Film Review
Often cited as Errol Flynn's worst film,
Adventures of Captain Fabian is
certainly a shoddy attempt to capitalise on the celebrated image of one
of Hollywood's former icons. A Franco-American production, shot
in Paris and Nice towards the end of Flynn's career, and with a
screenplay (allegedly) written by Flynn, the film is outrageously
mis-titled and is so steeped in plot contrivance that you wonder if the
whole thing was made just for laughs.
For the actor who shone so brilliantly in his earlier classic swashbucklers
Captain Blood (1935) and
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938),
it's an ignoble fall from grace. Despite receiving top
billing, Flynn only makes a fleeting appearance in the film, either
because even he couldn't bear to recite the dialogue he had (allegedly) written or,
more likely, because he was just too expensive. This was a cheap
production - and it shows.
The film is certainly not a masterpiece, but
neither is it quite as bad as its reputation suggests. William Marshall does a respectable
job of the direction, managing to crowbar some genuine emotion and
tension into the totally implausible narrative. The cast includes
not only some well-known American actors - Vincent Price and Agnes
Moorehead - but also some highly regarded luminaries of French cinema -
Micheline Presle (
Boule de suif,
Les Jeux sont faits)
and Victor Francen (
L'Homme du Niger,
Forfaiture).
Price gives a wonderfully over the top performance, one that prefigures
the camp villainous roles that would become the mainstay of his
subsequent career in such films as
The Masque of the Red Death (1964) and
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971).
Meanwhile, Presle is surprisingly convincing
as a calculating vixen in the Joan Crawford mould, an atypical role for
an actress who is far better known for playing straight romantic
leads. It is the contributions from these talented performers
which makes the film tolerable, if not strangely compelling, but you
can't help cringing at the ludicrously contrived ending.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Léa Mariotte is resentful of her lowly position as housemaid to
a wealthy New Orleans family. She despises them for the part they
played in her father's downfall and burns with the desire for
revenge. One evening, she accidentally kills another servant, in
the presence of her admirer George Brissac. Rather than provide
the testimony that will exculpate her, Brissac testifies against
Léa and she is tried for murder. At her trial a well-known
sea captain named Fabian comes to her defence and she is set
free. Fabian buys an inn to provide Léa with a livelihood
before returning to the high seas. Brissac is still drawn to
Léa and the latter sees an opportunity for revenge.
Léa provokes a scene with Brissac's father which ends with
Brissac murdering the old man. Having hidden the body, Léa
coerces Brissac into marrying her. Her vengeance has only just
begun...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.