The Sea Hawk

 

Swashbucklers were at their height in the 1940s and film studios like Warner Bros. and Universal capitalized on their popularity. One movie, in particular, paved the way for the genre's consistent success- The Sea Hawk, starring Errol Flynn and Claud Raines, is about an English privateer Captain Geoffery Thorpe (Flynn) who commands the ship known as the Albatross, is commissioned to defend the crown and other interests for her majesty the Queen. Captain Thorpe knows of Spain's intentions to destroy England and rule the seas, so he sets to prevent King Philip's plan of conquest by capturing Spain's plans and bringing them to Queen Elizabeth. The film is scored by one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Errol Flynn played in over ten movies for Director Michael Curtiz and the Seak Hawk is truly one of the bright spots of Flynn's career.