Errol Flynn: Signature Collection [DVD]

A collection of films starring Errol Flynn. Flynn made his starring debut in the classic swashbuckling adventure story, 'Captain Blood' (1935). He plays a surgeon wrongly imprisoned for helping rebels. Mr. Blood escapes and becomes a pirate in the Caribbean, before founding the 'Brotherhood of Buccaneers' to fight the villainous King James II. In 'Dodge City' (1939), Wade Hatton (Flynn) is a cattle buyer who soon makes a name for himself after arriving in the small frontier town of Dodge City. Wade not only helps catch cattle rustler Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot), but leads a covered wagon train to safety. However, this fails to impress the beautiful Abbie Irving (Olivia de Havilland), who blames Wade for the death of her brother in a stampede he accidentally started. When Wade discovers that Surrett has taken over Dodge in his absence, he puts on the sheriff's badge in an attempt to clean up the town. 'The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex' (1939) is a Hollywood history lesson detailing the doomed affair of Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and Lord Essex (Flynn). In this version of events, Elizabeth is plagued with jealousy whenever the rakish Essex shows an interest in other women, and she eventually has him executed as a traitor. 'The Sea Hawk' (1940) is another swashbuckling sea adventure set on the Spanish Armada during Elizabeth's reign. Flynn leads the British against the Spaniards to a rousing score (nominated for Best Music Oscar) by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. 'They Died With Their Boots On' (1941) is an epic western chronicling the life and times of George Armstrong Custer (Flynn). Custer is the man in charge of the Seventh Cavalry, and when corrupt officials break a treaty with the Sioux Native Americans, it is up to Custer to protect the Dakota territory from attack. Finally, 'Dive Bomber' (1941) is an exciting aviation film about experiments which attempted to eliminate the dangerous phenomenon of pilot-blackout. The film was nominated for an Oscar for its camera work.