Oh to be in England, now that Elizabeth is Queen. Or so this movie would make it seem - as most swashbucklers, it tends to make the past seem like a far better time to live than it was. This tale of Spain and England before the Armada is no...
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Oh to be in England, now that Elizabeth is Queen. Or so this movie would make it seem - as most swashbucklers, it tends to make the past seem like a far better time to live than it was. This tale of Spain and England before the Armada is no different.

Half the cast seems to be back from "Robin Hood" - Flynn, Rains, Hale and even Una O'Connor. Sadly, DeHavilland is not, and the downturned mouth of Brenda Marshall is no substitute - she generates absolutely no excitement. On the other hand, Flora Robson does a great turn as the mischievous Elizabeth I.

For me, the most action in this movie is in the first 20 minutes, as Flynn's privateer battles a huge galleon and brings it to its knees. A lot of the subsequent intrigue in central America (how do the ambushers re-load their muzzle-loading muskets so quickly?) and chain gang duty on the Spanish Main is surprisingly plodding and generic - without flourish. Swashbucklers have got to have flourish.