Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

colin-265 Why don't they make movies like this anymore? I had never seen this movie before and considering the year it was made it was fairly "spicey". Some great acting,especially Bail Rathbone and with his Dr Watson sidekick in the cast, I expected him to put on his deer stalker hat!I have to applaud the scenery and photography and of course the costumes. The scene where our heroine sees the Pirate Ship for the first time from the cliff top in all it's glory is breathtaking. Having lived in Devon and Cornwall I can't remember a beautiful day and calm seas at any time like that scene. Of course it wasn't shot in Cornwall at all.Slow start but it got very exciting from the half way point. And the heroine killing the damnable male villain. That's in vogue now. Super heroine before her time.If only Errol Flynn had played the Pirate lover I would have given it a 10

bohemianbird If you want true life - then maybe you should watch this. However, if you want escapism and the belief that dreams can come true - enjoy watching this posse of actors at, what i believe to be, their best. Basil Rathbone excels as the alter-egotistical villain whilst Arturo De Cordova gives dash and swashbuckling joy to die for! He excels as the dashing Frenchman set lose on the Cornish coastline and Joan Fontaine is delicious as his (almost) tomboy sidekick who is all woman. no remake ever came close to this original costume dramatic effort. What's more, the storyline stays almost entirely true to the original writings of Daphne De Maurier and that can't be a bad thing! . Fantastic, romantic enjoyment at its best!

Dick Gardner (RickyofL) This film was shot in Mendocino County and should be in the list of films shot in that area. The creek itself is the Albion River. The boat used in the film was left in the river and was resting on the bottom when I saw it and boarded it in 1944 or 5. My grandparents had an orchard and farm outside the community of Albion. A couple of the crew members stayed at their place when the film was being shot. There were some other locations on the coast that were used as well. The residence was removed and just the leveled field it was situated on and the plants the studio planted to surround the site remained for many years after. This location was outside of Albion near dark Gulch and was just west of highway 1 that runs along the coast in Mendocino and adjacent counties as far south as San Simeon. I have never seen the complete film, so would not to vote on it at this time.

Neil Doyle Joan Fontaine was never more beautifully costumed and made up as a lady longing for romance with a dashing pirate to escape her dull marriage--but she never quite convinces she has all the spirit and fire of the heroine. (Evidently, Maureen O'Hara was unavailable). She poses prettily in a number of extravagant costumes but the fantasy escapism of the story seems artificial and contrived. A nice asset is a background score featuring Debussy's 'Clair de Lune' and a properly wicked performance from Basil Rathbone (who gets his comeuppance from the fair lady by having a suit of armor tossed at him.) Cecil Kellaway and Nigel Bruce don't fare as well in rather thankless roles. Unfortunately, the pirate is played unimpressively by Arturo de Cordova, entirely lacking in the charisma required to make his part believable. Women will especially love the idea behind the story--escape with the man of your dreams if only for a day or night of pirate adventure. Nothing deep here, but it's beautiful to look at and justly won an Oscar for Best Color Art Direction and Interior Decoration. For fans of romantic fiction, this one fills the bill.