I'm always pleasantly surprised at how entertaining some of these era films turn out to be, and with it's stellar cast, "Captain Kidd" is no exception. As the title character, Charles Laughton is at his finest, playing both sides of the sea lanes as it were, in the employ of the King of England while marauding the King's treasure at the same time.
I got a kick out of one of Kidd's lines as King William (Henry Daniell) wishes him God speed for the voyage to Madagascar; the response - "I am but his unworthy sparrow". Shades of Pirates of the Caribbean!
All the while, Kidd plans on waylaying the Quida Merchant, laden with treasures from India. Those plans also include dispatching his closest pirate accomplices, celebrating each victory with a pen stroke through their names in his personal diary. I'm always amazed by that sort of plot device, as if the villain couldn't remember keeping track of a handful of his associates. It makes for mysterious intrigue though, as well as finality, though in the case of Orange Povey (John Carradine), his name had to be rendered twice.
Fans of Randolph Scott's Westerns will be aware of his many outfit changes during the course of a film, and it's no different here. Starting out in tatters as an imprisoned pirate, by the end of the story he's in a nobleman's attire with the lovely Barbara Britton on his arm. In between, we learn of Adam Mercy's masquerade as the King's informer to uncover his father's murderer; who else but?
Rounding out Kidd's luckless original band are Gilbert Roland and a virtually unrecognizable Sheldon Leonard, who's character Boyle is sent to his reward following a flattering eulogy by Kidd, and then an unceremonious 'pop him over' - beautiful!
If you set your history books aside, you'll have some swashbuckling good fun with this one. In particular, I enjoyed the language used by Kidd and the upper crusts, especially the scene at Hampton Palace. But for sheer delight, get a load of those pirate uniforms on board the 'Adventure Galley' - didn't they look good in stripes?
I got a kick out of one of Kidd's lines as King William (Henry Daniell) wishes him God speed for the voyage to Madagascar; the response - "I am but his unworthy sparrow". Shades of Pirates of the Caribbean!
All the while, Kidd plans on waylaying the Quida Merchant, laden with treasures from India. Those plans also include dispatching his closest pirate accomplices, celebrating each victory with a pen stroke through their names in his personal diary. I'm always amazed by that sort of plot device, as if the villain couldn't remember keeping track of a handful of his associates. It makes for mysterious intrigue though, as well as finality, though in the case of Orange Povey (John Carradine), his name had to be rendered twice.
Fans of Randolph Scott's Westerns will be aware of his many outfit changes during the course of a film, and it's no different here. Starting out in tatters as an imprisoned pirate, by the end of the story he's in a nobleman's attire with the lovely Barbara Britton on his arm. In between, we learn of Adam Mercy's masquerade as the King's informer to uncover his father's murderer; who else but?
Rounding out Kidd's luckless original band are Gilbert Roland and a virtually unrecognizable Sheldon Leonard, who's character Boyle is sent to his reward following a flattering eulogy by Kidd, and then an unceremonious 'pop him over' - beautiful!
If you set your history books aside, you'll have some swashbuckling good fun with this one. In particular, I enjoyed the language used by Kidd and the upper crusts, especially the scene at Hampton Palace. But for sheer delight, get a load of those pirate uniforms on board the 'Adventure Galley' - didn't they look good in stripes?