on world domination, which had been subtly creeping into cinema during the late 1930s (a good example is Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes). I don't know for certain but I get the feeling that Elizabeth's final speech at the end of the picture may have been added at the last minute when war began. However, even without this rather obvious morale booster on the final reel, the comparison between 16th century Spain and Hitler's Germany is fairly clear. Right from the opening scene, the Spaniards are introduced as particularly sinister types (the sinister touch, by the way, is something Curtiz was really good at; there's a hint of it in nearly all his films). On top of that there's this dark feeling that here is a real enemy, not some cartoon villain we can laugh away.

Regardless of the context, The Sea Hawk also stands out amongst Flynn's swashbucklers because of the strength of its elements. The score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold is one of his best. The production design is particularly lavish, and the hefty budget enabled Curtiz to get a really grand scale to the sea battles. The cast is fantastic too. Flynn was really maturing as an actor, and he gives a kind of sober world-weariness to the character. Some of the era's best supporting players make appearances, including Alan Hale, Claude Rains and Una O'Connor. There's also a memorable turn by Victor Varconi – albeit just a couple of lines – as a sleazy Spanish general. There are a few wrong notes – for example Brenda Marshall's character is equally as annoying as the usual Oliva de Havilland heroine, although she isn't as good an actor. Henry Daniel also isn't a match for Basil Rathbone.

So, a more mature Errol Flynn, a darker edge to the adventure picture, but also the end of an era. Flynn and Curtiz were soon to part ways, and the adventure genre as a whole was beginning to wane in favour of the western and the noir thriller.

In like Flynn!

[Lejink · 7/10 · 6 June 2008]

More and at the same time less than just another Errol Flynn swashbuckling epic, this movie struck me as somewhat darker and grittier than some of the star's earlier outings (although this was perhaps accidentally aided by the pretty poor quality print I viewed on UK satellite TV with jump-cuts a-plenty - one for the restorers methinks). Here we get echoes of "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" and of course "Captain Blood" but unlike Bette Davis in the former, Flora Robson makes a great Queen Elizabeth with that required air of authoritative coquetry projected superbly. She in fact is the best thing in the movie winning every scene she's in, exceeding even the redoubtable Claude Rains, himself less commanding as usual in a somewhat subservient role, slightly overcome, I sense, by his clothing! Flynn is rather good, in the first half his usual, dashing, handsome but somewhat diffident self around beautiful or authoritative women, (in sharp contrast of course with his real life persona!) but reduced to a hardened ravaged but always resilient and resourceful galley slave who engineers his devoted crew's escape from penury to save the day and stay the machinations of the Spanish King. Brenda Marshall does her best Olivia De Havilland and emerges with credit too although the film suffers slightly from lacking a really nasty sword-wielding protagonist who measures up to Flynn, Basil Rathbone style. Indeed it's a surprise when the effete traitor Lord Wolfingham gives Flynn's Thorpe any kind of sword fight at all at the climax. The scenes in the jungle and on board the Spanish galley are noticeably darker than usual in Flynn's work, the star unabashed at appearing unglamourous, unkempt and battle-worn for lengthy periods. The sets, particularly of the warring boats and at Elizabeth's court all reflect the usual Warner Bros high production values and if models were used in the battle scenes, they certainly fooled me. There's of course the usual element of yo-ho-ho tomfoolery between Flynn and his men, slightly at odds with the realism evinced elsewhere. "Jack-of-all-trades" Michael Curtiz emerges again with credit, marshaling his forces well and occasionally pulling off a nicely unexpected camera angle, one crane shot memorable in particular from what appears to be almost the poop deck as Flynn and co. return to their apparently deserted ship, while the climactic sword fight against the combatants' own massive shadows again shows imagination. Korngold's celebrated score also helps the action flow along grandly. I suspect that Robson's rallying speech at the conclusion had as much to do with Britain's war with Germany as the story in hand, (Hitchcock used a similar trick in "Foreign Correspondent") but avoids jingoism and bears comparison with Olivier's more famous "Henry V" rallying call. All of Flynn's swashbucklers are worth watching but I was more than pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of this slightly lesser known (to me anyway)example of the genre.

Privateer's Progress

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 7 July 2011]

This is yet another vintage film that I'm only just catching up with, some 70 years after its initial release and this probably has a lot to do with how indifferent I feel about it. Whilst I've always found Errol Flynn charming with great charisma I sensed a strain on both here. Brenda Marshall is wooden in the extreme and there is absolutely no chemistry between her and Flynn. Claude Rains, too, seems oddly ill-at-ease possibly because unlike his Captain Renault in Casablanca he is not permitted to display the impish side of his character and come on as more of a lovable rogue than black-as-night villain. Even the swordplay was lacklustre and it's too easy to say that Henry Daniell is a poor substitute for Basil Rathbone. I've given it five out of ten whereas had I seen it earlier I may have gone to seven or eight.

Capstone to Errol Flynn's Swashbucklers!

[cariart · 26 August 2003]

THE SEA HAWK is usually listed with THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and CAPTAIN BLOOD as Errol Flynn's finest films, an honor it richly deserves. Filmed in 1940, at the peak of Flynn's popularity, before the sensational rape trial and revelations of his hedonistic lifestyle combined to tarnish his reputation and gradually make his screen persona more of a roué and less heroic, the film combined all of the classic 'Flynn' elements; spectacular battles, a chaste but passionate romance, wonderful camaraderie, a thoroughly despicable villain, and a climactic light/shadow sword fight finale to top things off, accompanied by the fabulous music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. This is a FABULOUS film adventure!

Based on the privateering adventures of Sir Francis Drake and the 'Sea Dogs' of Elizabethan times, the WB lifted the title from a Rafael Sabatini novel, and changed the 'Sea Dogs' to 'Sea Hawks' (which DOES sound more romantic!). Flynn is Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe, a brilliant commander in the 'Horatio Hornblower' mold, adored by his crew (led by the irreplaceable Alan Hale, of course!), admired by his fellow Sea Hawks, and even respected by his Spanish adversaries. As the film opens, his ship, the Albatross, having crossed the Atlantic in record time, takes on a giant Spanish galleon carrying the new Ambassador to England (Claude Rains, in a small but memorable role) and his daughter, Maria (played by the luminous Brenda Marshall, who has always been unfairly judged as a 'substitute' for Olivia de Havilland; Miss de Havilland would have been totally wrong in the role of an innocent Spanish girl!) After a breathtaking battle, featuring the kind of cutlass-swinging pandemonium director Michael Curtiz was famous for, Thorpe is victorious, and the Spaniards and their cargo are transferred to the Albatross. (Wonderful Hispanic actor Gilbert Roland has a nice bit as the Spanish captain, granted the right to be the last to leave his sinking ship).

Thorpe is immediately smitten by Maria, but, in true Hornblower fashion, is uncomfortable trying to talk to her, much to the amusement of his crew! This discomfort doesn't apply to ALL women, however; to Queen Elizabeth, wonderfully portrayed by Flora Robson (for the second time, as she'd played the Virgin Queen in the earlier FIRE OVER ENGLAND), Thorpe displays a rakish charm that she secretly adores. (This was Flynn's second film in two years dealing with the monarch; as lover/potential usurper to a more neurotic Elizabeth, played by Bette Davis, in 1939's THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, she chopped off his head...something Davis, who despised Flynn, would have liked to have done in real life, as well!)

Despite the growing love between Maria and Thorpe, he has a brilliant scheme, attacking a Spanish treasure port in Central America by land, so he's off again, with Elizabeth's secret blessings. Unfortunately, traitorous Lord Wolfingham (played to slimy perfection by Henry Daniell), figures out the plan, and warns the Spanish, who defeat Thorpe and his crew in the jungle (a wonderful, sepia-toned sequence), then subjects the survivors to a life chained to the oars of a Spanish galleon. Discovering Wolfingham's duplicity, and ultimate goal of power after the Spanish Armada crushes England, Thorpe and his crew manage to break free of their chains, capture the Spanish ship, and race back to England, culminating in a spectacular climactic duel between Thorpe and Wolfingham, and Elizabeth's rousing "We'll build an Armada" speech added to the script to inspire an audience witnessing the beginning of WWII.

A rousing adventure, THE SEA HAWK marked the pinnacle of Errol Flynn's rollercoaster career, and is a true classic of the genre!

The boys do know how to swash their buckle!

[estabansmythe · 10/10 · 29 June 2006]

The boys do know how to swash their buckle! By "the boys," I mean the team that made "Captain Blood" in 1935 and "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" three years later, in 1938.

Two years after Robin Hood, in 1940, the boys then made this wonderful, fun classic. "The Sea Hawk" is nothing short of wonderful four-star entertainment.

Of course, this team, aka "the boys," was comprised of the greatest swashbuckling star of them all, Errol Flynn (better even than Doug Fairbanks Sr.): the greatest director of swashbucklers in th history of cinema, Michael Curtiz; the finest composer of unforgettable anthemic soundtracks, Erich Wolfgang Korngold; and the happiest, jolliest, laughingest sidekick of them all, Alan Hale, Sr.

The lovely Olivia De Havilland would also naturally be included here except that for whatever reason, she was replaced by Brenda Marshall in "The Sea Hawk." Bummer! Marshall is a talented and pretty actress - but she can't tough De Havilland, especially when teamed with ol' "In Like" Flynn.

Flynn and his "legal" pirates are put through their paces in this one, even braving fever in the jungles of Panama as they fight a traitor and the King of Spain (the rat) - oh, and that all-time great rat, good old Claude Rains.

ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!! Swash me buckle, me hearties, Errol Flynn's on watch!

Some minor flaws, but major assets

[Scott-52 · 9/10 · 17 September 1998]

There a only a couple of things that make this fall short of classic status, and they are not enough to keep it off of anyone's list of favorite/best adventure films.

The film is somewhat overproduced. The settings are too opulent, the costumes too magnificent, and the score is almost too rousing. This is particularly true when Flynn and his entire crew start singing, backed up none too discreetly by the entire Warners chorus and orchestra. Who sings while climbing riggings, anyway?

The other shortfall is the absence of color. Warners was known for their cost-consciousness, but it is ironic to note that a bit of trimming in the costuming and settings department would have probably allowed them to use the tri-color process, which was used to such spectacular effect in The Adventures of Robin Hood.

That said, the Sea Hawk possesses an embarrassment of riches. The semi-historic story line is strong, as are the performances of a truly stellar cast. Flora Robson, Claude Rains are tremendous, and Henry Daniell darn near out-sneers Basil Rathbone as the duplicitous villain. Brenda Marshall is no Olivia de Havilland, but she doesn't have do be; its nice to see Errol flirting with another comely wench.

Errol himself is also a treat. This was 1940, before his rape trial and before he got tired of movie making. He is obviously engaged in the production, and is at his most dashing self in pushing it along. Perrenial sidekick (on and off screen) Alan Hale is outstanding as well in his portrayal of...Well, Alan Hale.

Best of all is the score, composed by gool old erich Wolfgang Korngold. It is no coincidence that his music is at the heart of Flynn's best movies. It matches the action scene for scene in a manner again reminiscent of Robin Hood.

Although I cannot rank this as Flynn's best vehicle, there is a solid minority of Flynnatics who do. A compelling argument can be made for it.

Errol Flynn sails again

[dkncd · 7/10 · 5 October 2007]

"The Sea Hawk" follows the story of Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, and English privateer during the Elizabethan era. Tensions are developed between Thorpe and the Spanish, who have secret machinations to conquer England. This film features impressive costumes and sets and an excellent score from Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

The performances in this film are first-rate. Errol Flynn plays his oft-repeated role of virtuous adventurer with his usual charm. Brenda Marshall is appropriate for the role of Doña Maria, the conflicted woman who would come to love Thorpe. Flora Robson gave a well-refined and commanding performance as Queen Elizabeth I. Veteran actor Claude Rains is up to his usual high standard as the Don de Cordoba.

The sea battles and sword fights in this film are well-crafted and staged. This film took a more action-oriented approach compared to "Captain Blood" (1935). Admittedly I preferred the better developed plot of "Captain Blood" (1935) to that of this film and thought this film would have been more engaging with more story development. However, there were a number of great dramatic moments in this film and I did like the galley sequence and enjoyed Elizabeth's speech at the end of the film.

Overlong but hugely enjoyable swashbuckling adventure

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 8 January 2011]

The Sea Hawk is a very, very enjoyable film. Is it Errol Flynn's best film and role? No, The Adventures of Robin Hood gets that honour for both. Also, The Sea Hawk is slightly overlong, and the print for this film is quite washed out and grainy, a film as good as this needs a restoration. Minor complaints aside, the swashbuckling is energetic and beautifully choreographed, the production values are top notch, Korngold's score is superb, Curtiz's direction is great, the script is witty and the story is brisk and entertaining. The cast are also excellent, Flynn makes for a gallant, charismatic and dashing hero and while slightly underused fine actor Claude Rains is superb as he takes on villain duty. In conclusion, a fine film, flawed but endlessly entertaining with lots to like. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Great looking swashbuckler but lacks color and de Havilland...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 23 April 2005]

Watching ERROL FLYNN in THE SEA HAWK is a pleasure--by this time he had perfected his swashbuckling image and his polished performance is a cut above most of his other work at this time. But the film, as gorgeous as the sets and costumes are, and as painstaking as the detail is in the Panama jungle scenes photographed in sepia (on the DVD), cries for color. Technicolor, of course.

Technicolor and Flynn's favorite co-star, Olivia de Havilland, are two of the vital missing ingredients.

BRENDA HARSHALL, with her sculptured cheekbones, is an impassive beauty. Her face is a mask when it comes to emotions. Nor is there any of the witty, spirited byplay between Errol and Brenda, as there usually is in a Flynn-de Havilland partnership. Brenda Marshall is unable to be more than a cardboard heroine.

Nevertheless, all the other elements are here, although the tale is burdened by what feels like an extremely long running time of 127 minutes. The big seaboard fight comes much too early in the film and is never given a worthy reprise.

The Warner stock company is in fine form--Alan Hale, Claude Rains, Henry Daniell and a wonderful portrait of Queen Elizabeth by Flora Robson. And Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score is one of his most rousing contributions to the art of film scoring.

Sometimes, the choral work is a bit over the top--notably when men are rigging the sails for their return to England! Korngold's music almost never lets up in intensity.

Others may find it a little cumbersome at times--but there can be no doubt that the $1.7 million budget (an enormous amount in 1940) is visible in the sets and costumes, many of which appear to be holdovers from both ELIZ. AND ESSEX and ROBIN HOOD.

Michael Curtiz shows true command of all the action scenes and makes sure that Sol Polito's camera-work makes the most of the gorgeous sets and art decoration. The final duel between Henry Daniells and Flynn is staged for maximum effect.

Into the yards and loosen your stays!

[rmax304823 · 9/10 · 15 May 2007]

What style! What dash! They don't come much better than this. In fact, they don't come at all anymore. It's a splendid genre picture from Warner Brothers when they were at the top of their game. No philosophy, no pretense, no artiness, just love and adventure and action. Except, come to think of it, the whole thing is an allegory. Instead of England standing against the ambitions of Spain's King Philip, it's really about Winston Churchill standing against the ambitions of Adolf Hitler. Not arty, maybe, but socially and politically responsible. That was always the chink in Warner Brothers' otherwise impeccably commercial armor.

The film cries out for color and for Olivia DeHavilland. Brenda Marshall as Flynn's love interest is beautiful in her own way but a bit stiff compared to the intelligent but palpably sensitive DeHavilland. Flynn himself had matured as an actor in the five years since his major debut in "Captain Blood." Peter Blood relied on his boyish enthusiasm and his dazzling, ever-present grin. Geoffrey Thorpe is less one of the gang than a commander here, though compassionate and accessible. He was a better fencer too. Henry Danielle as the heavy, Lord Wolfingham, comes across as a fop. His legs are skinny and his tonal contours those of a man not quite certain of his gender identity. He couldn't fence his way out of a paper bag so the climactic dual has lots of cutaway shots, shadows on palace walls, and obvious doubles. The acting honors really go to Claude Raines as the Spanish ambassador who manages to combine an obsequious manner that oozes insincerity with a genuine concern for his niece's (Marshall's) well-being. He's suave. He's debonair. He's dressed in black and wears ghoulish makeup. And Flora Robeson as Queen Elizabeth I (not the first time) must share in those honors. She informs the part of a dignified and dispassionate queen with a feminine quality that's almost seductive, although, as she says, she'll settle for the scepter rather than for love.

The film wouldn't be what it is without Eric Wolfgang Korngold's recklessly exuberant score, full of trumpet fanfares, bombast, and soaring strings. He even manages to insert a not-at-all-boring love ballad into the film that is simple, surprising, limpid and melodic. (I think he later used it in a more formal composition.) The score is sometimes criticized because, after all, men don't sing like an opera chorus -- "Strike for the shores of Dover," and whatnot -- when they're climbing the ratlines. But if you look closely you don't see any of the men singing on film. The chorus is built into the score. This, along with "Robin Hood", is arguably Korngold's best score. Maybe even his best work, even compared to his more ambitious classical pieces.

Michael Curtiz directed, as he had directed Flynn in several earlier movies. They weren't getting along too well. Curtiz was a demanding taskmaster and Flynn rarely took anything seriously enough to work hard at it. His career, for him, seemed to consist mainly of having fun. As part of a gag aimed at his buddy Allan Hale, he once had the makeup department build a prosthetic penis for him that was so over-sized that -- well, the gag had better not be described in a review subject to scrutiny by tots.

Anyway, enough. See the movie.

A Gentleman and a Pirate

[aherdofbeautifulwildponies · 7/10 · 28 January 2021]

This was my first film starring Errol Flynn, and I can only quote Disney's Robin Hood (1973) here: 'He's so handsome. Just like his reward posters.' Those lines are, of course, spoken by Maid Marian about Robin Hood himself - whose character in the 1973 animation is based on Errol Flynn's part in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Consider it an indirect yet personal compliment.

The Sea Hawk (1940) sees the actor in a similar role of a noble outlaw. Captain Geoffrey Thorpe (who is only referred to as the Sea Hawk in the film's title) is an English privateer, serving the Queen and the country by capturing Spanish ships. If that sounds familiar and the figure of Sir Francis Drake comes to mind, that would be because Thorpe's character is loosely based on Drake, with The Sea Hawk following the historical sequence of events. Somewhat.

The picture was released during World War II, and the film-makers aimed to both build wartime morale and arouse the pro-British sympathies of the American public. The conflict between England and Spain, between Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) and King Philip II (Montagu Love) is presented as a metaphor for the Battle of Britain. The film's finale has Elizabeth I deliver a speech about freedom in a positively Churchillian manner.

In its main part, however, The Sea Hawk is an adventure - the grandiose, old-fashioned kind, like The Headless Horseman or The Three Musketeers. There are sword fights with furniture involved (is it ever a real sword fight otherwise?), palace intrigue, pirates, escaped prisoners, a prized monkey, mules laden with treasure, stolen letters, and miles of brocaded scenery. There is a romantic subplot, with Captain Thorpe falling for Doña María (Brenda Marshall). Marshall's acting can be best described as 'sincere pouting', but both the build-up and the resolution of the love story are satisfying.

(Fun fact: when we first encounter Doña María, she is seen playing tennis opposite her lady-in-waiting. That scene is cited in Disney's Robin Hood, where we first meet Maid Marian during her tennis match with Lady Kluck. The link between the two productions is confirmed further!)

In The Sea Hawk, good is obvious, as is moustache-twirling evil. When courage leads, luck follows, the way it tends to go in Romanticist fiction. In a way, the film's predictability adds to its enjoyment: it is a familiar story, told many times before, but let us gather to see it play out once again, while the world outside remains dark and complicated.

Splendid and Emotionally Strong; a B/W Adventure For the Ages

[silverscreen888 · 9/10 · 1 July 2005]

It is no wonder I suggest, when one reads the credits for 'The Sea Hawk", (1940) that it was made into a splendid and memorable motion picture. It is a Warner brothers "A" effort, a B/W answer to "Gone With the Wind". Warners was called the 'outlaw studio' because its tsars had a habit of making films about men who were either criminals or revolutionaries against a U.S.. the studio's bosses seemed to mistrust more than anyone else did. In this case the government they chose to study is Elizabeth I's Protestant England, she herself considered an enemy of the mighty Catholic Empire of Spain under Philp II. To counter Spain's attempt to destroy England, as she had overrun her ally The Low Countries (Benelux), England's Queen expanded the building of Henry VIII's fleet and bettered her father's design by refusing to waste money and men in wars and by making her navy's ships smaller and more swift than Spanish galleons. Hero of this film is rebellious but loyal Geoffrey Thorpe played adequately as a very young and promising fellow by Errol Flynn. He and others are disowned publicly but privately backed in their conducting of raids on Spanish shipping. In the film, Geoffrey is returning from one such raid with a prize, including a captured Spanish lady he is falling in love with, to whom, for love, he has returned her jewels. Elizabeth I is furious at this but is softened; and Thorpe goes off on his greatest adventure to the New World, to go after the Spanish Empire's annual treasure fleet. Betrayed to the Spaniards and captured in Panama, he and his men escape imprisonment in a slave galley, make their way through swamps, win a battle, and return to England in time to expose traitors, and save Elizabeth. His reward is the lady, who has waited for him, and the chance to serve England further. In the huge cast with Flynn are splendid ,Alan Hale, the great Flora Robson reprising her "Fire Over England" role as Elizabeth, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, powerful Henry Daniell, pretty but rather weak Brenda Marshall as the lady he loves, Julien Mitchell, Montagu Love, Gilbert Roland, William Lundigan, Ian Keith, Una O'Connor, Jay Silverheels and Robert Warwick. This expensively-mounted production was written by Seton I Miller of the "Mississippi Gambler" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" fame with Howard Koch. Director Michael Curtiz was in charge of this sumptuous offering; the music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold is justly famous;the credits for 'The Sae Hawk read like a who is who in Hollywood; makeup was by Perc Westmore, cinematography by Sol Polito, art direction by Anton Grot and gowns by Orry-Kelly. Special effects were by Byron Haskin. Watch for the slave galley scene; this is the scene adapted by William Wyler for Ben Hur's galley setups. This is a stirring and very entertaining film, with everything from an amusing monkey to great acting to clever dialogue as Slizabeth inspires, scolds but brilliantly misleads those who would thwart her course--to make England secure in her pre-Imperial days from Spain's tyrannical ambitions.

Entertaining

[JelenaG890 · 7/10 · 10 March 2017]

My grandfather was a huge fan of adventure films, and counted Errol Flynn films of the genre as some of his favorites. And, like most Flynn films, this one is certainly entertaining.

Claude Rains is terrific here, as he always was, and the best thing about this picture, other than Flynn of course. It's not nearly as good as Captain Blood, but still highly entertaining.

For me, the film's weakest point is Brenda Marshall, aka Mrs. William Holden. She is pretty enough, but her acting is wooden, so no surprise that she didn't have a very long or substantial acting career. Brenda Marshall is no match for Olivia de Havilland in the talent department, and she certainly didn't have the chemistry with Flynn that de Havilland had.

Understandably, Olivia de Havilland wanted to play roles other than ingenues in her career. She was certainly more focused on earning quality roles than Flynn was, which was probably why her resume contains far more variety than his, but I can't watch this film and wonder how much better it would have been had de Havilland been the co-star.

The Sad Sunset Of A Golden Age

[Dan1863Sickles · 3/10 · 28 February 2009]

I love the mystique of Errol Flynn as much as anyone, but this was the final swashbuckler of his classic period, and it shows. Errol's still got it, of course, and he shows plenty of dash and charm. But Olivia DeHavilland is gone, and in her place is lovely but lifeless Brenda Marschall, whose wooden delivery and lack of charm hurt the love story just as much as the frequent separations and clumsy sub-plots.

The movie really drags, particularly when Flynn is at court and reduced to playing second banana to a monkey (yes, a monkey!) Flora Robson is scrumptious as Queen Elizabeth -- the fun and elegant chemistry she has with Errol suggests that she should have been the leading lady -- but the cumbersome story drags Flynn away from her as well. The middle drags, as Flynn is not only beaten, but bamboozled, betrayed, and bundled off into slavery on the galleys! Errol is great at playing the carefree rogue, but he can't do nobility or suffering very well. It comes off as a very bad imitation of BEN HUR, without the noble ideals and without the religious meanings. Things finally perk up -- a bit to late -- with the big climactic sword fight, and Flora Robson gives a stunning Battle of Britain speech (this was 1940 after all,) that ends the movie with a bang.

All in all, it's not a bad movie, just the sad sunset of a golden age.