Against All Flags (1952)

Director:

George Sherman

Writers:

Æneas MacKenzie (story)
Æneas MacKenzie (writer) ...

Release Date:

6 February 1953 (Belgium)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

He Ravished The Pirate Port Of Madagascar To Steal The Love Of Its Corsair Queen!

Plot:

Brian Hawke of the Royal Navy versus the pirates of Madagascar.

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Captain | 1700s | Prisoner | Royal Navy

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Brian Hawke
Maureen O'Hara	...	Prudence 'Spitfire' Stevens
Anthony Quinn	...	Capt. Roc Brasiliano
Alice Kelley	...	Princess Patma
Mildred Natwick	...	Molvina MacGregor
Robert Warwick	...	Capt. Kidd
Harry Cording	...	Gow
John Alderson	...	Jonathan Harris
Phil Tully	...	Jones
Lester Matthews	...	Sir Cloudsley
Tudor Owen	...	Williams
Maurice Marsac	...	Capt. Moisson
James Craven	...	Capt. Hornsby
James Fairfax	...	Cruikshank - Barber

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | UK:U (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

In her autobiography “'Tis Herself”, 'Maureen O'Hara' says that Errol Flynn was always prepared, always knew his lines, and was a pleasure to work with in the mornings. But he drank and by 4pm was in no shape to continue. She did all the romantic closeups at the end of the day with a black flag marked "X" to represent Flynn.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the last battle aboard the ship Hawke climbs one of the masts. The crow's nest at the top has a modern looking wire mesh guard around it, instead of the rope netting one would expect in an 18th century vessel.

Quotes:

Captain Moisson: I deeply regret the necessity for this flogging.
Brian Hawke: Thank you, sir. I don't think the flogger needed to have carried it out with such gusto.
Captain Moisson: You requested the customary lashing.
Brian Hawke: I know, sir. Of course, you could have done me the favor of denying it. I swear he took a particular pleasure in having an officer under his cat.
Captain Moisson: Should you fail, you'll look back on flogger Flower's lashing as a pleasant afternoon's pastime.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The King's Pirate (1967)

Silly, Rollicking Fun

A featherweight plot and dubious characterizations don't make any difference when a movie is as fun to watch as this one is. Lively action and spectacular stunts - for their day - give this movie some real zip. And there's some actual comedy from the ripping chemistry between the two leads. Quinn makes a good villain also, although his role is completely overshadowed.

But don't be fooled by Maureen O'Hara's tough broad role, this is as sexist as any Hollywood movie of this era. You might be able to forgive that because of the time in which it was made, but it's still hard to get past. For all the heroism and gruesomely adult off-screen situations, this is still little more than an adolescent good time.