Against All Flags is one of those Errol movies rarely shown on TV, and when it is, it's on at 3 a.m. or something like that. Why? Well, because it's not a particularly good movie, unfortunately. By 1952, Errol had left Warner Brothers, and Universal hired Flynn to bring his swashbuckling skills to a picture for them. Errol looks pretty tired, and a bit pudgy in this movie, and looks actually older than he really was. The plot of the movie is pure pirate movie fantasy, revolving around a mythical pirate republic in Madigascar. What's good about this movie? Some damned fine acting by Errol, Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinnn, and the inimitable Mildred Natwick (who steals several scenes rather handily). Given the extremely fictional plot, it's no surprise that the movie is rather campy and over the top. I mean, who knew pirates had such elaborate wardrobes?
What was bad about this movie? Well, for starters, it was directed by George Sherman (definitely not to be confused with director George Stevens), who was one pretty crappy director. He directed a whole bunch of entirely forgettable movies, mainly churning out cheap westerns. In 1941 alone, he directed nine films (all westerns), which is a ridiculous optempo. Pretty much every film he made was low budget, quickly churned out, amateurish, and undistinguished. After seeing Against All Flags, it's easy to see this. Cheap sets, horrible editing, crap action scenes - well, this movie had it all. Alice Kelley played a lead character, but really "played" is the right word - she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. Really bad. Several of the extras with speaking roles were even worse. Fortunately for the film world, Alice Kelley married the heir to an industrial fortune not long after and graciously retired from acting, her last role coming in the classic Ma and Pa Kettle at Home in 1954. The movie world did recover from the loss.
What's surprising is that Maureen O'Hara agreed to do this movie, as she had just finished The Quiet Man. Some people actually really like this movie, and consider it their favorite movie in the pirate genre. This was the only movie Errol made with Maureen O'Hara, though they were both Irish. O'Hara was born Maureen FitzSimons outside Dublin, and Flynn to Irish parents in Tasmania. Anthony Quinn had previously been in a film with Flynn, playing Crazy Horse in They Died With Their Boots On.
Errol was a personal train wreck at this point in his life. This was his last movie made in the US for the next five years, as he took off for Europe to avoid tax problems in the US. His next movie attempt was the disastrous Story of William Tell attempt, which personally bankrupted him. Some of his weakest films were made during this period, and it wasn't until The Sun Also Rises in 1957 before he made another particularly good film.
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