Flynn As "The Robin Hood Of The Seas"
Favorites List --- The Sea Hawk
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| A Concluding Scene for The Sea Hawk That UK Patrons Saw More Of. |
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| A "Color-Glos" Still As Issued by Warners for The Sea Hawk in 1940 |
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| Luxury in Abundance at The Ambassador Theatre in St. Louis |
posted by John McElwee at 8:14 AM
6 Comments:
I recall RCA's "Classic Film Scores" albums - I blieve they were produced by Korngold's son George. One album featured the music that accompanied studio logos.
Craig Reardon has some good things to say about Errol Flynn and "The Sea Hawk":
John,
That's a wonderful entry on "The Sea Hawk", and that's a film that could sustain any number of scholarly + enthusiastic histories, about its incredible cast, it's incredible production (I think---I'm not sure---they 'purpose-built' an entire new stage at Warners just to do the magnificently faked scenes at sea on Thorpe's various ships), and it's all-but-incredible score by Korngold that rewrote the book on the impact of music with great imagery. Or, on Curtiz, or Flynn, or...where do you END? There are plenty of places to begin!
But, your take on the history of the film, itself, and its sad misadventures in the uncertain '50s that claimed the life, almost, of its edited sequences---at least, based on the inferior looking quality of some of them that were restored for the 2004 (or so) DVD from WB---is thorough-going and fascinating, too. Film is very, very vulnerable as far as damage or inferior printing. Gray prints, indeed. The same could be said of stills. Aren't we always stunned when we see a beautifully-preserved, well-reproduced still from that day? The tones almost become colors, as you aptly put it in daring to say that "The Sea Hawk" looks almost BETTER than Technicolor!---and I'm bound to agree with you.
Also, your observation about the subtlety of Flynn's acting, and his incomparable presence---nay, indispensable---is on the head of that old nail. More and more and more he emerges as perhaps the great talent from WB in those years. I've lately felt that in subtlety he actually eclipses Bogie, who's owned the trophy in that department for years. Yet, intelligent fans are apt to be getting the impression upon repeat viewings of Flynn's vehicles that this was no pretty boy---though he was handsome as Apollo---but an incredibly smart, subtle, witty and intelligent actor...not merely some kind of extended flash-in-the-pan. I mean, you only have to watch his good-natured turn in "Thank Your Lucky Stars" to see how funny he could be, on top of everything else. (There too he tops Bogart's turn in the same film, very funny in its own right.)
I think the Queen's speech, brilliantly performed by Robson, is a HUGE improvement to the end of "The Sea Hawk". After all, it makes bold to present an "English" POV throughout. This ending fits perfectly and actually almost succeeds in turning this Yank---of primarily Irish descent, to boot!---into a complete (if temporary) Anglophile! The artfully-bedraggled men, the handsomely 'noble' Flynn, and his hearties, particularly Alan Hale with his great smile, saluting Robson at the conclusion of her speech, and Korngold's almost unbearably glorious peroration in his score, are the things movie legend are made of.
Your final remarks about the 'one feature' experiment in the apparently magnificent movie palace in St. Louis, the Ambassador, is interesting in itself, but it also provokes this 60-year old to smile at the fact that my children look at me strangely when I tell them that "when I was a kid..." (groannn!), ALL excursions to the movies were predicated on the expectation of seeing TWO current feature films! It's almost unbelievable to me that in my own humble lifetime I've seen that change so much, not only in quantity, but---to my prejudice---even more so in quality. Showmanship has certainly changed, even if it isn't entirely gone.
Although I've always been a great fan of Flynn's, I wasn't charmed by "The Sea Hawk" when viewing it on regular TV way back when. I wonder if it was due not only to the disruptive commercial breaks but also the washed-out prints themselves. Next time it turns up on TCM, I'll have to re-watch it.
Craig Reardon's comments are (as is usual for him) dead-on. Flynn's acting is superb (try it sometime; in a doublet-and-hose and see how far you get, not to mention how silly you feel....) Flynn fit into these roles as well as Charlton Heston fit into a toga. The icing on most of Flynn's cakes were the magnificent musical scores provided by Erich Korngold and Max Steiner for his films. I, personally would LOVE to see a Blu-ray box-set of Flynn's best: "Robin Hood", "Sea Hawk", "Dodge City" and "Adventures Of Don Juan" (my personal favorite Flynn)...after all, we're getting BD box-set of Vincent Price, why not one of Flynn? Are you listening Warner Bros.?
A splendid article and fabulous rare images. Thank you!
I would just like to add two tid-bids of information.
WARNERS originally planned to release SEA HAWK as a roadshow attraction with an intermission and Korngold actually composed a definite "break point' in his score for it (I have this rare version on an acetate).
The intermission was to come at the point where Dona Maria watches the Albatross sail away at Dover, to Panama on the ebb tide. Part 2 would commence on the shot map showing the ship making its way, sepia tinted. In the prints we know today, the break is audible.
I do not know if the film ever played with this intermission.
The second bit of news is that the RCA Classic Film Scores series is being re-released and at a bargain price in a 12 CD box set. see this link:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8766788--charles-gerhardt-conducts-classic-film-scores
Thanks again,
BRENDAN CARROLL (in England)
Great information, Brenden. Thanks very much for sharing.
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