Capitaine Casse-Cou

When her father is killed by the British, his daughter (Louise Platt) and first mate (Victor Mature) take control of the ship to fight the British during the War of 1812.

Captain Caution comes across a sort of cheap version of The Sea Hawk. While Kenneth Roberts' most famous novel, Northwest Passage, was getting the MGM treatment in Technicolor, Captain Caution was being made by Hal Roach (of the Little Rascals fame) on a much smaller budget (and not in color). That's not to say Captain Caution is a bad film; it's completely average.

Victor Mature is suitably dashing as the hero, while Leo Carrillo provides good comic support. Louise Platt, fresh off her role in Stagecoach, is frankly annoying as the female lead, while Bruce Cabot is his usual dull self as the baddie. Alan Ladd was apparently in it as a sailor, but I didn't see him.

There's a couple good action sequences and some nice model work, but other than that, Captain Caution is completely undistinguishable from various other seafaring films in the 40s.

Kenneth Roberts was a wonderful writer of American historical novels set especially during the Revolutionary and War of 1812 eras. Weighty but very engaging sagas of heroism against adversity in the shaping of the early United States. I've read and re-read Northwest Passage, Arundel, Rabble in Arms, Oliver Wiswell, Captain Caution, and Lively Lady. Roberts takes the reader on a whirlwind of adventure rooted in real American history. The movie treatment of Captain Caution, however, has two many light and comedic elements making it almost into a satire on historical fiction. Victor Mature is no Errol Flynn when it comes to dashing, complex, romantic heroes, and the comedic over-acting of sidekick Leo Carrillo and other character actors pushes the movie from drama to light comedy. For a much better seafaring production made produced in the same Hollywood era stick with "Captain Horatio Hornblower" with Gregory Peck. I'm guessing that author Roberts was not happy with this treatment of his historical novel. For an excellent Roberts adaptation stick with "Northwest Passage."

The first few minutes of this film hooked me and I had hopes that it would be an excellent film. After all, the idea of a film set during the War of 1812 was intriguing--this is a subject rarely talked about in movies. However, after a short time, it became obvious that the film was high on the anachronism factor--in other words, having people behaving totally uncharacteristically from that time period. The notion of a lady sea captain setting off to attack and punish the British just never would have or could have happened in 1812. While this was silly, it still didn't mean the film couldn't have been exciting. Unfortunately, even if you ignore this plot problem, about a half hour into the film it also became amazingly dull and talky. Instead of an Errol Flynn-style adventure film, it just all ground to an almost complete halt. Sure, it picked up for the rousing conclusion, but by then I had really lost interest and just wanted the whole thing to end due to poor writing. Plus, in this conclusion, it made fighting in a naval battle look FUN! This "fun" element is pretty stupid as well as a bit disturbing--and further evidence it is a mediocre film.

This story was written by a famous writer Kenneth Roberts and this story takes place at the beginning of the War of 1812. An American merchant ship was sailing from Maine and was attacked by the British Navy and the captain was killed and his daughter, Corunna Dorman,(Louise Platt) took command of the ship and Corunna wanted her boyfriend, Daniel Marvin, (Victor Mature) to be the first mate, however, Dan had different ideas. Corunna then decides to make Dan jealous and becomes close to Lehrman Slade,(Bruce Cabot) who is a man that is self-centered and only cares about his own future and disregards anyone else on the ship. Leo Carrillo,(Lucien Argandeau) gives a great supporting role as a first mate to Daniel Marvin. There is plenty of cannons going off and ships colliding with each other and plenty of swords flashing. If you look real close, you will see a very young Alan Ladd playing a very minor role, but Hollywood was watching him and his next role would be "This Gun for Hire". Nice entertaining 1940 Class film.

I had totally forgotten this adventure film made by the director of SINBAD THE SAILOR, another famous adventure film, but taking place in another period...Here, the story takes place in 1812 and the message is - what a surprise - a bit anti British, instead of being anti Nazi - or simply anti German. But the director Richard Wallace was a comedy film maker instead of action films and from time to time, we can feel it properly thru light touches that we would not have found in a Raoul Walsh or Michael Curtiz's film, for instance. But the most important, the action matter, are also effective and this all long the movie. I also forgot that Victor Mature had already begun in thee business in 1940, and in a lead role....