Captain Blood (1935)
Film and Plot Synopsis
When the English doctor Peter Blood is wrongly sentenced to slavery to the Caribbean, he amuses himself with insults at Arabella Bishop. She’s the daughter of the brutal plantation owner on whose land Blood and the other slaves toil. Once he escapes, he forms an alliance with the Machiavellian French buccaneer Captain Levasseur to exact his revenge against the Crown.
‘Captain Blood’ Movie Summary
During the reign of King James II, Doctor Peter Blood is convicted of treason for attending to the wounds of an injured rebel. He escapes death when he and the other captured rebels are shipped off to the West Indies to be sold into slavery.
Once in Port Royal, Arabella Bishop purchases Doctor Blood, but he soon becomes Governor Steed’s physician. Blood uses this position to formulate a plan to escape the island.
On the day of the escape, the Spanish attack Port Royal, and ruin everything. Always the opportunist, Blood and his fellow slaves capture the Spanish ship while the Spaniards celebrate their victory on the mainland. Blood then orders the cannons to kill the Spaniards as they try to get back to their ship.
Now Captain Blood, he and his men begin a three-year reign of terror as pirates. Back at Port Royal, Arabella Bishop’s uncle becomes the new governor of the town, and vows to bring Peter Blood to justice with a firm hanging. Arabella heads out on her own for a three-year trip to England.
Eventually, Blood takes a partner named Captain Levasseur. He manages to capture Arabella Bishop and royal emissary, Lord Willoughby as they return to Port Royal. Blood forces Levasseur to sell the pair to him which pisses off Levasseur. They fight to the death with Blood winning.
When Arabella rejects Blood, he takes her back to Port Royal where they find the French attacking the town. Lord Willoughby informs Captain Blood that King James II has been deposed, and that England’s new king, William of Orange, has sent him to offer Blood and his men full pardons if they fight for him in the Royal Navy.
Captain Blood and his men agree, and they engage the French; successfully defending the town. Blood is promoted to governor, and Arabella Bishop agrees to marry him. Governor Bishop is demoted due to his abandonment of the town during times of war. Smiles all around…except for Governor Bishop.
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Warner Bros released Captain Blood on December 28, 1935. Michael Curtiz directed the film starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Lionel Atwill.