Against All Flags

Copyright 2 November 1952 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. A Universal-International picture. New York opening at the Capitol: 24 December 1952. U.S. release: December 1952. U.K. release: 16 February 1953. Australian release: 23 July 1953. Sydney opening at the State. 7,513 feet. 83 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A British naval officer attempts to break the pirate hold on Madagascar. NOTES: Universal re-made this film in 1967 as King's Pirate. Don Weis directed the re-make from a script refurbished with only minor changes by Paul Wayne. The leading roles were played by Doug McClure, Jill St John, Guy Stockwell and Mary Ann Mobley. COMMENT: Errol can still swash with the best of them, but Against All Flags marks the end of Errol Flynn's Hollywood career as a swashbuckler. (The three swashbuckling pictures he made after this were filmed in Europe, whereas Against All Flags was lensed mostly on the Universal sound stages and back lot, with some location work at Palos Verdes on the Californian sea-coast). To my mind, it is a fitting end to the career Warner Brothers launched so auspiciously 17 years before in Captain Blood. Universal made a brave attempt to recapture the scope and vigor of the Warner pictures and, while Against All Flags does not equal the best of them, it runs the second echelon pretty close. Against all Flags has at least 4 major factors in its favor: (1) a fine cast. Miss O'Hara was never more attractive, or Quinn so delightfully villainous, and there's a rib-tickling performance by Alice Kelley as a dumb princess. Flynn himself is at his most charming and, athletically, in top form. In fact, he applied himself so energetically to the action sequences, he broke his left ankle five days before the film was due for completion. It was five months before he could resume, during which time the ship (a standing set on Universal's back lot) had been converted for use in Yankee Buccaneer ("setting sail" with Captain Jeff Chandler and much the same crew under Joseph Pevney's direction) and had to be re-converted back again!; (2) a highly entertaining script, with plenty of scope for action, colorful characterisations, and some ingenious and original plotting; (3) zestful direction by George Sherman (no relation to Vincent Sherman who handled Flynn in The Adventures of Don Juan); (4) excellent production values, including Russell Metty's Technicolor photography. OTHER VIEWS: Good swashbuckling yarn, with plenty of action and nice color. The performances are spirited, and the direction smooth. Miss O'Hara looks very fetching in her pirate costume.

source: Against All Flags

Latter day Errol Flynn pirate adventure, filmed in sumptuous colour and with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O'Hara providing fine support as the villainy and love interest respectively (of course!). O'Hara was in the not dissimilar Black Swan but I much prefer her in this, as a feisty pirate captain called Spitfire. She wears Lincoln green a lot, perhaps as a nod to Flynn's Robin Hood many years earlier. Sadly, I found Flynn to be the weakest link here. People say he's aged a lot in this, but no more than many of us do in over a decade, certainly no more than Bond stars Connery and Moore did in the same amount of time. I don't mind the 19th-hole, fetch-me-a-double-whiskey-and-Xerox-it pallour, rather that Flynn seems to be a man with the fight completely knocked out of him. There's none of the animus or spirit of his earlier performances - and Flynn without spirit is like Connery without his dangerous edge - or, as Connery appeared in Never Say Never Again. In fact, this vehicle has the feel of a belated comeback picture like NSNA or Indy and the Crystal Skulls, there's the sense that something is not quite right with the leading man. There's a defeated, shifty look in Flynn's eyes that's very uncharismatic. It doesn't help that the script seems written for Flynn in his younger glory years, a lady killer who can turn Spitfire's head without preamble. It's a scene that anticipates Connery and Karin Dor in YOLT, but at least Connery had a bit more of the youthful, indolent way about him still then. I didn't care either for the plot, a Donnie Brasco-type thing where Flynn is a naval officer posing as a deserter to infiltrate the pirate colony, but that's just my taste. Like Lazenby in OHMSS going undercover as Sir Hilary Bray, it works against the leading man's natural brio and bravado. It would have helped to show some dastardly, nasty pirate behaviour early on to justify his undercover actions, because often Flynn plays the outraged insubordinate rather than an establishment figure. Still, the look of the film carried me through and I wish Captain Blood had been filmed in that sort of colour.

Against all Flags is a standard 50's pirate film featuring an aging Errol Flynn. It's thin on plot and doesn't bother with any historical accuracy. Still I suppose it was intended as a light hearted romp and that's exactly what you get. There are a few decent fight scenes and it's filmed in vibrant colours. The obligatory romance(s) are laboured and unconvincing and take up way too much of the film. It's all fairly ridiculous but at least some enjoyment can be gained from the impressive sets. This isn't a film that's aged well and it's hard to imagine it figured high on the achievements of any of the big star names in it, even at the time. It's worth watching for historical value but has little to offer the modern audience.

I have no idea if Maureen O'Hara liked roles such as the one she played in AGAINST ALL FLAGS or not. On the one hand, she got to play a woman with pluck and strength. On the other, she was a walking cliché--an anachronistic lady who never could have existed in 1700--let alone 1952. In the film, she is a female pirate--one that is the boss of bosses and makes men cringe. She is "the man"...something that never could have happened in real life. History DOES record two pirate women (Mary Read and Anne Bonney) but they were NOT the captain and it appears that the crew on board the tiny boat they served even knew that they were women. There were no boss-lady pirates except in film...and all too often, they were played by Maureen O'Hara. A silly idea really, as the way she played these petulant roles was rather cartoonish--a tough as nails lady who instantly is taken by the studliness of the male lead! Despite this, the film is a very watchable piece of fluff that features Errol Flynn as an English naval officer who pretends to go pirate so that he can infiltrate their base. As for Flynn, while he was a serious hard-core drunk when he made the film, he doesn't show the puffiness and effects of alcohol like he did just a few years later. It's one of his last good roles. In the role of the rival and hot-headed pirate is Anthony Quinn--playing a very typical role for him as well. However, despite his having made quite a few films in similar circumstances, he was quite well-suited to the role. As far as the script goes, that is by far the worst part of the film--being mostly clichés and predictable outcomes. But, on the plus side, the color cinematography is nice, the film is lite and easy on the brain and is basically harmless escapist fluff. By the way, my favorite line in the film was a great double-entendre: Errol Flynn (to Maureen O'Hara): "I shall regret not having the honor of serving...under you". Umm....yeah.

If you like pirate films, you shouldn't miss this one. "Against All Flags" is not a great film of the genre, but it is entertaining and enjoyable. It has all the ingredients. Battles at sea, the hero, the villain, the hero's romantic interest, the final sword duel, good settings and color and special effects are very good too (don't forget we are in the early 50's). I think the cast helps a lot if not for outstanding performances (there are not very demanding roles) but for actors that were symbols in this kind of movie. Errol Flynn -probably the all time swashbuckler- was aging here but he still had his unique screen presence. Maureen O'Hara was often casted in adventure films and her undeniable beauty was always welcome. And Anthony Quinn -not a major star back then, but a classical villain- was on his way. Pure pirate adventure; no more, but no less.

Against All Flags is a daft high seas adventure but is rather fun although the plot does not stand up to much scrutiny and some of the pirates characters are lacking any kind of consistency. Errol Flynn, looking a little old and portly plays Hawke, a British naval sailor going undercover to infiltrate the pirates. Anthony Quinn is suspicious of him making you wonder why Quinn did not just kill Hawke and the lovely and fiery Maureen O Hara is Spitfire Stevens, a lady pirate in the High Seas who somehow up to know has managed to get Quinn's grimy hands off her or all the other male sailors. O Hara immediately gets the hots for Hawke and both actors seem to have good chemistry. In the mix comes a ship sailing from India carrying a princess who also also falls for Hawke and brings some comic relief but also happens to be daft as a brush. The film is beautifully made in technicolour and both O Hara and the Princess look lovely. Quinn is snarling and Flynn is a gentleman on screen at least. Plenty of fights, battles and although some of the ship based scenes look like they were filmed in a studio its entertaining enough but in a daft way as the script and characterisation is nonsense.

Excellent pirate entertainment! It has all the good ingredients to keep one's attention -- an absorbing tale of intrigue, a fiery lady pirate named Spitfire Stevens (Maureen O'Hara) who's attracted to the irresistible Mr. Hawke (Errol Flynn) who is out on a secret mission of his own. They make a fine romantic pair onscreen -- sigh! Anthony Quinn is the mean, bad pirate weaving his villainous web of divide and conquer. I noticed the very familiar face of Mildred Natwick playing a supporting role as Mrs. MacGregor, the protector of young Princess Patma (Alice Kelley). There is beautifully filmed scenery of shorelines, ships, and the bay. Lots of action too of sword fighting clashes, ship battles, daring leaps of Errol Flynn (Robin Hood on board ship!). From the flaming redhead herself I once heard in an interview of Maureen O'Hara that she boasted great command of the bullwhip and could also outdo Flynn in sword fighting in those days but there'd be no need to put it to the test here. Very enjoyable movie.

By 1945, and after a string of solid WWII propaganda pieces, Errol Flynn’s hold over U.S. box office had started to decline so, in spite of the increased burden of waning looks, he embarked on a series of films pertaining to that genre which had earlier made his name: the swashbuckler. The first of these was a good one actually – ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948) – but it also proved to be his last big-budget Hollywood starring vehicle. The rest of his sword-wielding days were spent wandering all over Europe: in England for KIM (1950), THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE (1953) and THE DARK AVENGER (1955), in France for ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN FABIAN (1951) and Italy for the aborted THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL (1953) and the little-seen CROSSED SWORDS (1954). However, Hollywood did beckon him one last time to his old seafaring ways – albeit for a modestly-budgeted Universal picture rather than a Warner Brothers ‘A’ production to which he had been accustomed when at his peak… Still, the glorious Technicolor cinematography leaps off the screen here and, while an older and flabbier Flynn may look like the pale shadow of his former self, his red-headed leading lady Maureen O’Hara has a field day as a tomboyish buccaneer leader who deep down craves romance and wants to be treated like a lady. Anthony Quinn was still a few years away from his larger-than-life starring vehicles, so here he is typically seen as the baddie – the pirate captain Roc Brasiliano, a role he attacks with gusto. Like THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954) – a viewing of which preceded this one – AGAINST ALL FLAGS takes me back to my cherished childhood days of constant TV viewing when vintage Hollywood movies were the order of the day on both the local and neighboring Italian channels. For all I know, this might well have been the very first pirate movie I’ve ever seen and I cringe at the thought of today’s generation of youngsters supposedly believing that the grossly overblown PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy is what buccaneering is all about! As I said earlier, AGAINST ALL FLAGS might not be the finest pirate yarn ever brought to the screen but it’s a solid example of this prolific genre all the same. Nowadays, the amorous persistence of the child-like Indian princess (Alice Kelley) towards her pirate captor Flynn may strike one as being awfully silly but the rest of it – despite clearly not scaling the heights of THE SEA HAWK (1940) and THE BLACK SWAN (1942), to mention the finest seafaring ventures of its respective stars – is briskly paced and reasonably engaging. Incidentally, the film would later go on to be remade as THE KING’S PIRATE (1967) with Doug McClure! For what it’s worth, the unprecedented box office success of that unappetizing modern franchise is most probably what induced reluctant movie studios to dust off their catalogue swashbuckling titles and release them on DVD and, as a matter of fact, AGAINST ALL FLAGS itself was the one gem in a poorly-thought out “Pirates Of The Golden Age Movie Collection” set from Universal which also consisted of obscure dross like BUCCANEER’S GIRL (1950; with Yvonne De Carlo), DOULE CROSSBONES (1951; with Donald O’Connor) and YANKEE BUCCANEER (1952; with Jeff Chandler)! Value for money, perhaps but, so far, I have only acquired the Errol Flynn flick from other sources; even so, if the mood strikes me in future, I might wish to lay my hands on similar marine adventures like Edward Dmytyk’s MUTINY (1952), the afore-mentioned YANKEE BUCCANEER and PIRATES OF TORTUGA (1961).

The plot means very little in this gorgeous Technicolor Adventure where Maureen O'Hara steals the scenery from veteran swashbuckler Errol Flynn. She's once again opposite Anthony Quinn, the Pirate villain here who stands to come between O'Hara and the man she secretly desires, Flynn. Frankly I'd rather seen O'Hara and Quinn together, because they have much more chemistry. O'Hara steals every scene that she's in, giving a push for pirate Queens liberation, although she's not quite Hope Emerson in "Double Crossbones" or Jean Peters in "Anne of the Indies", ironically those two totally opposite women playing the same character which later became the short-lived Broadway musical "The Pirate Queen". O'Hara is totally believable as a tough woman of the seas, and yet in spite of her masculine demeanor is quite lovely when she dresses up, yet she is no fool when it comes to men. This is almost a seafaring "Taming of the Shrew" with O'Hara telling Flynn at one point that no man kisses her unless she is ready to be kissed, yet she is even more offended when she offers her lips to him and he says he's got more important things to do. Her reaction is hysterical. Mildred Narwick, with Scottish accent, is also excellent. Forget about the plot and simply enjoy this for what it is: an entertaining mixture of swashbuckling action, battle of the sexes comedy and a fast moving popcorn picture that is filled with picture postcard photography and flies by quickly.