Adventures of Captain Fabian

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?

I saw this on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel.

This 1951 melodrama, with its Gothic overtones stars a dashing, if rather old looking Errol Flynn and a caddish Vincent Price. Lead actress is the French Micheline Presle and she's a dark haired gypsy looking type of seductress, falling for mariner Flynn, of the title.

It seems set in the early 19th century, has stilted and corny dialogue that only the movies could endure and is, frankly, fairly slow and boring. One wonders why a movie with such a cast is not available on DVD, at least not on Amazon, not even as a region 1 and maybe that one has discovered a long lost gem. I've not heard of director William Marshall before and I won't be rushing to track down his other work.

Those craving to own everything that the three leads have ever appeared in are the likeliest to get some enjoyment out of it, but it's difficult to find anything here for an everyday, modern audience. It's not actually terrible but when one often wonders what else one should be doing instead, that's not a good sign.

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.

This is not an adventure film as the title might suggest, but a slow moving melodrama, with some good scenes. The film was made independentley in France, and from the beginning there was to have been two versions, one english and one frenchspeaking. Director Robert Florey, was hired to helm the frenchspeaking version, but it was never made. Instead Florey stayed on as uncredited assistant director to William Marshall, some scenes show his influence, and he directed most of the final dockside fight. It was also Florey who brought in actors Victor Francen and Jim Gerald, as well as art director Eugene Lourie to the project. The film is good to look at, photography(by Marcel Grignon) and settings are intriguing, but the direction is to slow to really keep intrest, but a few scenes near the end are well made. The acting is ok, Agnes Moorehead gives a fine performence, and Errol Flynn is interesting as a rough seacaptain, a toned down role in comparision with Micheline Presles flambouyant creole girl. Vincent Price is properly slimy as a spineless dandy and Victor Francen is seen to briefley as his grim uncle. The story is very old fashioned, a little "Monte Cristoish" in style, and have some curiosity value. This film must unfortenatly go down as a missed opportunity, although an interesting one, like Vincent Price later said: this should have been a very good film". Altough the film has flaws, its visually interesting also the music by Rene Cloerc has its moments. if you like oldfashioned, romantic melodramas, this could be worth watching and the final scene is inspired.

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.