Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 17, 2015

Sometime in the late 1940s my mother stumbled across an article which mentioned the French actress Micheline Presle (who Anglicized her last name as Prelle at one point), and fell in love with her first name, ultimately choosing it for one of my elder sisters (my family pronounced it in a decidedly un-French way, as “Michael-in,” since my father’s name was indeed Michael). That “fascinating” piece of my family history may admittedly have nothing to do with Prelle’s appearance in the at times kind of sad 1951 opus Adventures of Captain Fabian, but it is perhaps indicative of the fact that for some viewers, it’s going to be anecdotal and tangential information about the film, rather than the film itself, which provides most of the interest. By 1951, Flynn’s “wicked, wicked ways” (to quote his autobiography) had started to catch up to him, and he was a slightly puffy gentleman who looked considerably older than his mere 40 or so years. Flynn had at that point been relatively recently let go from his longtime Hollywood home at Warner Brothers, and he was struggling to keep his career afloat (no pun intended, considering this film’s occasionally nautical ambience). Partnering with singer and actor William Marshall (not the same William Marshall who achieved a certain cult status in the title role in Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream), Flynn hoped to jump start things with a two picture deal which included both Adventures of Captain Fabian and the fascinating (unreleased) anti-war film Hello God. Flynn was not in the best of shape, physically or emotionally, during this period, and Marshall is on record (especially with regard to Hello God) as stating that Flynn was a very difficult “partner” with whom to (try to) work. Marshall, who was at that point Prelle’s husband, may have been easier going, but he was evidently spectacularly unprepared to assume the mantle of director for Adventures of Captain Fabian, and there are a number of rather interesting reports about various difficulties the film encountered during shooting. Flynn is actually credited as the screenwriter, his only feature film writing outing other than the really bizarre 1959 outing Cuban Rebel Girls (Flynn’s last film appearance, released after his death), wherein Flynn literally helps Fidel Castro overthrow the Bautista government. (Flynn evidently also scripted a short about William Tell.) Set in 1860s New Orleans, Adventures of Captain Fabian might have been more accurately entitled The Adventures of Lea Mariotte, for the film’s emotional center is in fact the character played by Prelle, a Creole maid who experiences a number of trials (literally) and tribulations while involved in a supposedly tempestuous romance with the titular Captain Fabian (Errol Flynn).

Flynn’s screenplay (assuming he actually wrote it—there was evidently a lawsuit about this, yet another little interesting tidbit) isn’t exactly a model of elucidation, and so while Lea is introduced as a Creole, her actual ethnicity is never very well defined, though of course Prelle’s French accent would seem to suggest the character was at least partially European. Playing into this odd ambivalence is a truly unbelievable performance by the iconic Agnes Moorehead as Lea’s Aunt Jezebel. Moorehead is decked out in so-called “Egyptian” makeup, making her look like she’s perhaps part black (her disheveled hairdo makes her look like she's perhaps out of her mind). Incredibly, the precis adorning this Blu-ray’s back cover alleges Moorehead provides the “comedy relief” of Adventures of Captain Fabian, which makes me wonder if whoever wrote that line saw the same movie I did. Jezebel is in a way the fulcrum on which much of the plot hinges, for she eggs Lea on, insisting that the bloodline the two share is infinitely “better” than that of the foppish rich folks for whom they work.

Those high falutin’ types include Lea and Jezebel’s ostensible boss, an uppity aristocrat named Cynthia Winthrop (Zanie Campan), a harridan who treats Lea like Cinderella. Winthrop is engaged to the smarmy George Brissac (Vincent Price), and it’s no huge surprise when it’s soon revealed that George has been carrying on with Lea behind Cynthia’s back (though the subtext is that Cynthia is only all too aware of what’s going on). When Cynthia leaves, Jezebel decides to throw a party (with an invitation list that looks like something out of Tod Browning’s Freaks). Lea is being lusted after not just by George (who shows up unexpectedly), but by another household servant named Philippe (Roger Blin), and when Philippe and George get into it, Philippe comes out much worse for the wear, to say the least. George runs to get the police, assuring Lea everything will be all right, though when he returns with a constable, he simply says the Lea killed Philippe (which is not altogether untrue).

The more perspicacious reader will have probably noticed that the plot is fairly well convoluted already and there’s yet to be a sign of the good Captain Fabian. Fabian turns up during the trial, in a weird interweaving that frankly never makes much sense and which completely undercuts the ensuing romance between him and Lea. Fabian more or less fakes out the court, insisting that he has secret evidence which will implicate George (who is already in trouble with his family for being such a lout and wastrel). The court simply agrees to let Lea off the hook, in one of several odd plot machinations. Another unfortunate murder takes place, with the equally odd upshot being that George and Lea end up marrying each other. That doesn’t stop Lea and Fabian from enjoying an occasional clinch, in a film that ping pongs between so many competing and patently odd plot points that some viewers may suffer from veritable whiplash.

Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Adventures of Captain Fabian is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is largely in line with other Republic Pictures catalog efforts from Olive, though the elements used for this transfer often show considerable wear and tear, not necessarily only limited to smaller scratches, nicks and pieces of dust and dirt. There are occasional odd anomalies (look at Prelle's cheek in screenshot 1) that also dot the premises. (Olive states that the transfer comes from "the best available elements," always a clue that sourcing decent elements has been a problem.) Contrast is occasionally variable, but is mostly solid, delivering very good black levels and decently modulated gray scale. Grain is fairly heavy throughout the presentation, something only increased by the film's ubiquitous use of opticals. While the entire transfer is on the soft side, close-ups can provide decent to very good levels of fine detail.

Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Adventures of Captain Fabian features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which, like the video component of this release, can't quite overcome some age related issues. In this case it's higher than average amounts of hiss, something that exacerbates some relatively anemic amplitude across the soundtrack. If you turn your receiver up a bit to overcome the volume issues, the hiss of course increases, and so there's a somewhat fine balance that needs to be maintained. Within that context, fidelity is reasonable, offering good reproduction across all frequency ranges, but sounding typically boxy as per many of the lower fidelity soundtracks of the era.

Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements of any kind on this Blu-ray disc.

Adventures of Captain Fabian Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have a sibling named after one of the stars or are curious to see Moorehead in what amounts to blackface, Adventures of Captain Fabian may offer a few fitful pleasures. The film is a rather lumbering mess most of the time, despite a rather spirited performance by Prelle and good supporting turns by Moorehead and Price. Flynn is almost a cameo in his own film, hovering around the edges and trying not to intrude, perhaps in the hope that absence will make the heart grow fonder. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Technical merits are average for those considering a purchase.