Errol Flynn Collection - Warner Archive Collection

Errol Flynn wasn't Hollywood's first swashbuckler, but he just might be its most beloved. With his Australian swagger, matinee idol looks, devil-may-care attitude (on screen and off), and athletic prowess, he dazzled both women and men during his Golden Age heyday. His cinematic exploits span historical epics, rousing westerns, and modern war movies, and though his acting ability is limited, he projects a sincerity and authenticity that remains unvarnished decades later. With Flynn, what you see is what you get, and he never aspired to anything more. Though his hard-drinking, playboy lifestyle cut short his career and his life (he died of a heart attack at age 50), his films endure, and the six included in Warner Archive's Errol Flynn Collection provide a nice cross-section of his work.

All the discs have been previously released, but if you don't own them individually, this set is attractively priced and tough to resist. Three of the films celebrate Flynn's swashbuckling talent (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and Adventures of Don Juan), two take place during World War II (Edge of Darkness and Objective, Burma!), and there's one western (Santa Fe Trail). All the titles might not be bona fide classics, but they're all solid pictures that show off Flynn's attributes and appeal. I've never been a huge Flynn fan, but after immersing myself in this six-film set (and recently reviewing other Flynn classics like They Died with Their Boots On, The Prince and the Pauper, and Gentleman Jim), I've gained a greater appreciation for his abilities and can better understand why the public so fervently embraced this dashing, handsome rogue.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
The best-known film of the bunch, director Michael Curtiz's rousing take on the legendary bandit who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor is awash in sumptuous Technicolor, contains Flynn's most recognizable portrayal, and features arguably the best sword fight in Hollywood history. Flynn is a vision in green as the jovial titular outlaw, Olivia de Havilland makes a ravishing Maid Marian, sidekick Alan Hale delights as Little John, and a villainous Basil Rathbone shows off his considerable fencing skills in this eye-filling spectacle that's just as entertaining today as it was when it first premiered almost 90 years ago. For a complete review of The Adventures of Robin Hood, check out our coverage of the 2008 Blu-ray release by clicking here. Rating: 5 stars

THE SEA HAWK (1940)
Another top-notch Flynn swashbuckler, this tale of conflict and intrigue pits England against Spain in 1588, prior to the deployment of the Spanish Armada. Spain seeks to expand its powerful empire by conquering England, but a group of pirates - also known as sea hawks - led by Flynn ultimately spoil the Spaniards' plans. (Reading between the screenplay's lines, connections to Nazi Germany and the war sweeping through Europe at the time are unmistakable.) Plenty of pomp, lavish sets and costumes, and a number of spirited action sequences (some of which were reportedly recycled from Captain Blood) highlight this big-budget, cast-of-thousands spectacle directed by Michael Curtiz. The colorful supporting cast includes such distinguished character actors as Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, and Flora Robson (arguably cinema's best Queen Elizabeth I) and such dependable Warner Bros stock players as Alan Hale (of course!), Henry Daniell, Una O'Connor, James Stephenson, and Gilbert Roland.

Flynn defrosts the lovely Brenda Marshall (better known as Mrs. William Holden), who plays an icy Spanish noblewoman, but the two don't generate much heat. It's a thankless, throwaway part, which is probably why Olivia de Havilland turned it down, but it's hard not to wish de Havilland was sharing the screen with Flynn instead of Marshall, who files a fine performance but doesn't light up the screen. Flynn is at his flamboyant best, but even he is upstaged by the glorious, majestic music score by the incomparable Erich Wolfgang Korngold. (If any movie cries out for an isolated score track it's The Sea Hawk, but sadly that's not an option on this disc.) Korngold's score earned an Oscar nod, along with the film's art direction, sound recording, and special effects. Rating: 4-1/2 stars

SANTA FE TRAIL (1940)
After The Sea Hawk, Flynn and Curtiz jumped ahead a few centuries and headed directly to the Old West. There's a lot going on in Santa Fe Trail, but little of it has anything to do with the titular route between Mexico and Missouri. A bastardization of history but an utterly captivating film, Santa Fe Trail follows the exploits of such lofty historical figures as Jeb Stuart (Flynn), George Armstrong Custer (Ronald Reagan), General Robert E. Lee (Moroni Olsen), and notorious abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey), among others, in the years directly preceding the Civil War. The screenplay leads us to believe all the heroes were classmates at West Point and served together in the military afterwards, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, there's practically no truth in this brazenly inaccurate film that never lets history get in the way of its fun.

The Southern-bred Stuart and his cronies are sent to the Kansas territory to "keep the peace," but the crux of the plot chronicles their efforts to thwart Brown, who employs violent, vicious tactics in his noble crusade against slavery. The Army believes Brown's methods - and madness - will irreparably divide the country, but painting Brown as a vile villain while still championing his altruistic movement is a tough ask for the film, and the message often gets muddled. What's clear is the movie's commitment to entertainment, as it deftly mixes action, romance, conflict, and comic relief. Flynn is his usual charming self, and he's flanked by an especially strong cast that includes a vivacious and luminous Olivia de Havilland, glowering, fierce Massey, easygoing Reagan (interestingly, Flynn would portray Custer the following year in the equally historically bogus They Died with Their Boots On), and buffoonish Alan Hale, who milks some broad laughs with cohort Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. A number of other fine actors and recognizable faces are also on hand, but the movie's most riveting performance is filed by a young Van Heflin, who plays a passionate Brown disciple who faces off against Flynn.

Santa Fe Trail checks all the boxes, but you if you're a history buff, you'll have to check your brain at the door and just sit back and enjoy the sweeping spectacle, snappy dialogue, and excellent portrayals, preferably with a bucket of popcorn. Rating: 4 stars

EDGE OF DARKNESS (1943)
A stirring, inspirational, and often gripping portrait of courage and conviction, Edge of Darkness chronicles the efforts of a band of rural Norwegians to resist and repel the Nazi occupation of their town during World War II. The mild-mannered, peace-loving residents join together and risk their lives to combat the brazen, arrogant, and sadistic Nazis who try to bully and browbeat them into submission. It's not a particularly unique story (a couple of other films of the period honor the brave Norwegians and depict their passion for freedom and patriotic fervor), but in the hands of director Lewis Milestone, the tale is well told.

Flynn gets top billing, but Edge of Darkness is more of an ensemble piece than a star vehicle. Multiple narrative threads intertwine and they're finely woven by screenwriter Robert Rossen, who later earned Oscar nominations for his scripts for All the King's Men and The Hustler. Flynn gives a controlled, sincere performance as the rebel ringleader and pairs well with the underrated Ann Sheridan as his feisty girlfriend. (Their chemistry on screen led to a brief off-screen liaison that reportedly broke up Sheridan's marriage to actor George Brent.) Though Flynn's role isn't showy or even particularly large, he projects enough quiet strength to make an impression, but he's still overshadowed by the superior supporting cast that includes such magnificent character actors as Walter Huston, Judith Anderson, Ruth Gordon, Morris Carnovsky, Charles Dingle, and Roman Bohnen.

Milestone specialized in war films, winning an Oscar for the first and best version of All Quiet on the Western Front and later helming such classics as The Purple Heart, A Walk in the Sun (also written by Rossen), and Pork Chop Hill. He embraces the noble themes of Edge of Darkness, but doesn't shy away from depicting Nazi brutality. The violence isn't graphic, but it rivals anything seen in a Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino movie. And because it's presented in such a cold and perfunctory manner and because the victims are largely innocent civilians, it's deeply affecting and quite shocking for its time.

Edge of Darkness doesn't showcase Flynn like the other films in this collection, but it's an important movie with a timeless message that holds up well and deserves to be rediscovered. Rating: 4-1/2 stars

OBJECTIVE, BURMA! (1945)
A terrific World War II picture that flies under the radar in a cluttered genre, Objective, Burma! trades propaganda for realism as it tells the stirring tale of a paratrooper squadron tasked with destroying a Japanese outpost that's part of an Axis initiative to seal off the Burma Road and block access to China. In a bit of a twist, the mission is a relative piece of cake; it's the arduous and treacherous journey back to base that constitutes the bulk of the story. After executing their directive, the squadron is told to meet rescue planes in a Burmese jungle clearing, but when landing proves too dangerous, the troops are ordered to walk almost 200 miles back to camp, dodging roving Japanese patrols and engaging in deadly skirmishes along the way.

Directed by Raoul Walsh, Objective, Burma! forgos war movie clichés and bloated battle sequences to tell a very human story that celebrates the soldiers' grit, courage, camaraderie, and determination amid deeply stressful and frightening circumstances. Lots of close-ups zero in on the myriad emotions that consume the typically disparate battalion members and make their desperate plight more immediate. Aside from Flynn, the cast is not particularly well known, which heightens the picture's authentic air. (Classic TV fans will recognize George Tobias from Bewitched and Hugh Beaumont from Leave It to Beaver, but the rest of the actors don't have such defining and enduring credits.) Some joviality is sprinkled throughout the screenplay, but for the most part Objective, Burma! is all business, and that's exactly how it should be. No forced comic relief lightens the somber mood, no sugary romance mucks up the works (in fact, not a single woman appears in the movie), and no Herculean heroics distract from the small yet potent acts of fortitude and tenderness.

Flynn is at his very best, filing an understated, quietly tough, yet empathetic portrayal that conveys his deep commitment to the project. (Due to numerous health problems, including bouts of malaria and tuberculosis and a heart condition, Flynn, much to his everlasting regret, was unable to enlist in the armed forces.) The part isn't flashy - Flynn rarely, if ever, raises his voice - but his disarmingly natural portrayal instantly draws us in and holds us throughout the lengthy 142-minute running time. Objective, Burma! could have benefitted from some judicious cutting, but the seemingly belabored scenes of the soldiers tiredly trudging through the hot and steamy jungle emphasize the hardships they endured and increase our admiration for their strength and drive.

The film was shot at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden, but Walsh makes us feel as if we've been plopped into a remote corner of Burma just like the characters. The lack of mattes, miniatures, and rear projection work and choosing not to shoot exterior scenes on interior soundstages all contribute to the movie's realistic feel and help it rise above other World War II films of the period. Much like Northwest Passage, which its narrative strongly resembles, Objective, Burma! (which earned three Oscar nods for Best Original Story, Best Film Editing, and Best Music) is more about duty, patriotism, and survival than military maneuvers, and it's that focus on the human spirit that makes it so compelling. Rating: 4-1/2 stars

ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948)
Flynn's last big-budget feature at Warner Bros mightily strives to recapture the magic of Robin Hood, but a meandering script and aging star prove you can't go home again. Adventures of Don Juan is far from a bad film, but despite glorious Technicolor photography and a memorable music score by Max Steiner, it never quite gels. The episodic format gets the movie off to a good start, as we witness Don Juan's amusing entanglements with a couple of hopelessly bewitched women, but it's the main story about a plot to overthrow Queen Margaret (Viveca Lindfors) and her weak husband King Philip III (Romney Brent) in early-16th-century Spain that sputters and stalls. Don Juan falls in love with the queen, and his steadfast loyalty to her quashes the Casanova element that makes him such a captivating figure. It also sucks the wind out of the story's sails. Flynn's patented charm still shines through, but his tepid chemistry with Lindfors stymies the tale.

Nothing against director Vincent Sherman, but Adventures of Don Juan just isn't his cinematic bag. Much like George Cukor, Sherman was at his best helming interpersonal dramas starring such screen divas as Bette Davis (Old Acquaintance, Mr. Skeffington), Joan Crawford (The Damned Don't Cry, Harriet Craig, Goodbye, My Fancy), Ida Lupino (The Hard Way, In Our Time), and Ann Sheridan (The Unfaithful, Nora Prentiss). He injects a bit of flair into Don Juan, but his heart doesn't seem to be in it, making it tough not to wonder what Michael Curtiz or Raoul Walsh (who directed Flynn a combined total of 18 times!) might have done with the material. A rousing sword fight (of course!) caps off the film, which reunites Flynn with his dependable sidekick Alan Hale after a six-year hiatus for the 12th and, sadly, final time. (Hale would die two years later at age 57.) When Flynn clicks more with Alan Hale than Viveca Lindfors, you know you've got a problem. Rating: 3-1/2 stars

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Errol Flynn Collection arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard multi-disc case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the discs are inserted into the player, the static menus immediately pop up; no previews or promos precede it.

All of the 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfers are top-notch and celebrate the cinematography of such esteemed craftsmen as James Wong Howe (Objective, Burma!), Sol Polito (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, Santa Fe Trail), Tony Gaudio (The Adventures of Robin Hood), Sidney Hickox (Edge of Darkness), and Elwood Bredell (Adventures of Don Juan). All of the source materials were meticulously remastered, and though some prints are clearly better than others, all of the films sparkle - especially those shot in Technicolor - and have never looked better on home video.

Clarity and contrast are superb across the board, and though grain - for the most part - has been significantly reduced, all the transfers still exude a lovely film-like feel. The black-and-white renderings boast rich blacks, crisp whites, and a broad grayscale, while the sumptuous hues of Technicolor dazzle the senses with intense vibrancy and depth. Fans of The Sea Hawk will be pleased to learn the sepia segment remains intact and has been beautifully restored, looking so warm and lush it's almost a letdown when the image returns to black-and-white. The color photography in The Adventures of Robin Hood is truly something special (for a complete review of that spectacular transfer, check out our coverage of the 2008 Blu-ray by clicking here), and though Adventures of Don Juan falls a bit short by comparison, it's nothing to sneeze at.

The best black-and-white transfer is without question Objective, Burma! Crystal clarity, exceptional contrast, and razor-sharp close-ups immerse us in the action and heighten the impact of several powerful scenes. Both Santa Fe Trail and Edge of Darkness look terrific as well, although a bit of softness and excess grain do mar some scenes from time to time. A couple of slightly jarring jump cuts in Edge of Darkness and Objective, Burma! are either the result of missing frames or some irreparable print damage, but they don't harm the overall viewing experience. The Sea Hawk is definitely the most inconsistent transfer in the set, most likely due to the necessary employment of multiple sources, but it's still largely gorgeous (especially the lengthy sepia segment). More prolonged soft and faded scenes are present, but they only minimally affect the overall presentation.

With the exception of The Adventures of Robin Hood (which is saddled with a lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track), each movie in the Errol Flynn Collection includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track, and all the sound across all the films is clear and well balanced. (For a complete review of The Adventures of Robin Hood transfer, check out our coverage of the 2008 Blu-ray by clicking here.) Because music is such a vital element in so many Flynn flicks, excellent fidelity and depth of tone are essential, and all of the DTS-HD MA tracks deliver them in spades.

Wide dynamic scales embrace all the soaring highs, weighty lows, swelling strings, majestic brass, and thumping percussion that distinguish the scores of such iconic composers as Max Steiner (Santa Fe Trail, Adventures of Don Juan), Franz Waxman (Edge of Darkness, Objective, Burma!), and especially Erich Wolfgang Korngold (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk). Sonic accents like clanking swords, gunfire, exploding grenades, galloping horse hooves, and fisticuffs are distinct, and atmospherics like buzzing bugs, cawing birds, chirping crickets, and rustling brush fashion realistic soundscapes that help immerse us in the action, most notably in Objective, Burma! All the dialogue is well prioritized and easy to comprehend, no distortion is present, and no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle disrupt the purity of these high-quality remastered tracks.

The volume of supplements varies with each disc, and all the material was previously included on each individual release. There are no new extras.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (for a complete review of all the special features, please check out our coverage of the 2008 Blu-ray release by clicking here)

• Audio Commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer
• Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1938, featuring a vintage newsreel, musical short (Freddie Rich and His Orchesrta), classic cartoon (Katnip Kollege), and Angels with Dirty Faces trailer (26 minutes)
• Documentary: "Welcome to Sherwood: The Story of The Adventures of Robin Hood" (55 minutes)
• Documentary: "Glorious Technicolor: Celebrating the Revered Color Filmmaking Process" (60 minutes)
• Outtakes (8 minutes)
• "Robin Hood Through the Ages" - Excerpts from the 1912 first screen adaptation, Douglas Fairbanks' rousing 1922 silent, and this 1938 version dubbed in German (7 minutes)
• "A Journey to Sherwood Forest" - Basil Rathbone and Erich Wolfgang Korngold's home movies shot during production (13 minutes)
• Classic Cartoons: Rabbit Hood and Robin Hood Daffy (14 minutes)
• "Splitting the Arrow": Historical Art, Costume Design, Scene Concept Drawings, Cast & Crew, Publicity & Poster galleries
• Vintage Short Subjects: Cavakcade of Archery and The Cruise of the Zaca (27 minutes)
• Breakdowns of 1938: Studio Blooper Reel (14 minutes)
  
• Audio-Only Bonuses: Music-Only Audio Track showcasing the film's Oscar-winning score; The Robin Hood Radio Show; Korngold Piano Sessions
• Errol Flynn Trailer Gallery (36 minutes)

THE SEA HAWK

• Warner Night at the Movies 1940 (SD, 37 minutes) - An introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin, a trailer for the Errol Flynn feature Virginia City, a newsreel, the vintage short Alice in Movieland (starring 15-year-old Joan Leslie and Clara Blandick, best known for portraying Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz), and the Looney Tunes cartoon Porky's Poor Fish provide a representation of what a typical night at the movies would have been like circa 1940.
• Featurette: "The Sea Hawk: Flynn in Action" (SD, 18 minutes) - This slick and informative featurette chronicles the film's production.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes) 

SANTA FE TRAIL

• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

EDGE OF DARKNESS 

• Vintage Short: Gun to Gun (HD, 18 minutes) - This 1943 two-reel western about corruption and murder in 1848 Los Angeles incorporates a fair amount of action and atmospheric footage from an old silent movie to flesh out its narrative. The unorthodox presentation makes this short an interesting curio. Strangely enough, this short also appears on the Warner Archive Blu-ray of The Hard Way.
• Vintage Cartoon: To Duck...or Not to Duck (HD, 7 minutes) - Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd square off in the boxing ring in this classic Looney Tunes cartoon.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

OBJECTIVE, BURMA!

• Vintage Short: The Tanks Are Coming (HD, 20 minutes) - George Tobias and Gig Young headline this 1941 Technicolor two-reeler about tank training and construction that earned an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject.
• Vintage Short: The Rear Gunner (SD, 20 minutes) - Burgess Meredith and Ronald Reagan star in this 1943 two-reeler that chronicles the training and heroics of a soldier nicknamed Pee-Wee (Meredith). Dane Clark, Tom Neal, and Richard Quine also appear in this piece of wartime propaganda.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN

• Warner Night at the Movies 1948 (SD, 39 minutes) - The program kicks off with a trailer for the Errol Flynn-Ann Sheridan western Silver River, followed by a brief newsreel, a two-reel travelogue short Calgary Stampede (which received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject), a one-reel Joe McDoakes comedy short So You Want to Be on the Radio (which also received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject), and the Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes cartoon Hare Splitter.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

A fantastic cross-section of a beloved star's work, Errol Flynn Collection reminds just how good - and versatile - this Golden Age actor was. Warner Archive groups together a half-dozen Flynn films that take him from Sherwood Forest, Elizabethan England, and 17th-century Spain to the Santa Fe Trail, Nazi-occupied Norway, and the Burmese jungle. All six are top-notch productions and all six boast superior transfers that show off Flynn and his co-stars in the finest possible light. Though each movie has been previously released and is available individually, if you only own one or two - or better yet, none - this set is both a treasure trove and a bargain, with a per disc price of under $10 at some retailers. That's a deal even Robin Hood would endorse! Highly Recommended.