Mara Maru

Or maybe it was a crappy Garfield movie.

Point is, it's the typical low-budget B&W Warner Brothers affair where characters sit around in bars or living rooms talking about what they had done or plan to do, but very little action happens on-screen.

I will go to my grave insisting that Flynn was vastly under-estimated, trapped by his semi-literate movie-going fans eager to see him waving his sword around while wearing fancy get-up. Even in mediocre movies like this one, where he was probably forced to do it because the government had succeeded in putting Garfield in his grave and Bogart probably had more trouble than Flynn staying sober, Flynn is invested in his role and fully inhabits his character.

Raymond Burr turns in another stellar performance. He was the pre-eminent bad guy of 50s film, wasn't he? He must have had one h3ck of an agent to spin that resume into nice guy lawyer Perry Mason on TV.

Ruth Roman's bra is the gratuitous love interest. Paul Picerni plays Bela Lugosi's accent. Dan Seymour for some reason is a police lieutenant in The Phillipines. Maybe they don't mind fat ham over there.

I was tired of it by the time everyone set sail for the treasure. But I stuck with it because this is Errol Flynn's turn as the TCM Star of the Month and I am determined to watch all of them - from the classics, through the over-looked gems, to the routine, and all the way to the dogs.

Mara Maru came in Errol Flynn's career at a time when Warner Brothers and the rest of Hollywood for the most part was trying to divest itself of its big name stars and the salaries they commanded. It's the kind of a film that studios were giving stars to satisfy whatever commitments were still under contract. They did not think this was worth going to the Phillipines to shoot even.

In plot it's similar to a Glenn Ford film The Green Glove where another war veteran is searching for an object that's both valuable in monetary terms and has great religious significance. In tone Mara Maru looks like something that might have been meant for another Bogey and Bacall teaming.

Flynn plays a part of a World War II veteran who is a charter boat captain out of the Phillipines who knows the location of a jeweled cross taken from a church with the coming of the Japanese and sunk somewhere in the seas off Luzon. So does his partner Richard Webb who talks a little too much in a Manila bar and winds up dead.

Which doesn't concern Webb's wife Ruth Roman who is doing a Lauren Bacall knockoff of a performance. She's got a thing for Flynn in any event. Of course master villain Raymond Burr is behind a whole lot of things that befall Flynn until Flynn uses his boat to take him to the lost cross. It's an uneasy type alliance as you can gather. In the mix is Paul Picerni playing a Peter Lorre type part. Picerni is a man of very shifting loyalties and his part is terribly underwritten.

Some underwater sequences could have used some color to appreciate them better, something Jack Warner wasn't about to splurge for in this potboiler. Mara Maru is not a bad film, but it's certainly nothing that any of Errol Flynn's fans would put at the top five for him.

I don't know if I can call myself an admirer of Errol Flynn's work, but it would be a mistake not to recognize his merit as one of the most remarkable and outstanding actors of his time. As the heartthrob of several adventure films, he continues to mark the collective memory as a pirate, adventurer and heartbreaker. It is still easy to find, on specialty TV channels, several of his films such as "Captain Blood", "Against All Flags", "Robin Hood" or "Don Juan"..., but this is not one of those iconic films that almost every we've already seen... quite the opposite.

I'm certainly not the best person to assess the reasons why "Mara Maru" fell by the wayside and became an obscure film in the lives of everyone involved. What I do know, and I can say, is that Errol Flynn was already in clear degradation due to his problems with alcohol and that, during the film, I felt the actor was quite uncommitted to the role. Another problem is the story of the film, with a far-fetched script where, in the wake of a crime that is never quite clarified (although the film, between the lines, indicates the murderer), everyone sets off on a brief treasure hunt that turns out not to be the focus of action. What really makes the film work is the dramatic relationship between characters, in addition to the protagonist's struggle with himself, torn between good and evil.

In fact, Flynn plays a frankly unsympathetic character in this film, we could even consider him an antihero, in part. He is a rude man, who is not necessarily mean, but he often acts in the worst possible way. A division that helps to understand why he became the lover of the friend's wife with whom he had a business partnership, and that explains the greed with which he craves treasure and his difficulty in giving up gain, after a certain point. The actor is good, but I've seen him in better shape in other works. Raymond Burr, Richard Webb and Paul Picerni make a very pleasant contribution, each in his own way. Ruth Roman stands out less... the actress is good and does what she can, but she was given very poor material and the character's character is unpleasant, indecisive to the point of seeming bipolar and quite one-dimensional.

Gordon Douglas does a decent job of directing, although at times I feel that the film lacks the resolution of some loose ends. The film is not always happy with the construction and handling of suspense, and there is some predictability in the action scenes, but these are flaws that I felt were of little relevance. The cinematography is quite satisfying, and the scenes at sea or underwater are particularly well done. The sets and costumes are good, and the whole Manila environment looks good enough, albeit with perhaps few visible references to the eastern universe. The soundtrack, signed by Max Steiner, is quite good.

There are some movies that simply qualify as afternoon entertainment. Mara Maru fits the bill as an adventurous romp with a cast led by Erroll Flynn and Raymond Burr.

Although this is not Flynn's best performance I would argue with those who have written demeaning his work. There are definitely moments throughout the movie where you see the sparkle of Robin Hood coming through.

It is always challenging to determine whether to blame the directing or the acting when actors look stiff or over exaggerate. Mara Maru has examples of both.

All that being said, I found myself following the intrigue, attempting to predict what would happen next, and actually enjoying a Sunday afternoon movie in the air conditioning.

I read one review that mentioned it would have been a much better movie in color and I would agree because the sea scenes in black and white just can't carry the same quality as a color film.

So, If you are looking to hunt down a treasure like the characters in this movie please understand that this is not a diamond in the rough but perhaps it's a gemstone that will make your day.

It is beyond me why critics had such a problem with Errol Flynn. He was, even in his worst films, an excellent actor. I think people let his personal flaws and wild personal life cloud their opinion. I think Errol Flynn is one of the most under-rated actors in the history of film, and never got the respect he deserved. Yes, part of that is certainly his own fault, but definitely not all of it.

Mara Maru is unquestionably one of Flynn's lesser films. It is a bit slow in parts, and there are a couple of plot holes that one must overlook, but I found myself overlooking them and just watching the movie to be entertained. If one does this, the movie is certainly worth a viewing. I found Ruth Roman such a blessing, as she was not one of those melodramatic, chew-the-wallpaper actresses from the old studio system...she was grounded, strong, and REALLY beautiful. The rest of the supporting cast was pretty good, too. Raymond Burr is always fun to watch as a bad guy, and I enjoyed the two actors who portrayed the Filipino boys. Paul Picerni and Dan Seymour I found to be a little over the top, but not so bad that they were totally annoying or unwatchable. And, for me, anything with Errol Flynn is fun...even in a mediocre film...there is just something about the guy that I like.

I'm giving the movie a 6 out of 10 mostly because of the solid B-film performances, competent directing through most of the film (I think the flaws are derived from poor editing, not from the directing), and for the ever-enjoyable Errol Flynn. I think those coming to the film with realistic expectations, prepared for B-film entertainment, and willing to overlook the weaknesses of the screenplay, will find themselves in for an enjoyable film experience.