Captain Blood The Criterion 12/25 Blu-ray (Rental)

With this spectacular romantic adventure, a new era of Hollywood swashbuckling was born, as was a devilishly dashing star named Errol Flynn. He brings boundless charisma to the role of an idealistic Irish physician who, declared a traitor to England and sold into slavery in the New World, takes his revenge by transforming himself into the notorious pirate Captain Blood. The groundbreaking symphonic score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, marking the emergence of the Warner Bros. music department as a vital element in the studio’s moviemaking; the spitfire chemistry between Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in the first of their iconic pairings; the rousing naval-battle finale—all come together under the expert direction of Michael Curtiz to form an exemplar of classic film craftsmanship sailing full speed ahead. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio commentary featuring Alan K. Rode, author of Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film Documentary from 2005 on the making of the film Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film from 1937, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Basil Rathbone Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme