The Sea Hawk Overview:

The Sea Hawk (1940) was a Action - Adventure Film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Rafael Sabatini published in 1915.

Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionAnton GrotNominated
Best Music - ScoringErich Wolfgang KorngoldNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

The Sea Hawk (1940): Errol Flynn Against The Spanish Armada

By 4 Star Film Fan on Sep 12, 2019 From 4 Star Films

Anyone who knows even a smidgeon about historical dates knows what the big to-do with 1588 is. If anything, 1588 automatically means the sinking of the Spanish Armada by Queen Elizabeth’s forces. So when a film opens in Spain in 1585 we already have a good idea of where we might be going. It&#... Read full article


On Blu-ray: Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk (1940)

By KC on Feb 6, 2019 From Classic Movies

I’m always delighted to watch Errol Flynn in any kind of movie, but like many film fans, I find him most irresistible in his swashbucklers. There’s a lightness to him in these roles; partly because of his easy athleticism, but also because he never seems to be taking things too seriously... Read full article


Fridays With Errol Flynn: The Sea Hawk (1940)

on Mar 11, 2016 From Journeys in Classic Film

Fridays with Flynn moves from the plains of the heartland to the high seas with a retread of a film Flynn made five years earlier. Swashbucklers don’t necessarily thrill me, but even I couldn’t resist the breathless excitement that came from watching Flynn in Captain Blood (1935). By the... Read full article


Fridays With Errol Flynn: The Sea Hawk (1940)

on Mar 11, 2016 From Journeys in Classic Film

Fridays with Flynn moves from the plains of the heartland to the high seas with a retread of a film Flynn made five years earlier. Swashbucklers don’t necessarily thrill me, but even I couldn’t resist the breathless excitement that came from watching Flynn in Captain Blood (1935). By the... Read full article


Swashathon! THE SEA HAWK (1940)

By Dan Day Jr. on Nov 7, 2015 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

This is my contribution to the Swashathon! blogathon hosted by moviessilently.com. When you hear the word "swashbuckler", what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I'm sure some of you might say Douglas Fairbanks Jr., but for most folks it would be Errol Flynn. Flynn is to the swashbuckler ... Read full article


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Quotes from

Queen Elizabeth: And now, my loyal subjects, a grave duty confronts us all: To prepare our nation for a war that none of us wants, least of all your queen. We have tried by all means in our power to avert this war. We have no quarrel with the people of Spain or of any other country; but when the ruthless ambition of a man threatens to engulf the world, it becomes the solemn obligation of all free men to affirm that the earth belongs not to any one man, but to all men, and that freedom is the deed and title to the soil on which we exist. Firm in this faith, we shall now make ready to meet the great armada that Philip sends against us. To this end, I pledge you ships - ships worthy of our seamen - a mighty fleet, hewn out of the forests of England; a navy foremost in the world - not only in our time, but for generations to come.
Carl Pitt: [leading a cheer] To England, and the Queen!


[first lines]
King Philip II: The riches of the New World are limitless, and the New World is ours - with our ships carrying the Spanish flag on seven seas, our armies sweeping over Africa, the Near East, and the Far West; invincible everywhere... but on our own doorstep. Only northern Europe holds out against us; why? Tell me, why?


Don José Alvarez de Cordoba: It is extremely important that my niece be presented to the Queen before her new maids of honor are chosen.
Captain Lopez: They say that Elizabeth surrounds herself with beauty in the hope that it may be contagious.


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Facts about

Warner Bros. constructed a huge sound stage then known as the Maritime Stage. It had an internal tank that could be flooded. The stage was large enough to house two full-sized sailing ships positioned side-by-side. A specially constructed backdrop mechanism realistically simulated the waves. The stage, numbered 21, was, at the time, the largest sound stage on the Warner Brothers lot and the second largest in Hollywood, second only to MGM's cavernous Stage 15. The Maritime Stage was destroyed by fire in 1951.
The beautifully crafted costumes seen in "The Sea Hawk" were made for Flynn's movie from the year before called The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Reusing them saved Warner Bros. a huge amount of money, since the costumes were heavily researched, meticulously created and costly in their day.
South African Orlando Boys Club (founded in 1937) were renamed to Orlando Pirates having been influenced by the film. Orlando Pirates are a Premier Soccer League team.
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Also directed by Michael Curtiz




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