THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948: Dir. Vincent Sherman)
Seven years ago I wrote a blog entitled Where Have All The Heroes Gone? in which I praised the traditional heroes of an earlier era whose selfless acts bore none of the cynicism of our selfish post-millenial age. With most screens now officially dominated either by the adolescent antics of "super-heroes" or the machine gun marauding of weary, middle-aged "expendables", the old joy of light comedy action seems like a foreign language to a generation raised on violent video games and the morbid fascination of crime scene corpses. I have always believed that humour is a vital component to all films, and as a fan of cinematic athleticism, I can think of no better actor who embodies both of these attributes better than Errol Flynn. Bursting onto the screen with the swashbuckling earnestness of Captain Blood (1935), the dashing Tasmanian thrusted himself into the pantheon of classic movie heroes. With the assistance of Belgian fencing master Fred Cavens, Flynn developed his superior skills with a sword, which combined with a devil-may-care charm and matinee idol looks made him the greatest action star of his day. Perhaps the most important aspect of his screen persona is his pure joie de vivre, an overpowering life force energy that envelopes the viewer in its sureness of purpose. Any actor can dexterously wield a blade or shoot an arrow, but Flynn's grin makes it fun in a uniquely satisfying way, as if we the audience are partaking in the exhilarating hijinks ourselves. I still find myself almost immediately drawn into the rousing action of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) due to the infectiousness of Flynn's zestfully witty performance. His unparalleled run of escapist entertainments continued unabated for nearly a decade after Captain Blood had made him a star overnight, but it wasn't until after a fallow period of dramas during WWII, that Flynn returned to make his testament film, The Adventures of Don Juan. It would be a rollicking swashbuckler in the quintessential Flynn style, this time taking full satirical advantage of the aging star's real-life reputation as a notorious lothario. Directed by veteran Warner Bros. craftsman Vincent Sherman (Mr Skeffington), Don Juan is a fascinating and enjoyable hybrid film in the Flynn canon, full of self-deprecating jokes, electrifying action, and melancholy romance. Flynn, still able to perform much of his own swordsmanship, owns the screen, seeding little ground to his flavourful supporting cast, including Errol's jovial cinematic sidekick Alan Hale, the oily villainy of Robert Douglas and the luscious pulchritude of Viveca Lindfors. Its all topped off with composer Max Steiner's playfully Spanish score, pushing the already exciting action sequences into exuberant overdrive. Maybe the film's energy should be credited to Sherman, a man who nearing his 100th birthday can be heard still waxing excitedly about his and Flynn's achievement on the DVD commentary track, six decades later! DVD REGION 1 & 2
