Captain Scarlett (1953)

Better Late Then Never

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This entertaining but quickly forgettable historical swashbuckler has the benefit of giving the post Napoleonic era of France a distinct Mexican feeling. 1930's matinée idol Richard Greene is a French nobleman back from the end of wars after Napoleon was banished, finding out that his lands have been taken over by self proclaimed nobility. So when you are the sudden enemy of a newly declared state, what do you do? Go on the road, create a merry band of men, (and one tough woman), and fight against the injustices by ridding the countryside of these wicked rulers with no genuine claim to their titles.It's silly but colorful, historically inaccurate but action packed, and often camp. Having been a rival to Tyrone Power at 20th Century Fox, Greene is still dashing, having aged pretty well over the previous 15 years. But I never was convinced that I was anywhere near the French country side, given obvious Mexican actors and settings, and one brief dance sequence that is totally Spanish. Other than Greene, the other actors really are not worth recommending. They do the best with what they have, and action sequences often make this quite thrilling.

According to the DVD sleeve synopsis, "When the masterful Captain Scarlett returns home after years of battlefield service, he finds that his lands have been seized by a treacherous nobleman. Unable to stand silent in the face of this injustice, Scarlett (played with aplomb by action star Richard Greene) gathers other victims of the thieving Duke and together, with flashing swords and fierce courage, they battle to win back their lands and regain their dignity." To the point, writer/producer Howard Dimsdale has mostly mediocre material with this one; but, he certainly noticed Mr. Greene's "Robin Hood" potential, and went on to write for his popular "The Adventures of Robin Hood" TV series. Even more interestingly, writer/actor Nedrick Young (as Pierre DuCloux) is a natural sidekick, and is one of the cast least needing re-takes. Mr. Young would soon be scripting award-winning films for Stanley Kramer.*** Captain Scarlett (4/1/53) Thomas Carr ~ Richard Greene, Leonora Amar, Nedrick Young, Eduardo Noriega

I really do not know if the commentator who gave this joint of ham 10/10 had seen the same film as the rest of us or was indulging in a strong piece of "ironic narrative". My views accord mostly with the comments of all the other reviewers. Richard Greene makes a passable central figure/hero, (in fact, given the time the film was made - just three years before Greene began the long-running British TV series, "The Adventures of Robin Hood", starring in the central role himself, of course, - I felt at times that I was almost watching a 'dress rehearsal' for the TV series and wondering if there was any connection between the two, e.g. did Lew Grade's talent scouts see this film and think of Greene for the green tights role as a result?)Unlike another commentator, I also found the sword fight scenes quite well done, (again conjuring up visions of 'Robin Greene' swashbuckling with the Sheriff of Nottingham's 'baddies'), and the Technicolour could not be any 'lusher' at all. That is as far as it goes, though. The 'plot', (if you can find it), is less than you would have got in any weekly comic of the period, the rest of the acting is somewhere between insipid and atrocious and, in particular, the music score must be one of the worst ever composed/inflicted on a cinema audience. A shame, really. Some improvements in any of the latter regards would have made the film reasonably enjoyable and worth a second viewing. On the other hand, if someone worse than Greene had been in the lead, it would have had a very good chance indeed of being rated as a truly toe-curling, cringe-inducing 'Golden Turkey' of all time. As it is, one for viewing while ironing on a windy winter afternoon and then forgetting.

One of the worst movie I have ever seen. The script is awful, the acting is awful, the direction is awful, the sound is awful and the colours are awful. Seems that they put all their talents together to produce the worst movie ever made...Wonder if "The Producers" was based on that exercise???