Captain Kidd from 1945 is a lopsided classic of the pirate genre, with the bulk of its favor being the weight of Charles Laughton's highly entertaining performance as Captain William Kidd. Although it departs from historical accuracy more often than not, it stands as a classic pirate movie with buried treasure, brazen treachery, terrible butchery, and sea battles galore. Some of the roles and those cast to play them are weak and workmanlike, but Reginald Owen complements Laughton nicely as Kidd's manservant, Shadwell (employed to teach his master the social etiquette he aspires to use in his climb to the peerage), and Henry Daniell succeeds in giving his role as King William III a convincing air of authority and royal puissance. Captain Kidd would have profited from more appropriate casting [in some cases] (Randolph Scott was not the optimum choice for the part of the hero, Adam Mercy), and a few more examples of bloody mêlée would not have gone amiss, but all in all it is worth watching just to see Laughton strutting the deck on the high seas again.
Writing: FairDirecting: Fair
Acting: Fair (Mediocre to Good)
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Good
Swordplay: Fair
Panache: Great (Laughton), Fair (Scott)
Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Good
[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 12 May 2009.]
Addendum
Written by: Norman Reilly Raine and Robert N. Lee
Directed by: Rowland V. Lee
Performed by: Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, Reginald Owen, Henry Daniell, et al.
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