Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection (DVD)

His name itself is magical. Most people remember Errol Flynn as the swashbuckling hero of Hollywood films. But few know that he was also a brilliant writer. During one of his real-life adventures in an exotic area of the world, he had time to kill, and he used it to memorize every word of an unabridged Webster's dictionary. Later, his subsequent books reflected the awesome vocabulary that he had acquired.Errol's acting genius was also unsurpassed. One of his movie co-stars, Bette Davis, had at one time underestimated Errol's skill as an actor, and she had a low opinion of him. As a result, during the filming of one scene in the movie "Elizabeth And Essex", she was supposed to slap him. But instead of faking it, she hauled off and really slugged the surprised Errol, nearly causing him to lose his balance. The scene was left in the movie, and if you watch closely, you can see the fury flashing in Errol's eyes as his momentary instinct was to slug her back. Luckily for Bette that Flynn controlled his temper.Years later, Ms. Davis confessed that she had been wrong about Errol, and she admitted that he was indeed an accomplished actor. Unfortunately, Flynn had already passed on, so he never heard her apology. Anyway, I'm sure that wherever Errol Flynn's spirit is today (hopefully not still at Mulholland Drive) he is occupied with new and more exciting things.(If this review was helpful in any way, please click on the "Helpful" key below, or write a comment. Thanks).

I bought this collection almost 4 years ago, and am just now watching it. These are Old Hollywood. These are Errol Flynn. These are brilliant. Captain Blood even contains a portent of something wonderful. In Captain Blood, Errol Flynn engages a young Basil Rathbone in a sword fight - just a taste of the brilliant duel in Robin Hood. Flynn's portrayal of Custer as brash and careless is to the point.

There are currently 3 Errol Flynn Signature Collections available. 2 of them have been on my Amazon Wishlist for several years---simply because their prices were waaay too high! Once the price got to the "I think I can afford this without starving" stage, I bought the 1st one---which includes 5 Flynn Favorites and a 6th DVD with THE ERROL FLYNN Documentary.Without repeating terms like 'swashbuckler', 'a ladies' man' or the always popular "In Like Flynn"...let's just say that the DVD Biography covers the rise and fall of a star who literally had it all, but threw it away. His film exploits were only equalled by his personal demons. So if you don't know a great deal about the actor, you might want to save THE ADVENTURES OF ERROL FLYNN for last.The 5 movies...all of which are hosted by Leonard Maltin (in the "Warner Night at the Movies" segment) include:CAPTAIN BLOOD: The film that set the standard when it came to pirate adventures on the high seas. Captain Peter Blood was also the role that alerted movie lovers to the chemistry of Flynn and his frequent co-star, Olivia DeHavilland. Director Michael Curtiz knew how to get the best out of them both...as well as charactor actors Basil Rathbone (who was actually a better swordsmen than Errol), Guy Kibbee, and Lionel Atwill. It's 2 hours well spent.THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH & ESSEX is another Michael Curtiz directoral work of art. The major differences here are technicolor and a co-star (Bette Davis) who had to love Robert of Essex (Flynn) on-screen, but reportedly loathed him once Director Curtiz yelled "CUT!" Maybe it was poetic justice that the Earl of Essex had a short lifespan? Still...the supporting cast (which includes Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, and Henry Stephenson) and the marvelous Erich Wolfgang Korngold Score bring lots of dignity to the Maxwell Anderson Play.THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON is the fatal story of 7th Calvary led by General George Armstrong Custer (who else but Errol Flynn). I wasn't around when this incident took place, but I kept asking myself if Custer was a hero or an idiot? Maybe he was a combination of both? Once again Flynn's love interest is Olivia DeHavilland. [This was their 8th and final film together]. But Olivia really didn't add much except marquee value. Speaking of which, Executive Producer, Hal Wallis surrounded the 2 leads with terrific character actors including Arthur Kennedy, Charley Grapewin, Hattie MacDaniel, Sydney Greenstreet, and a very young Anthony Quinn! The Max Steiner music...Black + White Photography...and Director Raoul Walsh offer the traditional Warner Bros historical touch. However, I found myself starting to get a little sleepy before the 2nd hour was over. [The film's running time is 139 minutes]. But I've only seen the film once so perhaps I'm due for 'an instant replay?'THE SEA HAWK was made 5 years after CAPTAIN BLOOD. By this time, Errol Flynn had the high seas at his command! This is probably one of his best. Portraying Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, Errol goes from captive to commander during the course of the film. Considering the fact that THE SEA HAWK was made and released during World War II, movie lovers needed a hero to root for. This was Flynn's 10th film with Director Michael Curtiz and it's obvious both star and director were in sync with one another. I'm not quite sure how Flynn ended up with Brenda Marshall as his leading lady? But Claude Rains, Donald Crisp and Alan Hale definitely were perfect in this. Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth? Absolutely Marvellous. Her Queen Elizabeth smacks of dignity. Ditto the terrific music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. This is probably THE BEST of the 5 movies in this collection.DODGE CITY: That's right, partners, Errol puts on the sheriff's badge and matches wits with cattle rustlers, corrupt hombres, and Ann Sheriden. [This beautiful technicolor feature brings out her firey temper not to mention her lovely red hair]. Trading his sword for a six-shooter, Errol and Director, Michael Curtiz clean up a tough western town with a dash of light hearted humor. And yep...Dodge City is filled with good guys (Frank McHugh and Henry Travers) as well as bad guys (Bruce Cabot and Victor Jory) , a wonderful Max Steiner western music score, and awesome Technicolor.As I mentioned earlier, Film Critic Leonard Maltin introduces the 'Warner Night at the Movies' segments. While some of the musical shorts are a little lame---Warner Bros has done its best to match some its best cartoons with each Errol Flynn Feature. There are also new featurettes covering all 5 films.This leaves me with one question: "Will I eventually purchase Volumn 2 of THE ERROL FLYNN SIGNATURE COLLECTION? Guess it's up to the price Amazon places on it? But aside from a somewhat lengthy THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON...I'm totally happy with this collection.

Thanks

Bought for my dad

Great collection of Errol Flynn films.

Excellent collection

six films for just over a tenner, what can you say, we bought this mainly for they died with their boots on, so the other films to us are a bonus but they are all quite watchable. well pleased overall