Captain Blood (1935)

Captain Blood, directed by Casablanca helmsman Michael Curtiz, was the movie that made Errol Flynn a star. Peter Blood starts out as a doctor in 1685 England before lending medical aid to a member of the faction against the king lands him as a slave in Port Royal, Jamaica. He leads a group of fellow slaves to escape on the high seas. With no land to call home, the band turns to piracy to make a living with the charismatic Captain Blood at the helm. As they evade capture, Blood pines for the niece of the governor he left behind in Port Royal.

This was a very entertaining show complete with a climactic naval battle that is extremely impressive for 1935. Ultimately Captain Blood lost the Best Picture race to the even better sea adventure Mutiny on the Bounty with Clark Gable. IMDb lists a 2011 Captain Blood as being in development so we may soon be seeing another rendition. It will have to be something special to match the spirit of the Errol Flynn version.

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