Adventures of Captain Fabian

Despite being named after Errol Flynn's character, as several other writers have observed it's not remotely the Technicolor swashbuckler promised by the title but a gothic black & white melodrama complete with Vincent Price as the sort of good-looking weakling he played in 'Dragonwyck'. The film is actually 'about' proud Creole temptress Micheline Presle (who turns 97 next week, by the way) clawing her way up from an existence that began ignominiously with her mother being hanged, but who quickly loses our sympathy since having married money she immediately starts treating her servants just as badly as she herself had formerly been.

It's a tinny, unfocused affair with far too much talk and too little action for most of it's duration; but handsomely designed and photographed and added atmosphere by the occasional use of a theremin on the soundtrack. Agnes Moorehead's character turn as pipe-smoking Aunt Jezebel anticipates her eccentric supporting role in 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' nearly fifteen years later; while for connoisseurs of sophisticated 60's cinema there are youthful cameos from Howard Vernon ('Alphaville'), Gilles Queant ('Last Year at Marienbad') and Reggie Nalder ('The Manchurian Candidate').

Serving girl Micheline Presle is mistreated by Agnes Moorhead and made love to by her nephew Vincent Price, but she's not good enough to marry. Instead, she's framed for an accidental murder Price commits, until sea captain Errol Flynn wanders by, gets her out of trouble, sets her up with a nice tavern and clothes, and leaves again. So, Mlle Presle decides to get her revenge by conniving her way into New Orleans elite society by marrying Vincent Price.

Considering Flynn wrote the screenplay this movie was based on, and has the starring position in the credits, he's not around that much, nor does his character seem particularly interested in any of the events or characters. He very well may be having adventures at sea, but mostly it's Price and Mlle Presle being angry with each other, and trying to frame each other, until a corpse shows up. It's not clear if Price or Mlle Presle killed it, but Price decides to frame Flynn, who's in town, and then leads a lynch mob against him.

No one is particularly well served by this movie, even though there's a spectacular explosion and fire towards the end. Robert Florey did some uncredited direction on it.

Adventures of Captain Fabian has the distinct aroma of tax write-off about it. Errol Flynn and friend William Marshall who was married to Ginger Rogers at one time, filmed this in France and released it through Herbert J. Yates's Republic films. In this case Yates might have been wise to put wife Vera Hruba Ralston in it because she couldn't have possibly made the film any worse.

For a man who led an adventurous and made so many action films, it's amazing that Errol Flynn when writing a screenplay could make it so deadly dull. Flynn, if in fact he wrote it, borrowed a bit from Saratoga Trunk and a bit from Mourning Becomes Electra and a touch of Tennessee Williams. All of which are beyond his reach as thespian. It's only in the last ten minutes of the film when Flynn who is framed for the murder of Victor Francen is being freed from jail. How it's done by the way is a bit bizarre.

In fact Flynn is barely in the film at all except for the last 40 minutes. He and Michelline Presle have both been done dirty by the family of which Vincent Price is the wastrel heir.

In Michelline's case, Price has had his fling with her, but now he's dumping her to make a proper marriage, New Orleans style. She ain't taking it lying down and her machinations get her, Price and Flynn in a whole lot of trouble.

The film was shot over in France, the interiors done in Paris and New Orleans of 1853 is represented by the French city of Villefrance. Flynn and Marshall were supposed to do a French language version simultaneously as per French law, but skipped the country before the authorities caught on. They also stiffed Vincent Price on his salary and Price had to sue both of them and he collected a few years later.

In fact Price is the one good thing about Adventures of Captain Fabian. He essentially takes his Shelby Carpenter character from Laura back to the previous century. Agnes Moorehead plays Michelline Presle's aunt, but she's got a terrible makeup job, she looks and acts like Flora Robson from Saratoga Trunk.

Knowing what Errol Flynn fans like, they are going to be terribly disappointed with Adventures of Captain Fabian.

There is a myth perpetuated by film buffs that a film can be so bad that it's good.

This is absolute nonsense of course as there is no such animal.

Even allowing for the directorial inexperience of 'actor' William Marshall this lamentable opus is just plain bad.

The leading lady is Micheline Presle(here billed as Prelle so as not to challenge non-European viewers!) It is hard to believe that she had previously appeared in 'Diable au Corps' and 'Les Jeux sont faites'. Being married at the time to Marshall was probably her excuse although her role as a Creole femme fatale no doubt looked good on paper.

Agnes Moorhead and Victor Francen are wasted and Vincent Price's character is so obnoxious as to be almost unwatchable. This was not a happy experience for Price as he was obliged to sue for 'unpaid salary'.

The score by Rene Cloerec is atrocious and the screenplay, allegedly written by leading man Errol Flynn, is aimed at the slowest-witted person watching.

The professional relationship between Flynn and Marshall was short-lived and doomed from the outset, resulting in a legal dispute over a semi-documentary pacifist piece called 'Hello God'.

Watching Flynn in this is a sad spectacle indeed. An actor in his prime who has simply ceased to care.

Ten years were to elapse before Marshall was again let loose on a film set resulting in 'The Phantom Planet' which is no doubt yet another that falls into the category 'so bad it's good'!

When the 1950s rolled around, Errol Flynn's fortunes in Hollywood began to dry up. While he still had a few good American films left in him, most of his later films were international productions, where the out of favor actor found a new lease on life. "The Adventures of Captain Fabian" is a film made in France...which is unusual because it's set in New Orleans. It's also VERY unusual because Flynn himself wrote the screenplay himself!

George Brissac (Vincent Price) is a pusillanimous weasel...albeit a rich one from a powerful family. Early in the film, he ducks out on his fiancee to have a good time with his plaything, Lea (Micheline Presle). But when they are confronted, the witness ends up being killed...and George promises to fix everything. Using his family influence, he ends up framing this servant for the murder...knowing his family who run the local court will make it stick. Unfortunately for George, Captain Fabian (Errol Flynn) is in town...and he knows enough dirt about the Brissacs that the court agrees to toss out the case in order to keep him quiet.

After arranging for her freedom AND buying Lea her own business, Captain Fabian leaves. Soon, Lea is kissing up to George again....and he's too dumb to see it's all a set-up. But George makes it easy for Lea when he murders his uncle, the family patriarch. She's witnessed it and insists he marry her instead of the rich and well-connected woman he's supposed to marry. Now this former servant is going to be the lady of the household...and one of the most powerful women in New Orleans. What's next? And, will Captain Fabian have anything more to do in this film since it IS named after him?!

Well, the name of the film is unfortunate. There really are no adventures to speak of and Flynn is actually more of a supporting character throughout much of the film. In fact, he doesn't even appear until 18 minutes into the movie is is rarely seen until late in the story. No, it's much more the story of the conniving Lea and how she fits in with or destroys the horrid Brissacs....as well as if George can possibly get away with yet another murder!

So is this film any good? Well, the characters certainly are interesting...particularly Lea. And, since the actress has a French accent already, she's pretty convincing as a resident of New Orleans. Odd, though how Price and many other Louisianans don't have such accents! Back in 1860, most well connected folks in the town would have had such accents. But there also are a couple problems with the picture...particularly when Lea declares her love for Fabian. This made little sense...especially since up until then she seemed more like a total sociopath. The other problem, though minor, was Agnes Moorehead's make-up. What was with THAT?!

By the way, I noticed a lot of low scores for this. Could this be because it is more unlike one of his films than almost any I'd seen up to this point in his career?