Continuing with the pirate themed weekend, today's movie is a classic film starring the brilliant Charles Laughton as Captain Kidd.
Captain Kidd, though historically inaccurate (including a shot of the Tower of London bridge 200 years before it was built) is a classic pirate movie from an era where they were extremely popular. Captain William Kidd, a ruthless pirate tricks the king into giving him a commission to go to Madagascar to escort a treasure ship on the way back from India. In reality, Kidd is using the king's mission as cover to retrieve a treasure he and his crew buried in the first scene of the film. Recruiting a new crew from London's prisons, Kidd. One of the crew members, Mercy (Randolph Scott) is more than he appears. Kidd's diabolical plan to retrieve his treasure and then receive a title from the king is put in jeopardy when Mercy and an ambassador's daughter (Barbara Britton) survive to tell the tale.
While this isn't Laughton's best film (that honor would have to go to Mutiny on the Bounty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or The Private Life of Henry VIII for which he won an Oscar), he is perfect as the duplicitous Captain Kidd. Randolph Scott commands the screen during his scenes. John Carradine is also very good as a former crew member who is Kidd abandoned on a reef years ago and is back to claim his share of the booty.
This may not be the best pirate movie ever made, but it is a great opportunity to see some phenomenal actors give their take on the genre.
Captain Kidd, though historically inaccurate (including a shot of the Tower of London bridge 200 years before it was built) is a classic pirate movie from an era where they were extremely popular. Captain William Kidd, a ruthless pirate tricks the king into giving him a commission to go to Madagascar to escort a treasure ship on the way back from India. In reality, Kidd is using the king's mission as cover to retrieve a treasure he and his crew buried in the first scene of the film. Recruiting a new crew from London's prisons, Kidd. One of the crew members, Mercy (Randolph Scott) is more than he appears. Kidd's diabolical plan to retrieve his treasure and then receive a title from the king is put in jeopardy when Mercy and an ambassador's daughter (Barbara Britton) survive to tell the tale.
While this isn't Laughton's best film (that honor would have to go to Mutiny on the Bounty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or The Private Life of Henry VIII for which he won an Oscar), he is perfect as the duplicitous Captain Kidd. Randolph Scott commands the screen during his scenes. John Carradine is also very good as a former crew member who is Kidd abandoned on a reef years ago and is back to claim his share of the booty.
This may not be the best pirate movie ever made, but it is a great opportunity to see some phenomenal actors give their take on the genre.
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