Captain Blood (4K UHD Review)
Director
Michael CurtizRelease Date(s)
1935 (January 20, 2026)Studio(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures (The Criterion Collection – Spine #1297)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Errol Flynn’s rise to stardom was a rather quick one, more or less manufactured by the studio that had him under contract, Warner Bros. He hadn’t been with them for very long before Captain Blood was being prepped under the producorial thumb of Hal B. Wallis, with the legendary Michael Curtiz in the director’s chair. They were bound and determined to make Flynn a star, much like Olivia de Havilland, who was also cast after being with the studio for only a short amount of time. The onscreen chemistry between her and Flynn turned out to be a recipe for box office gold. Despite their inexperience, they were bonafide naturals and the camera loved them. As such, Captain Blood was an enormous success, offering a refreshing take on the swashbuckler genre.
In 1685, Doctor Peter Blood (Flynn) is arrested for treason after treating the wounds of the enemy during a rebellion against King James II. Though he protests his apolitical innocence, he and his fellow prisoners are sold into slavery at the Jamaican seaside city of Port Royal. There he crosses paths with the ruthless Colonel Bishop (Lionel Atwill), who detests Blood upon meeting him, but is forced to deal with him when his niece Arabella (de Havilland) buys Blood herself. He’s also handpicked by Governor Steed (George Hassell) to treat his painful gout, but soon hatches a plan with his fellow prisoners to escape by ship. After an intense confrontation between Blood and Bishop, Spanish ships suddenly attack Port Royal—allowing Blood and his men to commandeer one of their ships, hitting the open seas under Blood’s leadership and becoming feared pirates. Eventually joining forces with French buccaneer Captain Levasseur (Basil Rathbone), they later capture a ship that by chance is carrying Arabella and Lord Willoughby (Henry Stephenson), emissary to the king. As their fates intertwine, Blood is forced to decide whether or not to fight for his home country, maintain the loyalty of his crew and Captain Levasseur, and ponder if Arabella harbors feelings for him. Other members of the cast include Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Robert Barrat, Hobart Cavanaugh, Donald Meek, Frank McGlynn Sr., and J. Carrol Naish.
Adapted by Casey Robinson (writer of some of Bette Davis’ most successful films) from Rafael Sabatini’s 1922 novel, Captain Blood is an interesting film in the way that it portrays slavery and piracy under the newly-minted Motion Picture Production Code (aka the Hays code), meaning that much of the violence is toned down. That said, there are still moments, including a sequence in which Colonel Bishop orders that a slave be branded on his right cheek, that are still pretty harrowing for their time. There was also much turmoil between Michael Curtiz and producer Hal Wallis, the latter of whom grew increasingly frustrated and angry when Curtiz continued to blatantly ignore his demands over certain aspects of the film. In particular, Curtiz wanted the pirates’ costumes to appear more period-accurate, while Wallis, who wanted more direct control over the production, felt they were too “unmanly.” The two continued to feud over the course of the film, but Curtiz, a problematic figure himself, still managed to finish. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. wanted Errol Flynn to be a successful leading man so badly that several scenes were re-shot to make him appear less nervous and more heroic, which was a certainly rarity in those days.
While the story has mainstream appeal, Curtiz and cinematographers Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr still manage to give the film plenty of visual appeal, even in glorious black-and-white. For instance, scenes aboard the ship sees the camera discreetly swaying forward and backward, giving the subtle illusion of movement at sea. Some stock footage is used during transitions and montages, but scenes using large models and projected backgrounds blend well enough with the rest of the visuals without any heavy-handedness. There’s certainly no denying that Errol Flynn is the star attraction, making his portrayal of the titular Captain Blood seem almost effortless. Hopelessly handsome and charming, he dazzles the screen with grace and natural ability, particularly in scenes between he and de Havilland, as well as Basil Rathbone, who only has a short amount of screen time. Flynn and Rathbone would more than make up for this later on, topping their fencing scene entirely in The Adventures of Robin Hood, which features arguably one of the greatest sword fights ever put to celluloid.
To no surprise, Captain Blood was a massive hit with audiences, putting another feather in the cap of Michael Curtiz and birthing the careers of its two main stars. The amazing chemistry between Flynn and de Havilland was so potent that everybody noticed, especially audiences. As such, they appeared in seven more films together between 1936 and 1941: The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Four’s a Crowd, Dodge City, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Santa Fe Trail, and They Died with Their Boots On.
Captain Blood was shot by cinematographers Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr on 35mm black-and-white film with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The Criterion Collection presents the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K restoration, created from a second-generation nitrate print, a nitrate duplicate negative, and a nitrate composite fine-grain, the latter held by the Library of Congress. The results have been encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Despite being sourced from multiple latter generation elements without High Dynamic Range, Captain Blood offers a beautiful and much sharper presentation than the disc-based releases of old. Bitrates are maxed out, boosting the limited but no less refined detail in both foreground and background elements. Grayscale allows for some surprisingly deep blacks, though not all of them are created equal as there’s some minor crush due to the elements in use. Nevertheless, it’s a polished and stable image with only occasional, and quite subtle, lines or speckling. Transitions and stock footage are the least-appealing visually, but the overall presentation is organic with well-resolved grain and fine detail.
Audio is presented in English mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. This track was restored from a nitrate print and fine-grain elements. Once again, preconceived notions of what the source elements can offer should be left at the door. Many Warner Bros. presentations of older, mono-sourced films can sometimes be uneven. That’s not the case here. This is an excellent audio track in full volume that’s clean with plenty of support for dialogue and sound effects, as well as Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s celebrated and outstanding orchestral score.
The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD release of Captain Blood sits in a clear Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray; an insert featuring new artwork by David Talaski; and a double-sided, accordion-style booklet featuring cast and crew information, the essay A Pirate Is Born by critic Farran Smith Nehme, restoration information, special thanks, acknowledgments, and production credits. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE: UHD
- Audio Commentary with Alan K. Rode
DISC TWO: BD
- Audio Commentary with Alan K. Rode
- Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler Is Born (SD – 23:02)
- Lux Radio Theatre: Captain Blood (HD – 58:55)
- Trailer (SD – 3:31)
The audio commentary with Alan K. Rode, author of Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, is a very meaty track with an immense amount of background information on the film, details about its production, notes and letters between studio heads and the filmmakers, various political and financial facets of Warner Bros. at the time, and aspects of the careers of its main cast and crew, particularly Michael Curtiz, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. It’s a terrific listen. Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler Is Born is a very succinct but nonetheless fine documentary from 2005 about the film, featuring author and film historian Rudy Behlmer, professor of film at UC Davis Dr. Lincoln D. Hurst, film historian Robert Osborne, author Bob Thomas, sword master and choreographer Tim Weske, and conductor John Mauceri. Next is the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Captain Blood from February 22, 1937, featuring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Henry Stephenson, and Donald Crisp, hosted and narrated by Hebert Marshall (replacing Cecile B. DeMille who was busy in Louisiana making The Buccaneer at the time). Last is the film’s trailer.
A major upgrade over previous home video releases, Criterion’s 4K update of Captain Blood breathes new life into a classic film that belongs on every film fan’s shelf. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)