The Sea Hawk (1940)
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100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(4,708 ratings)
In the 1580s, the Sea Hawks -- the name given to the bold privateers who prowl the oceans taking ships and treasure on behalf the British crown -- are the most dedicated defenders of British interests in the face of the expanding power of Philip of Spain. And Captain Geoffrey Thorpe (Errol Flynn) is… More In the 1580s, the Sea Hawks -- the name given to the bold privateers who prowl the oceans taking ships and treasure on behalf the British crown -- are the most dedicated defenders of British interests in the face of the expanding power of Philip of Spain. And Captain Geoffrey Thorpe (Errol Flynn) is the boldest of the Sea Hawks, responsible for capturing and destroying more than 50 Spanish ships and ten Spanish cities. His capture of a Spanish galleon, however, leads to more than he bargained for, in a romance with the ambassador's niece (Brenda Marshall) and the first whiff of a plan to put Spanish spies into the court of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). Thorpe's boldness leads him to a daring raid on a treasure caravan in Panama which, thanks to treachery within Elizabeth's court, gets him captured and, with his crew, sentenced to the life of a slave aboard a Spanish ship. Meanwhile, Philip of Spain decides to wipe the threat posed by Elizabeth's independence from the sea by conquering the island nation with his armada. Thorpe, though chained to an oar, knows who the traitor at court is and plans to expose him and Philip's plans, but can he and his men break their bonds and get back to England alive in time to thwart the plans for conquest? The Sea Hawk was the last and most mature of Flynn's swashbuckling adventure films, played with brilliant stylistic flourishes by the star at his most charismatic, and most serious and studied when working with Flora Robson, whom he apparently genuinely respected. Boasting the handsomest, most opulent production values of a Warner Bros. period film to date, The Sea Hawk was made possible in part by a huge new floodable soundstage. Another highlight was the best adventure film score ever written by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; and the script's seriousness was nailed down by various not-so-veiled references not to 16th century Spain but 20th century Nazi Germany. The movie was cut by over 20 minutes for a reissue with The Sea Wolf, and the complete version was lost until a preservation-quality source was found at the British Film Institute. Since then, that 128-minute version -- which actually contains a one-minute patriotic speech by Robson as Elizabeth that was originally left out of U.S. prints, as well as amber tinting in all of the Panamanian sequences -- has become standard. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 2 hr. 8 min.
- Directed By
- Michael Curtiz
- Written By
- Howard Koch, Seton I. Miller
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jul 1, 1940 Limited
- On DVD
- Apr 19, 2005
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
Critic Reviews
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Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
...as much as Flynn himself, what pulls together the grand action set-pieces of swordplay ... and gushing romance is the music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It's Hollywood's greatest swashbuckling symphony and one of the all-time favorite movie scores.
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Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
...this Warner Home Video DVD delivers another superior release from a studio loved by aficionados for its attentive releases of classic favorites. The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by Sol Polito looks great...
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Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
A fun swashbuckler that follows the reliable Errol Flynn template, but do yourself a favor and check out the lavish Robin Hood DVD first.
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Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
When The Sea Hawk is purely cinematic, it's at the top of its class.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
It holds up as well as any older film I can think of and bears repeated watching. ...Errol Flynn in his prime, and nobody has matched him since for pure heroics and pluck.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Errol Flynnas Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe -
Brenda Marshallas Donna Maria Alvarez de Cordoba -
Claude Rainsas Don Jose Alvarez de Cordoba
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Flora Robsonas Elizabeth I -
Donald Crispas Sir John Burleson -
Alan Haleas Carl Pitt
