7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Geoffrey Thorpe, a buccaneer, is hired by Queen Elizabeth I to nag the Spanish Armada. The Armada is waiting for the attack on England and Thorpe surprises them with attacks on their galleons where he shows his skills on the sword.
Starring: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall (I), Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Flora RobsonAdventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Not to be confused with the 1924 silent film of the same name or that film's source novel, Michael Curtiz's historical maritime adventure The Sea Hawk contains one of star Errol Flynn's best-remembered roles, alongside his exploits in The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and Adventures of Don Juan. Peppered with outstanding set pieces, a memorable score by Erich Korngold, and sweeping action punctuated by a fierce sword fight that's perhaps one of the best ever caught on film, The Sea Hawk flounders in other areas but should still impress genre enthusiasts.
It's almost all in good fun, of course, and The Sea Hawk's captivating action sequences and ever-twisting narrative are more than enough to hold the interest of even casual genre fans. Performances are mostly great, especially Flynn and Flora Robson, although Brenda Marshall is a second-rate substitute for Olivia de Havilland. The crisp black-and-white visuals, contrasted by a brief sepia-toned trip to the Americas, provide an attractive silvery sheen even if most of us would have preferred full-on Technicolor. The original score by composer Erich Korngold, repetitive as it is at times, likewise boosts the action and adventure during key moments, from intense naval warfare to a final swordfight that had to be carefully constructed due to Henry Daniell's complete lack of experience with a blade. Yet while this particular piece of action puts an exclamation point on the film's climax, its increasingly obvious reliance on pro-war propaganda (obviously meant to not only boost England's then-recent entry into WWII, but also to prod America's participation in the conflict) leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste for this otherwise above-average spectacle.
While more well-rounded Errol Flynn swashbuckling adventures exist (all three film's linked above, for starters), The Sea Hawk still remains
a decent enough effort in its own right that should thrill and entertain anyone swayed by its obvious charms. Not surprisingly, Warner Archive's
still-available Blu-ray is another standout package for the boutique label, pairing a respectable A/V restoration with bonus features ported over from
previous DVD editions.
Fundamentally, Warner Archive's Blu-ray presentation of The Sea Hawk looks as good as any other nitrate film they've released in recent years... at least during its best moments, which were likely sourced from the original negative. Other portions of this film utilize less optimal source material and, though I'm not familiar enough with the film to recognize which moments are exclusive to the longer 127-minute cut seen here (as well as on a few earlier home video releases, including WA's own DVD from 2009), that might explain the differences. The end result, then, is a solid but sporadically inconsistent visual presentation, one that occasionally lurches from pristine, silvery highlights to murkier moments that fall victim to mushy shadow detail, blown-out highlights, and high noise levels that all obscure fine detail and textures. It never looks unwatchable and, given the presumed state of its lesser source material (combined with Warner Archive's near-spotless track record for great restorations), still deserves a great overall rating since most of the film, from its spectacular wide shots of the ship to that brief sepia-tinted trip to Panama, looks better than ever.
Upon this Blu-ray's original release, Warner Archive's now-quiet YouTube channel uploaded no less than six clips showing off the new restoration: "Captured by Captain Thorpe", "Audience with Elizabeth I", "Escaping the Galley", "Only a Pirate Would Deny Your Jewels", "Swordfight With a Traitor", and "Sentenced to the Galley".
While the large majority of this DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track sounds perfectly fine (and at the very least, dutifully preserves the modest original 1.0 mono mix faithfully), a handful of short scenes and exchanges suffer from a tinny and borderline gauzy distortion that renders portions of dialogue somewhat tough to decipher. This ties into most of the visual differences described above and isn't too prolonged or distracting, but it's definitely noticeable at times. Aside from that, The Sea Hawk enjoys a largely clean and satisfying audio presentation that feels more or less in line with other adventure films from this era. Other highlights include the sweeping original score by Erich Korngold, especially an instantly memorable main cue that you better enjoy because you'll hear it at least two dozen times.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, but not the extras. This is pretty annoying since the DVD edition that most of them were sourced from did in fact have optional subtitles available. It's perhaps my only ongoing hang-up regarding Warner Archive releases, and one that I hope is addressed at some point.
This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art and no inserts. All extras are ported over from Warner Bros.' 2007 DVD (one of two releases on that format), although a few slight upgrades have been made.
Michael Curtiz's historical maritime adventure The Sea Hawk contains one of star Errol Flynn's best-remembered roles, while its swashbuckling action and memorable score should delight genre enthusiasts. The story is somewhat muddled and even borders on subversive propaganda, but that doesn't mean it still can't be enjoyed for its surface-level thrills. Warner Archive's Blu-ray pairs a solid A/V presentation -- considering the state of its source material -- with a handful of decent bonus features. Recommended, but more so for established fans than newcomers.
1952
Fox Studio Classics
1942
1942
1926
Limited Edition to 3000
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1955
Warner Archive Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
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1964
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1989
1957
75th Anniversary Edition
1939
Warner Archive Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
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