Master of Ballantrae, The (Blu-ray Review)
Director
William KeighleyRelease Date(s)
1953 (October 28, 2025)Studio(s)
Warner Bros. (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: C
Review
Swashbuckler movies abounded in the early 1950s with pictures like The Flame and the Arrow, Treasure Island, Scaramouche, The Crimson Pirate, Against All Flags, and The Sword and the Rose providing action, derring-do and romance in the days of swords and muskets. In The Master of Ballantrae, based on a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, two brothers take opposite sides during the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland.
On the eve of a Jacobite uprising, Jamie Durie (Errol Flynn), the Master of Ballantrae; his younger brother, Henry (Anthony Steel); their father (Felix Aylmer); and the family retainer, MacKellar (Melvyn Jones), decide that, to protect their property, one brother will join the Scots while the other pretends to remain loyal to the British crown. That way, whichever side wins, the family’s estate will be preserved. Both brothers want to fight against the British but by the toss of a coin, Jamie wins. His fiancee, Lady Alison (Beatrice Campbell), is unhappy that Jamie will put himself in danger but promises to wait for him.
The British quell the rebellion and hunt Jamie down to execute him for treason. Jamie and fellow Scottish patriot Col. Francis Burke (Roger Livesay) join forces and sneak back to Jamie’s home to get money for passage to France. Jamie’s mistress, Jessie Brown (Yvonne Furneaux), sees him embracing and kissing Lady Alison, and betrays his escape plan to the British. On the brink of freedom, Jamie gets shot by a British officer, falls off a cliff into the sea and he’s presumed dead, after which Henry becomes heir to the estate.
But Jamie survives, believing it was Henry who turned him in to the British and rows off with Col. Burke to meet the ship that will take them to France. The French captain double-crosses them, however, and many sword-brandishing adventures ensue as Jamie and his sharp-tongued sidekick outsmart and outfight their way back to Scotland, where yet more dangers lurk.
The Master of Ballanrtrae harks back to such Warner Bros. classics as Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Flynn, but never achieves their quality. Flynn tries to regain his swashbuckler persona but doesn’t seem convincing even as he engages in some fancy choreographed swordplay or delivers a rakish grin. In his earlier action pictures, he radiated a sense of fun even though danger was all around. In Ballantrae, that sense of joyful thumbing one’s nose at authority is absent.
Livesay, in the sidekick role, holds up his share of the fighting when his character and Flynn’s get into tough situations, but really earns points for his line deliveries. With the wittiest dialogue in the film and a devil-may-care attitude to match, he provides the only touches of humor in a film that otherwise comes off as stodgy and formulaic.
Of the two female leads, Furneaux has the more firey role and convinces as the jealous “other woman” in Jamie’s life who causes great harm and later repents. There’s passion in her performance. Campbell is very pretty but stiff, coming off more as a china doll than a flesh-and-blood woman. There’s little chemistry between her and Flynn. Where’s Olivia de Havilland when we need her? Mervyn Jones has some good scenes as the loyal family servant doubling as conspirator to preserve the estate he’s served.
Production design is rich, with Jack Cardiff’s Technicolor cinematography bringing the film’s adventures to vivid life. Colors are bright and deeply saturated. Some miniatures are used for the sailing ships at sea, but in a few scenes an actual three-masted vessel is used. Considerably truncated from the novel, the film is fast-paced, action-packed, and entertaining. Despite Flynn’s lack of sufficient energy—perhaps because of age or debilitation or boredom—he fails to infuse enough spirit to make the picture shine. Apart from Livesay and Jones, the supporting cast is mediocre, with Jacques Berthier overacting as the French fop Captain Arnaud and loud, brash Charles Golden bellowing his performance as buccaneer Captain Mendoza.
The Master of Ballantrae was shot by director of photography Jack Cardiff on 35mm film with spherical lenses, processed by Technicolor, Hollywood, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The Blu-ray from Warner Archive is sourced from new 4K scans of the original Technicolor camera negatives. Jack Cardiff’s cinematography is vivid and rich, with the reds of the British soldiers’ uniforms really popping against the earthy tones of the countryside. Capt. Arnaud’s clothes reflect a man who prides himself on his appearance. Scenes of ships at sea have grandeur. Complexions are rendered naturally.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and distinct. For a film set in Scotland, only Melvyn Jones affects a Scottish accent. Sound effects include swords clashing, a pistol being fired, cannon fire, noise and chaos of hand-to-hand combat, men falling into the sea, galloping horses and a horse-drawn carriage.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from the Warner Archive Collection include the following:
- Bully for Bugs (7:12)
- Plop Goes the Weasel (6:44)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:37)
Bully for Bugs – In this 1953 Technicolor Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, Bugs Bunny takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque and pops up from the ground in a Mexican bullring during a fight between Toro the Bull and an intimidated matador. When the matador escapes into the stands, it’s up to Bugs to fend for himself. Mel Blanc provides the voice of Bugs Bunny.
Plop Goes the Weasel – Barnyard Dawg must guard several baby chicks from being eaten by weasels. Foghorn Leghorn, the dog’s supervisor, fools him into releasing the chicks out into the open. The dog is forced to retrieve them. A hungry weasel spots Dawg carrying the chicks back to the pen and approaches him. The dim-witted weasel is easily tricked by both Foghorn and Dawg into being a pawn in their private war of wills. Directed by Robert McKimson, this 1953 Technicolor Looney Tunes cartoon features the voice talent of Mel Blanc.
The Master of Ballantrae is the last swashbuckler Errol Flynn starred in for Warner Brothers. Filmed in England and the Scottish Highlands, it’s reminiscent of Flynn’s 1930s and 1940s period action movies but never achieves their status. The film looks great, but the direction by William Keighley results in many wooden performances and a half-hearted portrayal by Flynn.
- Dennis Seuling