At the beginning our protagonist Malcolm Marsh (Keith Mitchell) is besieged and attacked by a group of conspirators, and in the duel he is helped by the pirate/captain Francis Drake (Rod Taylor). Soon after, both join forces and Malcolm is named Drake's lieutenant and sets off towards the Spanish possessions in order to steal their treasures. So Sir Francis Drake goes on an expedition to the New World and steals a lot of gold and destroying Spanish ships. After making a daring getaway, Francis does to England where he protects Queen Elizabeth I (Irene Worth) from a network of spies who are plotting to overthrow her, while involving Mary Tudor (Esmeralda Ruspoli) who is imprisoned .All this in order to crown Mary as queen of England and Scotland. Then the king of Spain Philip II (Umberto Raho) plans the invasion of England with the Great Armada commanded by the Duke Medina Sidonia and trying to go first to Calais. Although the film does not have a historical perspective, being based on several hokey facts, some characters from the History appear, such as: Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham: Isabel I's advisor, Philip II of Spain, and Duke Medina-Sidonia who replaced Alvaro de Bazán in command of the Armada.
This is an ordinary mid-budget film set at sea, with the typical setting of the time in which it takes place. It's Rod Taylor and Keith Michell against the imperialist Spanish army. Glamorous Italian/British co-production with glittering costumes, evocative sets, spectacular scenes, wonderful palaces, fine photography by cameraman Giulio Gianini and a powerful score by composer Franco Mannino. It contains plenty of courtly intrigues, betrayals, battles, ship attacks, and plot twists; as well as sword fights and a little bit of humor. The picture was mediocrely directed by Rudolph Maté, and Primo Zeglio.
And adding some biographical details about Drake: He was an English privateer, explorer, slave trader, politician and vice-admiral. He led numerous expeditions of the English Royal Navy against targets in Spanish territory, both in mainland Spain and in American Spain. He led the third expedition to circumnavigate the world, whose survivors imitated, half a century later, the Magellan-Elcano enterprise and the García Jofre de Loaísa Expedition of 1525-1536. He participated in the attack on Cadiz in 1587, in the defeat of the Spanish Armada and in the disaster of the English Invincible, for which Drake fell into disgrace.
At a time when England and Spain were militarily opposed, Drake was considered a pirate by the Spanish authorities, while in England he has been valued as a privateer and patriot, and in his day he was honored as a hero, being knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. In 1585, as a result of the constant attacks by English privateers on the Spanish fleet and the English support for the United Provinces of the Netherlands, which at that time was fighting Spain in the Eighty Years' War, hostilities broke out between England and Spain, which gave rise to the Anglo-Spanish War. Queen Elizabeth I commissioned Drake to command a squadron tasked with attacking Spanish territories in India.
At just 25 years old, he embarked with his second cousin John Hawkins on an expedition led by the latter that had the slave trade as its mission. They passed through Cape Verde, Guinea and San Jorge de la Mina, where they captured two hundred black people; they crossed the Atlantic and arrived at Dominica, Margarita and Borburata, where they sold these men.
With the intention of heading towards Cartagena de Indias, a storm diverted them to the Gulf of Mexico, and when trying to take the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, they were attacked and defeated by a Spanish escort fleet. Previously, the English had agreed not to use their cannons against the Spanish, so the Spanish were able to dock at the current port of Veracruz. In turn, the Spanish had agreed not to attack the British once they entered, but it was all a ruse to surprise them and recover the fruit of English plunder. In the encounter, the English lost two ships from their fleet and were forced to retreat. They arrived at Plymouth, England, at the end of January 1569, after a painful return trip due to lack of supplies. Despite a formal truce between the crowns of Spain and England, during that time the armed incidents between both maritime powers became more violent and frequent.
At the Battle of Gravelines, a decisive engagement in the fight against the Spanish Armada, Sir Francis Drake served under the command of Lord Charles Howard. The battle, which raged for nine hours, took place off the coast of Gravelines, France. A change in wind direction forced the Spanish to retreat into the North Sea. Drake was known for his innovative battle tactics. Instead of approaching enemy ships to board them, he ordered his ships to sail in line and stay a safe distance from the Spanish ships. His gunboats would then fire a deadly broadside with the sole purpose of sinking them. During the battle against the Spanish Armada, Drake used a tactic known as "fire ships." On the night of August 7, he sent eight small ships filled with flammable materials toward the anchored Spanish fleet. The ships were set on fire, causing great confusion among the Spanish and forcing them to cut their anchors to avoid being set on fire. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Drake's tactics and strategies proved extremely effective. The English fleet managed to repel the Armada and force its retreat.
