Still image from the 1940 film The Sea Hawk.

The Sea Hawk

Directed by Michael Curtiz

A British buccaneer holds the Spanish fleet at bay with the covert approval of Elizabeth I.

1940 2h 7m Adventure TV-G

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CAST
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Michael Curtiz, Director
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Michael Curtiz
Director

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Errol Flynn, Geoffrey Thorpe
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Errol Flynn
Geoffrey Thorpe

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Brenda Marshall, Dona Maria
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Brenda Marshall
Dona Maria

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Claude Rains, Don Jose Alvarez de Cordoba
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Claude Rains
Don Jose Alvarez de C..

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Donald Crisp, Sir John Burleson
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Donald Crisp
Sir John Burleson

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Flora Robson, Queen Elizabeth
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Flora Robson
Queen Elizabeth

FULL SYNOPSIS

In sixteenth century Spain, King Philip II, desirious of conquering the world, dispatches his ambassador, Don Jose Alvarez de Cordoba, to England, the rocky island that stands in the way of his grand scheme. Accompanied by his beautiful niece Doña Maria, Don Alvarez sets sail for England, but as his galley approaches the coast, the boat is attacked and plundered by Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, the privateering leader of a band of intrepid British sea fighters who steal to replenish their country's depleted coffers. Meanwhile, in England, Queen Elizabeth listens to the debate between Sir John Burleson, who urges her majesty to build a fleet in order to defend England against the imperialistic Philip, and Lord Wolfingham, who reassures the queen that Spain represents no threat to England. When the queen protests that she has no money with which to build a fleet, Geoffrey, who is in agreement with Sir John, confides in her his plan to rob the Spanish treasure hunters in Panama. After the queen grants Geoffrey her implicit consent, he readies for his voyage to Panama, but before leaving, meets Doña Maria in the garden and the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Don Alvarez and Wolfingham learn of Geoffrey's plan and dispatch Captain Lopez to stop him, and upon arriving in Panama, Geoffrey and his men are captured and condemned to be galley slaves. Just as Don Alvarez announces Geoffrey's demise and presents Elizabeth with an ultimatum of disbanding her fleet or facing war with Spain, Geoffrey learns that the Spanish Armada is poised to attack England. At Cadiz, he leads a mutiny of the slaves, commandeers a Spanish ship and arrives in England with proof of Spain's treachery. Geoffrey's warning saves England, and after his joyous reunion with Doña Maria, his queen knights him for his valor.


VIDEOS
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Dave Karger Intro
Hosted Intro
Fire On The Uproll!...
Movie Clip
We Are A Little Pressed For T...
Movie Clip
It Will Be Spain!
Movie Clip
An Immediate Audience...
Movie Clip
My Lady Of The Roses...
Movie Clip

ARTICLES
SYNOPSIS Captain Geoffrey Thorpe is a "sea hawk," the best and most famous of the privateers who roam the seas in the service of Queen and Country, but without her official blessing. (The character is based on the real-life historical figure of Sir Francis Drake, a privateer who eventually became Elizabeth's second-in-command against the infamous, and ultimately defeated, Spanish Armada). While trying to keep her kingdom from going to war with Spain, Elizabeth I must publicly condemn Thorpe's raids on Spanish ships while secretly supporting his attempts to foil King Philip's plans to raise an armada against England. When they are betrayed by a duplicitous minister of the Queen, Thorpe and his men are captured in the New World and forced into servitude as galley slaves...but they soon turn the tables on their captors. Director: Michael Curtiz Producer: Hal B. Wallis Screenplay: Howard Koch, Seton I. Miller Cinematography: Sol Polito Editing: George Amy Art Direction: Anton Grot Original Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold Cast: Errol Flynn (Captain Geoffrey Thorpe), Brenda Marshall (Doña Maria Alvarez de Cordoba), Claude Rains (Don José Alvarez de Cordoba), Donald Crisp (Admiral Sir John Burleson), Flora Robson (Queen Elizabeth), Alan Hale (Carl Pitt), Henry Daniell (Lord Wolfingham). BW-128m. Closed Captioning. Why THE SEA HAWK is Essential There were certain contentious yet productive combinations among the film industry's most famous personnel that, for all ...

ARCHIVES
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 Movie Posters from the movie 'The Sea Hawk'
The Sea Hawk
Movie Posters

NOTES
Although Warner Bros. made a 1924 film entitled The Sea Hawk based on the Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name, that picture was directed by Frank Lloyd, starring Milton Sills and Enid Bennett (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.4862). The 1940 production was based entirely on materials by screenwriters Howard Kock and Seton I. Miller. Sabatini's name is not included in the onscreen credits, though many modern sources indicate that the film was based on his novel. News items in Hollywood Reporter note that Warner Bros. considered changing the title of the film to Beggars at Sea because the story differed so greatly from the Sabatini novel The Sea Hawk, which told the story of a Cornish gentleman who becomes a Barbary pirate.
       "Beggars at Sea" was the title of a story originally submitted to Warner Bros. by Miller, which, according to news items and other contemporary information, was consid...

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