À l'abordage

By 1945, and after a string of solid WWII propaganda pieces, Errol Flynn’s hold over U.S. box office had started to decline so, in spite of the increased burden of waning looks, he embarked on a series of films pertaining to that genre which had earlier made his name: the swashbuckler. The first of these was a good one actually – ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) – but it also proved to be his last big-budget Hollywood starring vehicle. The rest of his sword-wielding days were spent wandering all over Europe: in England for KIM (1950), THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE (1953) and THE DARK AVENGER (1955), in France for ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN FABIAN (1951) and Italy for the aborted THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL (1953) and the little-seen CROSSED SWORDS (1954). However, Hollywood did beckon him one last time to his old seafaring ways – albeit for a modestly-budgeted Universal picture rather than a Warner Brothers ‘A’ production to which he had been accustomed when at his peak…

Still, the glorious Technicolor cinematography leaps off the screen here and, while an older and flabbier Flynn may look like the pale shadow of his former self, his red-headed leading lady Maureen O’Hara has a field day as a tomboyish buccaneer leader who deep down craves romance and wants to be treated like a lady. Anthony Quinn was still a few years away from his larger-than-life starring vehicles, so here he is typically seen as the baddie – the pirate captain Roc Brasiliano, a role he attacks with gusto. Like THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954) – a viewing of which preceded this one – AGAINST ALL FLAGS takes me back to my cherished childhood days of constant TV viewing when vintage Hollywood movies were the order of the day on both the local and neighboring Italian channels.

For all I know, this might well have been the very first pirate movie I’ve ever seen and I cringe at the thought of today’s generation of youngsters supposedly believing that the grossly overblown PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy is what buccaneering is all about! As I said earlier, AGAINST ALL FLAGS might not be the finest pirate yarn ever brought to the screen but it’s a solid example of this prolific genre all the same. Nowadays, the amorous persistence of the child-like Indian princess (Alice Kelley) towards her pirate captor Flynn may strike one as being awfully silly but the rest of it – despite clearly not scaling the heights of THE SEA HAWK (1940) and THE BLACK SWAN (1942), to mention the finest seafaring ventures of its respective stars – is briskly paced and reasonably engaging. Incidentally, the film would later go on to be remade as THE KING’S PIRATE (1967) with Doug McClure!

For what it’s worth, the unprecedented box office success of that unappetizing modern franchise is most probably what induced reluctant movie studios to dust off their catalogue swashbuckling titles and release them on DVD and, as a matter of fact, AGAINST ALL FLAGS itself was the one gem in a poorly-thought out “Pirates Of The Golden Age Movie Collection” set from Universal which also consisted of obscure dross like BUCCANEER’S GIRL (1950; with Yvonne De Carlo), DOULE CROSSBONES (1951; with Donald O’Connor) and YANKEE BUCCANEER (1952; with Jeff Chandler)! Value for money, perhaps but, so far, I have only acquired the Errol Flynn flick from other sources; even so, if the mood strikes me in future, I might wish to lay my hands on similar marine adventures like Edward Dmytyk’s MUTINY (1952), the afore-mentioned YANKEE BUCCANEER and PIRATES OF TORTUGA (1961).

Excellent pirate entertainment! It has all the good ingredients to keep one's attention -- an absorbing tale of intrigue, a fiery lady pirate named Spitfire Stevens (Maureen O'Hara) who's attracted to the irresistible Mr. Hawke (Errol Flynn) who is out on a secret mission of his own. They make a fine romantic pair onscreen -- sigh!

Anthony Quinn is the mean, bad pirate weaving his villainous web of divide and conquer. I noticed the very familiar face of Mildred Natwick playing a supporting role as Mrs. MacGregor, the protector of young Princess Patma (Alice Kelley).

There is beautifully filmed scenery of shorelines, ships, and the bay. Lots of action too of sword fighting clashes, ship battles, daring leaps of Errol Flynn (Robin Hood on board ship!). From the flaming redhead herself I once heard in an interview of Maureen O'Hara that she boasted great command of the bullwhip and could also outdo Flynn in sword fighting in those days but there'd be no need to put it to the test here.

Very enjoyable movie.

Enjoyable Pirate movie dealing with Brian Hawke of the Royal Navy versus the pirates of Madagascar . In 1700 A.D. , the Pirate Republic of Libertaria on the Island of Madagascar was a constant menace to the rich trade routes to India . Several days sail from his pirate fortress in the British merchant ship Monsoon . There appears Brian Hawke (Errol Flynn) , an English navy officer slashing his way through the fleet and pretending to be a deserter to infiltrate into pirate island . Once inside the port, Flynn meets the pirate captains called Stevens (Maureen O'Hara) and Roc Brasiliano (Anthony Quinn). Brian/Flynn is after Stevens , who has a valuable map . Hawke is after a map of the harbor fortifications so that it can be successfully taken by the English navy . Brian Hawke and Brasiliano capture and burn a ship carrying Princess Patma (Alice Kelley), daughter of the Great Mogul, and her governess, Molvina MacGregor (Mildred Natwick). After numerous adventures Hawke is able to aid his lover and help save his British empire , finding romance along the way . As Hawke ravished the pirate port of Madagascar to steal the love of its Corsair Queen .

Amusing pirate movie , plenty of action , thrills , colorful cinematography and luxurious costumes . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic confrontation between Errol Flynn and Anthony Quinn . Average-budgeted film by Universal Pictures , using appropriate ship shots and miniature sets when possible . Good acting by Errol Flynn as a deserter in order to penetrate a well-defended pirate stronghold on Madagascar . Though Errol Flynn did most of his own stunts, he balked at the one involving sliding down through a sail on a rapier blade, which was originated by Douglas Fairbanks in The Black Pirate , the stunt was performed by a double . Flynn suffered a broken ankle during filming, and while he was recovering, Universal took advantage of the unused sets by scripting and shooting a hastily assembled B picture, Yankee Buccaneer with Jeff Chandler. Flynn starred various swashbucklers and classic adventures such as ¨Captain Blood¨, ¨The Sea Hawk¨, ¨The Prince and the pauper¨, ¨Adventures of Don Juan¨ , ¨Adventures of Captain Fabian¨ and ¨The Master of Ballantrae¨. ¨Against all flags¨ results to be one of Flynn's swashbuckling best though hasn't achieved the same classic status . There appears the gorgeous Maureen O'Hara as a hot-tempered pirate moll who swoons over Flynn ; furthermore , Alice Kelley is a tarty eyeful as a likable princess in distress who Flynn saves from the burning ship and she falls for him , too . This is a good-natured Technicolor romp with splendid cinematography by Russell Metty and evocative musical score by Hans J. Salter . The motion picture was well directed by George Sherman , a craftsman and action specialist who had already filmed other adventures . Rating : 6'5 good pirate movie , wonderful stuff . It will appeal to Errol Flynn and Maureen O'Hara fans .

"Against All Flags" is every bit the classic swashbuckler. It has all the elements the adventure fan could hope for and more for in this one, the damsel in distress is, well, not really in distress. As Spitfire Stevens, Maureen O'Hara is at her athletic best, running her foes through in defiance of the social norms of the period. Anthony Quinn rounds out the top three billed actors as the ruthless Captain Roc Brasiliano and proves to be a wily and capable nemesis for Brian Hawke (Flynn). For the classic adventure fan, "Against All Flags" is a must-see. While it may not be in quite the same league as some of Errol Flynn's earlier work (Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk, for instance), it is still a greatly entertaining romp.

If you like pirate films, you shouldn't miss this one. "Against All Flags" is not a great film of the genre, but it is entertaining and enjoyable.

It has all the ingredients. Battles at sea, the hero, the villain, the hero's romantic interest, the final sword duel, good settings and color and special effects are very good too (don't forget we are in the early 50's).

I think the cast helps a lot if not for outstanding performances (there are not very demanding roles) but for actors that were symbols in this kind of movie. Errol Flynn -probably the all time swashbuckler- was aging here but he still had his unique screen presence. Maureen O'Hara was often casted in adventure films and her undeniable beauty was always welcome. And Anthony Quinn -not a major star back then, but a classical villain- was on his way.

Pure pirate adventure; no more, but no less.