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Spotlight

film reel graphicSpotlight Date: 29-July-07
Spoiler Rating: High

The Sea Hawk (1940)

The makers of this swashbuckling classic want you to know that their 16th-century hero, Geoffrey Thorpe, is not a brigand. He sails the seas armed to the teeth, blasting other ships out of the water and taking their cargo, but his actions are not criminal because:

  1. He is part of a confederacy of so-called "sea hawks," which is a much cooler name than "pirates."
  2. He hands over part of his plunder to the queen of England so that she may defy the Spaniards, those bastards who crave world domination, run their navy with slaves, and finance their government by rape of the Americas. (Her moral high ground is unquestionable because lord knows the English are free of imperialistic urges.)
  3. He is impeccably well mannered and blushes when confronted by a damsel.
  4. He is played by Errol Flynn. (A beefier-than-usual Errol Flynn, probably due to a prolonged shirtless sequence.)

Yes, the glory of "The Sea Hawk" is founded on poppycock (as is the case with all pirate movies), but the saga is still a boatload of fun (as is not the case with all pirate movies). Flynn and co-star Flora Robson, who dons the ruff of Elizabeth I, both dazzle as charismatic people with the ability to command others and get the job done. After Captain Thorpe relieves a Spanish ambassador (Claude Rains) of his ship, the queen publicly chastises him but privately dispatches him to Panama to ambush some Aztec gold. Unfortunately, a traitor within her court tips off the enemy, and the Spanish maiden who has lost her heart to Thorpe (Brenda Marshall) fails in her mission to warn him of the danger.

Thorpe and his loyal crew are set upon in America, escaping with their lives (mostly) but sentenced to slavery by an inquisitorial court. Now the sea hawks show their true colors. Whipped, chained, imprisoned in a dank hull (and shirtless), they find the strength to fight for personal freedom and the salvation of England, against whom the Spanish Armada is about to sail. Such gallant men! Such lucky women await them back home, the grateful Elizabeth and the maiden who now succeeds in assisting Thorpe's dramatic return to the motherland. Such a lucky viewer when Flynn shows off his swordsmanship in a castle filled with shadows. (I wonder if Clive Owen will do the same when he plays a similar character in the upcoming Elizabeth movie.) "The Sea Hawk" does not need to use the roughness of a pirate. It captures you with charm.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.

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