British naval officer Brian Hawke volunteers with two other seamen to infiltrate a pirate base on Madagascar. When they arrive, however, they arouse suspicion. One pirate captain, Roc Brasiliano, orders Hawke before a tribunal to decide his fate. Meanwhile, Hawke has caught the eye of Spitfire Stevens, the only woman among the Coast Captains, which arouses Brasiliano's jealousy. To prove himself at the tribunal, Hawke wins a duel with another pirate and his case is dismissed. He then joins Brasiliano's crew.
While cruising the shipping lanes, they capture a Moghul vessel crammed with vast wealth. Patma, the daughter of the Moghul Emperor, disguised by her chaperone as just another woman, is left aboard the burning vessel. When Hawke rescues her, Patma falls in love, revealing he is only the third man she has ever seen. Back on Madagascar, Patma is put up for auction. Spitfire outbids Hawke, who only wanted to protect her from the other pirates. Later, Spitfire tells Hawke she's leaving her criminal life behind, and wants Hawke to accompany her to Britain via Brazil. Brasiliano's hatred for Hawke grows, but Hawke is more concerned with completing his mission. He steals a map of the pirates' defenses. It is planned that a Royal Navy warship will sail into the harbour, with Hawke disabling the coastal cannons. Hawke signals the British ship with a flare and makes sure Patma is ready to be rescued.
Unfortunately, Hawke's plans are uncovered by Brasiliano. Hawke and his two accomplices are tied to a stake on the beach to be bitten by crabs and drowned, but Spitfire saves them. At that moment, a British warship enters the bay. The pirates expect to easily sink it, but to their surprise their cannons explode, having been double-shotted. Faced with imminent defeat and execution, Brasiliano uses the princess as a human shield to sail away. However, Hawke and his men slip aboard, rescue the hostage and fight off the crew with Spitfire's help. Hawke eventually duels and kills Brasiliano. After the battle, he requests and is granted Spitfire's freedom, and the two kiss.
The film was originally written by Aeneas MacKenzie and director Richard Wallace as a vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who had just made Sinbad the Sailor with Wallace. In January 1950 it was announced Fairbanks would make the film for his own company in April or May in Hollywood once he finished making State Secret in England.[4]
However, the film was not produced and Aeneas MacKenzie sold his original script to Universal in July 1950. Alexis Smith and Yvonne De Carlo were mentioned as possible female leads and Jack Gross was assigned to be the producer.[5][6] The script featured a number of tropes familiar to pirate movies of the time, including a female pirate; it was based on genuine historical characters and situations but very loosely.[7]
William Goetz, head of production, put the project on the shelf until he could find the right star. In August 1951 Errol Flynn signed a one-picture deal with the studio to make the film.[8]
Under his contract with Warner Bros., Flynn was allowed to make one film a year for an outside studio. His contract with Universal meant Flynn was entitled to a percentage of the profits.[9] Filming was delayed so Flynn could make Mara Maru at Warners. During this time the script was rewritten by Joseph Hoffman and Anthony Quinn signed early on as the villain.[10] By November, Howard Christie was set as producer, George Sherman as director and Maureen O'Hara the co-star.[11]
Sherman later wrote that Flynn was unsure about the scene where he fenced against a woman. He said "I'm supposed to be the bravest guy on screen? How could I fight a woman?" Sherman had worked with O'Hara before and assured him she was capable of holding her own "with a sword, a gun or her fists if need be" and warned Flynn he needed to be in shape.[12]
Flynn exercised an increased degree of authority on set as a result of changes to his contract. One change stipulated that he could stop working at 4.00 pm, by which time he would become inebriated.[14][15]
Maureen O'Hara was wary of working with Flynn after he made an amorous advance on her years before. However, she recalled that by the end of filming, "he had won me over. I respected him professionally and was quite fond of him personally. Father Time was slowly calming his wicked, wicked ways, and deep within that devilish rogue, I found a kind and fragile soul."[16]
O'Hara said that Flynn "was a pro [who] came to work prepared. He rehearsed hard and practised his fencing sequences very meticulously."[16] O'Hara did admit Flynn drank on set, often smuggling in alcohol by injecting it into oranges. She stated, "Everything good that we got on film was shot early in the day." However, Flynn would start drinking by morning and by 4 pm, he was of no use. O'Hara had to perform many of her close ups for love scenes opposite a black flag with an "x" on it while a script girl read his lines. "It was hard to watch him, very frustrating, but you forgave him because what he had given you earlier in the day had been so terrific."[17]
On 1 February Flynn broke his ankle during filming, with ten more days of filming still to be completed, most of it featuring Flynn. This meant completion of the movie had to be delayed.[15][18] The ship which had been used in the film had been transformed for the film Yankee Buccaneer and had to be converted back.[19][20]
On April 18 Flynn returned to shoot the remaining sequences over two days. Because director George Sherman was working on Willie and Joe Back at the Front by then, the scenes were shot by Douglas Sirk.[21]
Anthony Quinn said that he and O'Hara began an affair while making Sinbad the Sailor (1947), and every time they worked together again (on Against All Flags, The Magnificent Matador), they would resume their affair temporarily.[22]
The pirate characters include "Capt. Black Death", a Black pirate captain played by Emmett Smith. This casting has been described as a comparatively "progressive statement on racial equality for its time."[23]
Reception
Critical
The New York Times said Flynn "is a singular man among men and Maureen O'Hara... who is beautiful putty in his hands."[24]
The Chicago Tribune called it "routine and ridiculous".[25]
Filmink magazine called it "a marvellous return to form" for Flynn, being "colourful, escapist entertainment, with a strong script and top-notch cast. Sure, Errol looks dissolute and seedy but he's still dashing with a twinkle in his eye, and this is easily one of his best movies from the 1950s."[26]
Box Office
O'Hara said the film made "a pot of money".[17] According to Variety it earned $1.6 million in gross rentals in North America in 1953.[2] Despite this Flynn did not work again for Universal for a number of years, leaving the US to live in Europe; he was reunited with the studio on Istanbul.[7]
^Schallert, Edwin (20 January 1950). "Drama: Pirate Picture Shapes for Fairbanks; Wyman May Do Lawrence Story". Los Angeles Times. p. 23.
^"'Against All Flags' New Pirate Story Purchase". Los Angeles Times. 6 July 1950. p. B7.
^Thomas F. Brady (6 July 1950). "PRODUCTION CHIEF QUITS PARAMOUNT: Henry Ginsberg Resigns Post as Vice President at Studio". New York Times. p. 31.
^ abVagg, Stephen (2020). Against All Flags Audio Commentary (Media notes). Kino Lorber.
^THOMAS M. PRYOR (Aug 20, 1951). "UNIVERSAL IN DEAL WITH ERROL FLYNN: STUDIO GETS WARNER STAR FOR 'AGAINST ALL FLAGS,' A DRAMA ABOUT MADAGASCAR PIRATES". The New York Times. p. 14.
^Thomas Pryor (Mar 20, 1954). "ERROL FLYNN ENDS PACT AT WARNERS: ACTOR AND STUDIO AGREE TO PART -- STAR MADE 35 FILMS IN 20 YEARS ON LOT". New York Times. p. 10.
^"'Pilate's Wife' Slated at RKO". Los Angeles Times. Sep 9, 1951. p. D9.
^"STUDIO BRIEFS". Los Angeles Times. Nov 9, 1951. p. B8.
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