The Sea Hawk (1924)

Please don't spend money on this.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Raphael Sabatini wrote several dozen wonderful adventure novels in the early 20th century. They were very popular and are a nice blend of action, adventure, romance and history. I've read about 30 of them and enjoyed every one of them. Most have never been made into films, but a few (such as "Captain Blood" and "The Black Swan") have. In the case of "The Sea Hawk", Hollywood made their own version and a few years later DIDN'T. Let me explain. The 1924 version of "The Sea Hawk" is pretty close to Sabatini's novel. However, the more famous Errol Flynn version from 1940 is practically nothing like the book other than the title. I am not 100% sure why they did this--the original story was exciting. I suspect, however, that Warner Brothers used an entirely different story and kept the title because this was intended as pure propaganda. At the time, Britain was at war with the Nazis and the film was meant to glorify the British fighting spirit against all odds--including Spanish invaders. The 1940 film is about the time of the Spanish Armada--England's greatest military triumph. Now I am not saying the Flynn film is bad, I love it, but it's NOT the Sabatini story at all. It's a shame, as the Sabatini story is quite exciting.Milton Sills plays Sir Oliver Tressilian--a man who used to be a privateer for England during the time of Queen Elizabeth. These days are behind him and he's retired to his country estate. He wishes to wed his neighbor, Lady Godolphin, but things always seem to get in the way. First, her family refuses and insult his honor. Then, his own half-brother kills one of the Godolphins and Sir Oliver protects him--only to have his no-good half-brother try to sell him into slavery to the Moors!! However, instead of selling him, the ship's captain (Wallace Beery) becomes friends with Sir Oliver and is about to return him to England...when, a Spanish ship attacks and all of the crew members and Sir Oliver are taken prisoner and made Spanish galley slaves! Eventually, when the ship with Sir Oliver is taken by Barbary pirates (from Muslim North Africa), Sir Oliver is able to work his way up in the Barbary navy to command his own ship. Soon, using the skills he developed as a privateer, he is able to make a huge name for himself. But what about his wicked half-brother and his fiancée? Well, see the film and find out for yourself!! This film has an amazingly complex plot, a wonderful story, very good acting, GREAT costumes...it has it all. And, it's exciting from start to finish--making it one of the best silent epics you can see today. There really isn't much to dislike about this lovely film and I am thrilled that it stayed so faithful to the original source material.

I joined this film in progress on TCM earlier this month. Well this film kept me riveted to my seat. Milton Sills' performance is so impressive, so dashing, so heroic that I was completely enchanted. The magic of movie-making. While this film has none of the advantages of modern special effects and lighting and so forth it is nevertheless a slam-bang, rip-roaring, adventure romance. There is something in this film that permits one to fully enter within the story, to suspend disbelief and to experience, if for that brief time, a land of fantasy that entertains as well as elevates. Superlatives are not hyperbole when it comes to The Sea Hawk.

In the brave, bold swashbuckling days when Queen Elizabeth reigned, and waves crashed mightily onto England's Cornish coast, seafaring knight Milton Sills (as Oliver "Noll" Tressilian) courts neighboring pretty Enid Bennett (as Rosamund Godolphin). Ms. Bennett's brother Wallace MacDonald (as Peter Godolphin) doesn't want her to wed Mr. Sills, calling him a "blood-thirsty buccaneer!" Their guardian, Marc McDermott (as John Killigrew), agrees, and swords are raised. Sills is merciful, but likewise handsome young half-brother Lloyd Hughes (as Lionel "Lal" Tressilian) kills Mr. MacDonald in a duel.Covering for his beloved brother, Sills allows himself to be blamed for Mr. Hughes act. Hughes is anything but grateful, making a deal with dastardly Wallace Beery (as Jasper Leigh) that lands Sills on a slave ship. While using his muscular frame on a ship's galley slave row, Stills gets cozy with partner Albert Prisco (as Yusuf-Ben-Moktar). The brawny men successfully break the chains that bind them, but Mr. Prisco dies in sniper fire. Making his escape, Stills rejects Christianity and converts to the Moslem faith of his deceased friend. Sills changes his name to "Sakr-el-Bahr" ("The Sea Hawk"), and enacts his revenge..."The Sea Hawk" had audiences coming back for multiple viewings, and was a big hit for First National; it also moved director Frank Lloyd further into the small circle of epic filmmakers. The film boasts big - and big-looking, thanks to Lloyd's incredible use of the picture frame - production values; and, it is beautifully paced. Watch how well Lloyd fills the screen during the "interrupted wedding" between Hughes and Bennett. Much of the seafaring footage was plundered to insert in later Warner Bros. films - and, it's likely not all of the stolen scenes were returned to the original; witness, for example, Sills' escape from slavery.Critically acclaimed, as well as popular, "The Sea Hawk" was cited as the year's "Best Picture" by "Motion Picture" magazine. "Photoplay" declared "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln" the winner, while "Film Daily" had "The Thief of Bagdad" edging out "The Sea Hawk" by one vote. Moreover, the later two immediately began placing high on "all-time" greatest film lists. The heroic Sills may be uncommonly staid; but, in hindsight, this is preferable to the usual overplaying. Hughes performed exceptionally; he rose to #6 in a "Motion Picture" star poll, with Sills behind at #13. Bennett has relatively little to do, but Mr. Berry certainly makes a good impression; soon, he would become the biggest star from the cast, which has a dozen notable actors.******** The Sea Hawk (6/2/24) Frank Lloyd ~ Milton Sills, Lloyd Hughes, Wallace Beery, Enid Bennett

Sea Hawk, The (1924) *** (out of 4) Oliver Tressilian (Milton Sills) goes from a rich man to slave and then works his way back up in this faithful adaptation of Rafael Sabatini's famous novel. Most people know the 1940 Errol Flynn version, which is considered a major classic but that version left me rather flat when i watched it a couple years ago. This silent version isn't a classic but to me it's somewhat more entertaining. The funny thing is that I praised the Flynn version for various battle scenes but it turns out that many of them were lifted from this film because Warner felt they couldn't top the scenes here. The battle scenes here are certainly the highlight and the slave mutiny is full of excitement. Sills, a major star in the silent era who is now forgotten, delivers a very strong performance but the screenplay doesn't offer him too much outside the lover/fighter part. Wallace Beery is also good in his role as another Captain but Enid Bennett is rather lame as the love interest. Towards the end of the film there's some nice tinted scenes but the real surprise was the hand colored flames, which appear in three scenes.