Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950)

Good movie but grossly overrated

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The dashing Louis Hayward, who was once married to Ida Lupino, was no Errol Flynn and that's one of the many problems in this very disappointing 1950 film.Even the so called swashbuckling scenes lack luster. Part of the problem may be attributed to the fact that this film was in black and white.Patricia Medina's role as a selfish niece, who changes course real fast after falling for Peter Blood, comes on too quickly. In many of the scenes, Miss Medina, an excellent actress, looks like she is in pain or in deep depression. I would probably join her if I had been in this production as well.As always, George MacReady plays a sinister character quite well.The slaves in this film don't exactly look like they have suffered under slavery for too long.

I enjoy movie. I thought Louis Hayward was very charming with his witty humor and tongue to get himself in and out of trouble and to speak with a Hispanic accent. In this movie, Louis Hayward and his first mate remember very easy about their horrible times as slaves (they were sold into slavery by the English) which is why Hayward had to go back to and release his men even though it might cost him his life. It also seems that Louis raid the Spanish colonies while in the Errol Flynn raided both the English and Spanish colonies. George Macready did play an excellent role in the movie. I recognize his voice, but not his name. The women were also very funny as well as full of pride.

FORTUNES OF CAPTAIN BLOOD never rises above being a pedestrian take on the Captain Blood legend originated by Rafael Sabatini in his immortal pirate tale, CAPTAIN BLOOD.This is strictly secondary stuff, with LOUIS HAYWARD as the doctor turned pirate on the high seas. He's competent in the swashbuckling role rather than charismatic--and there lies the difference between him and Flynn. At times, he seems almost bored with his role.DONA DRAKE does nicely enough as a peasant girl who flirts with Captain Blood (while he's assuming the name of Pedro), and PATRICIA MEDINA is equally at home in her role as a headstrong aristocratic lady. LOWELL GILMORE and GEORGE MACREADY are likewise competent as the rather villainous men interested only in pearls and wealth--but the story and its characters barely rise above the routine in a lifeless pirate tale.ALFONSO BEDOYA at least furnishes a bit of sly humor as the prison overseer hoodwinked by Captain Blood (he was the man with the famous line about "We don't need no stinkin' badges" from TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE).But the saga only really comes to life during the last half-hour, and then it's standard pirate swordplay and cannon fire until the predictable happy ending finds Captain Blood and the aristocratic lady sharing a kiss before the fadeout.Summing up: Standard pirate tale with only occasional flashes of lively swordplay. As for Hayward, he was much better as "The Man in the Iron Mask".

There is not even a brief outline? Maybe because it's a typical 1950 B Pirate movie. Pirate guy meets unlikable bad guy meets sexy Spanish girl. Odd British accents, weak sword fights and over the top acting abound. The only reason i even looked up this film was to find out the background of one semi-annoying typical Spanish character actor. Alfonso Bedoya who played "Carmilio" the Prison Overseer. To my surprise Bedoya was accomplished indeed. In The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Bedoya delivered the famous line about not needing any "stinking badges". He made a number of popular films in the U.S. but a drinking problem destroyed his health. He died at the age of 53. I don't need to go on about the film as no one will probably ever read this. Apparently this film is not popular at all. However! I now have a new respect for the actor i wanted to dislike. Thanks IMDb.