Two Great Swashbuckling Sagas!
Luciano Mauro Decusati | porto alegre, RS Brazil | 07/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This review is for the Midnite Movies DVD "Fortunes of Captain Blood" and "Captain Pirate," both from Columbia Pictures and produced by Harry Joe Brown, who produced a number of Randolph Scott westerns.
This Double Feature DVD is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The video transfer is excellent. The movies are remastered in high definition and have subtitles in English, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.
Louis Hayward and Patricia Medina were teamed together for a number of swashbuckling sagas. In addition to the above, the team also did "The Lady in the Iron Mask", and "The Lady and the Bandit", which I hope will be released soon since their movies were very entertaining.
The first movie on the DVD is "Fortunes of Captain Blood", 91 min., black & white, 1950, directed by Gordon Douglas (G. Douglas directed "Doolins of Oklahoma" and "The Nevadan", two exciting Randolph Scott westerns. "Fortunes" had an excellent supporting role from Dona Drake. She plays the Spanish spitfire who helps Captain Blood release his mates from prison, and generally steals every scene she's in. The heavy is George Macready. Incidentally he was the heavy in the two Randy Scott westerns I mentioned above.
The second movie is "Captain Pirate", 85 min., color, 1952, directed by Ralph Murphy, who had previously directed them in "The Lady and the Bandit", 1951. "Captain Pirate" is a lively buccaneering programmer with plenty of high spirits. Needless to say, Patricia Medina looks ravishing in Technicolor. Although he never reached the swordsmanship skills of Errol Flynn, the South African Louis Hayward handles his action scenes well enough.
For all of the above, I rate it five stars.
"
Rousing Adventure Yarn
Sixten S | Sweden | 06/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fortunes of Captain Blood:
Rousing Adventure Yarn WITH LOTS OF ACTION, plenty of sword-play, an excellent cast (Macready, Bedoya, Gilmore) and a marvellous musical score by Paul Sawtell.
Captain Pirate: continued good swashbuckling entertainment in technicolor, Louis Hayward starring in both. Both an excellent opportunity to re-enjoy good cinema entertainment of Columbia's golden B-era of the 40's and the 50's. Should be followed by Cornel Wilde ( A Thousand and One Nights, Bandit of Sherwood Forest), Larry Parks (The Swordsman, the Gallant Blade), Jon Hall (Prince of Thieves -48) and John Derek (Rogues of Sherwood Forest, Mask of the Avenger, Prince of Pirates) and many others.
Salute from Sweden"
Great 50's matinee swash and buckle
William W. Miller | Sparks, NV United States | 08/14/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Pristine presentation, though no extras. Two films on two discs follow the adventures of Captain Blood made fameous by Errol Flynn 15 years earlier. Fourtunes of Catain Blood is in black and white while Captain Pirate is in quite glorious color. No Oscar contenders here, but interesting stories, colorful characters, and some pretty good swordplay. Recommended to those who cherished their time as a kid at the Saturday matinee, or those too young to have had the pleasure."