United Artists released the low-budget CAPTAIN KIDD in 1945, hoping to cash in on the swashbuckler craze that was jumpstarted by pirate films like CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE SEA HAWK. Whereas those films had dashing Hollywood idols as their leading swashbucklers (like Errol Flynn), CAPTAIN KIDD has Quasimodo himself, Charles Laughton, as the title character. Laughton enjoyed the role so much, that he played the character again for laughs in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET CAPTAIN KIDD. Norman Raine’s script was very loosely based on the well-documented life of buccaneer, William Kidd. CAPTAIN KIDD was a modest success at the box office, and got positive press mostly for the performances. The film went on snag an Academy Award nomination for best score, courtesy of Werner Janssen’s symphony orchestra. Roan specializes in the restoration of classic genre films on DVD (and VHS), and CAPTAIN KIDD is one of their initial releases since forming a partnership with Troma.

CAPTAIN KIDD is directed by Rowland V. Lee, who directed such classics as TOWER OF LONDON, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, and RETURN OF DR. FU MANCHU. Star Charles Laughton is best remembered for his performances in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Here, Laughton portrays Captain William Kidd in a scheming and cerebral manner. Cowboy star Randolph (RAGE AT DAWN) Scott takes a break from the Western genre to portray Captain Kidd’s heroic antagonist, Adam Mercy. Genre great John Carradine is Captain Kidd’s fellow schemer, Orange Povey. The sexy Barbara (THE BANDIT QUEEN) Britton plays Lady Ann, a woman that is reluctantly taken aboard Captain Kidd’s vessel. Gilbert (GO KILL AND COME BACK) Roland is Captain Kidd’s uncontrollable cohort, Jose, who lusts after Lady Ann.

"For centuries, Madagascar was the bloodiest pit in all the seas. Where the infamous brotherhood of the damned waited to plunder the treasure-laden galleons of India, then return drunk from the slaughter to their pirate stronghold. Most ruthless of all was Capt. William Kidd. He encountered the great London galleon called The 12 Apostles, commanded by Lord Blayne. And approaching unsuspected in the guise of a peaceful merchant man, Kidd’s sudden treachery reduced The 12 Apostles to a burning hulk. When night fell, The 12 Apostles was only a blazing funeral pyre on a placid surface of a Madagascar lagoon."

So proclaims the opening narration of CAPTAIN KIDD. The narration fails to mention the loss of Kidd’s own vessel. Having disposed of Lord Blayne’s naval ship, Kidd and his cohorts, Povey (Carradine) and Jose (Roland) escort their treasure chest inside a cave on a small island off the Madagascar coast. After the treasure is buried, he does away with some rebellious crewmembers. Then Kidd retreats back to London where he dreams up a plan that will put him in command of a new ship. He recruits the services of a stuffy butler, who teaches the crude buccaneer the ways of English noblemen. Soon, Kidd has now adopted the mannerisms of a civilized person of social stature, and cons his way into seeing King William (Henry Daniell). He puts on a huge charade, and tells King William that Lord Blayne was not loyal. He convinces King William that Lord Blayne turned his majesty’s ship, The 12 Apostles, into a pirate galleon, which was sunk in the sea of Madagascar. Then Kidd volunteers to return to Madagascar in the name of King William.

King William and his advisors are impressed by the audacity of Kidd, and have no idea he is a buccaneer. They accept his proposal, and send him on a mission to the rough seas of Madagascar to rendezvous with King William’s naval galleon to retrieve the royal treasure. Should Kidd return with the treasure, the King will bestow upon him the Lordship status of Lord Blayne (and he would inherit Blayne’s position, power, and wealth). King William provides Kidd with a naval galleon, but no navy men are available. So, Kidd suggests that that they recruit prisoners from the King’s dungeons. He reasons that death row inmates would rather take their chances on the high sea, than perish in the cold dungeons. Kidd is given permission to raid the dungeons for his crewmembers, and it is there he meets Adam Mercy (Scott), an experienced nautical expert mistakenly committed to the dungeons.

As the ship sets sail for Madagascar, Povey blackmails Kidd to come along on the journey and receive a share of the profits, or Povey will tarnish Kidd’s charade. Kidd is forced to form a partnership with Povey. They meet up with King William’s galleon, which is commanded by Captain Rawson (Farnum) and his lovely daughter, Lady Ann (Britton). Captain Rawson is unaware of Kidd’s deception, and welcomes Kidd and his cohorts aboard his galleon. At Kidd’s urging, Jose plants a bomb inside the ship’s powder keg, and the resulting explosion cripples the ship. Kidd tells Captain Rawson that he and his daughter may return to his vessel, where they will be safely returned to London. Of course, Captain Rawson must bring the King William’s treasure aboard Kidd’s ship, too. Once Captain Rawson and Lady Ann are aboard, Kidd arranges for Captain Rawson to have an ‘accident’. Jose the cutthroat develops an impulsive obsession for Lady Ann that has her fearing for her life. Adam Mercy is the one man on the ship who comes to her aid, although even he has his own hidden scheme. First Adam does away with Jose in a sword fight, and then he tries to protect Lady Anne from Kidd and the crew of death row prisoners. But what is the secret agenda of Adam Mercy?

The name of Captain Kidd conjures up images of ferocious sea pirates roaming the high seas with ruthless abandon. It’s reasonable then to expect a movie of that name to provide an abundance of action and thrills, sea battles, and swordplay, with enough rapier wit to fill a treasure chest. Alas, me hearties, CAPTAIN KIDD delivers little action and swashbuckling thrills. It is more of a character driven piece, with the actors carrying the load. Instead of a dashing cutthroat pirate, Laughton’s Captain Kidd is a mean-spirited con artist who desires only power and position in King William’s service. He does not rejoice in the life of a pirate. Robert Lee’s script contains plenty of historical inaccuracies, and at times comes of as completely hokey. But the storyline is full of intrigue and entertaining dialog from the talented cast. The suspense comes from wondering how long it will take Captain Kidd’s deception to unravel.

Laughton is great as Captain Kidd. Obviously, Laughton is not your typical pretty boy actor, so perhaps that’s why the producers took a more cerebral approach to his portrayal of Kidd. Laughton uses some facial expressions, which brings to mind his unforgettable performance as Quasimodo. Instead, Randolph Scott gets the pretty boy role, but Scott rises above the conventions of a baby face, and exhibits a tougher-than-nails demeanor (that probably comes from years of playing heavies in Western movies). Barbara Britton brings a touch of class to her portrayal of Lady Ann. The fact that she is drop dead gorgeous doesn’t hurt her performance, either. Gilbert Roland plays his slimy character with equal relish. Young John Carradine steals every scene he is in, and quickly establishes his character as an equal to Captain Kidd.

One huge flaw CAPTAIN KIDD is Carradine’s relationship with Laughton. Carradine is clearly shown to be Laughton’s friend and accomplice in the opening moments. Carradine is not seen again until Laughton and his crew of prisoners leave London harbor for the first time. At this point in time, Carradine and Laughton are enemies with no explanation of what happened to their friendship. The only rational solution for this is some scenes were cut from the film. This seems like a valid explanation since sources indicate the running time is 89 minutes (including the DVD packaging). However, Roan’s DVD clocks in just over 80 minutes. Roan is advertising CAPTAIN KIDD as "Restored", but that hyperbole is all for naught, if they could not restore the film to it’s original length.

-  Darren Collette