HotToastyRag I really like Charles Laughton, but as far as a classic pirate movie goes, my favorite is not Captain Kidd. There's just no comparison with Robert Newton, and once you've seen him, you can't accept anyone else's Cockney accent as true pirate-age. Captain Kidd came five years before Treasure Island, though, and at the time it was a classic.Charles Laughton leads a band of pirates, including Randolph Scott, Gilbert Roland, and John Carradine, and captures a ship-that's what pirates do. And naturally, there's a beautiful woman with beautiful, tantalizing clothes on board who never gets bothered by the very lonely crew-also always present in pirate movies. Barbara Britton falls for Randolph Scott, of course, and there's a constant power struggle among the rowdy band of misfits. If you really liked the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty you can give this one a try. I actually did like the 1935 adventure flick but found Captain Kidd pretty boring.

Robert J. Maxwell A black-and-white pirate yarn with Laughton as the treacherous Captain Kidd and Randolph Scott as the aggrieved son of a nobleman, looking for revenge. Barbara Britton is the beautiful hostage.First, what a cast. Every character actor in Hollywood must have a part in this production. Second, Charles Laughton is sweaty, plump, and relishes his villainy like Richard III. He turns evil into a joke.The dialog is stilted, flowery, and a little intricate, which, I guess, is the way we think ordinary people used to speak in 1666, but it's fun to listen to. "More wine, you waddling toad" -- that sort of thing, but better. The whole movie is kind of fun, including the musical score which is definitely not by Eric Wolfgang Korngold, but rather less tuneful and with more dissonance.If you're looking for a romantic swashbuckler, this isn't it. See "Captain Blood" or "The Sea Hawk" instead. This is more of a fictionalized passage from the life of William Kidd, terror of the high seas, liar compleat, and wily slob. Since Kidd is played by Charles Laughton, Captain Kidd does not swing from ropes.

thinker1691 Robert N. Lee wrote the story of " Captain Kidd " and when it got to the Silver Screen became a must see movie. The film which followed is very interesting and the leading man of the tale is none other that Charles Laughton who plays Capt. William Kidd with relish and is quite convincing in the role. As to whether the movie is based on fact is poor at best. Modern Historians contend that Kidd was unjustly hanged and displayed as an example to others in England 1701. The movie on the other hang is active, enjoyable and well done. The pirate's exploits garners the audiences' attention and the adding of some of Hollywood's' actors makes for a spirited adventure. One however questions the addition of Randolph Scott as Adam Mercy as he most apt to play Westerns. Others like John Carradine, Gilbert Roland, Sheldon Leonard and Reginald Owen are well placed. Eye candy is provided by Barbara Britton as Lady Anne Dunstan and in addition, the movie is filmed in Black and White. However, it's a good feature movie and does prove to become a Classic in many ways. In retrospect, the movie like the Legend of Captain Kidd is often misunderstood. Recommend to Charles Laughton fans. ****

kurtwil Charles Laughton offers an over the top performance which spices up what's otherwise a low budget Pirate yarn now circulating the bins of various dollar stores. John Carradine's performance's unusually restrained while Barbara Britton gets little to do other than be frightened and weep. The largest crowd scenes are saved for the prison and hanging at the end of the movie. There is one decently staged fencing sequence near the end where Randolf Scott dispatches Gilbert Roland as Jose Lorenzo. The ship models and occasionally painted backdrops are very obvious, as is the reuse of an exploding ship in both prelude and middle of the flick. Keep an eye out for Sheldon Leonard in his before "I Spy" producer days.