The Master of Ballantrae

Rating:
Summary: THRILLING SWASHBUCKLER - NOT STEVENSON!
Review: Upon its release, "The Master of Ballentrae" was considered a massive undertaking and huge gamble on the part of Warner Brothers Studio. Their star, Errol Flynn's lavishly perverse lifestyle had caught up to him in such a way as to prevent any close up photography except for some occasional snippets shot through a thick filter. Shot in Italy, Scottland and Wales the resulting film was a huge hit in Europe but a widely regarded dud in the U.S. Set aside the title if you're a fan of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel because this movie in no way follows any part of the original book's plot. As a stand alone film however, it is a rather inviting piece of confection with Flynn doing his swordplay and slick one liners on lavish sets and with the brilliant photography of Jack Cardiff much to his benefit.
Warner Home Video gives us a nice looking DVD transfer of this would be masterpiece. Edge enhancement does crop up now and then but nothing that will terribly distract one from enjoying the film. Colors are rich and nicely balanced. Blacks are deep. Age related artifacts are kept to a minimum. Over all, a clean visual presentation. The audio is mono but very well balanced and nicely restored.
EXTRAS: a photo gallery and some other toss away stuff.
BOTTOM LINE: This is an Errol Flynn movie - perhaps "the" Errol Flynn movie of the 1950's. It's overblown handling of the subject matter is in tune with the 1950's need for bigger entertainment. But at 89 min. and minus the author's original intent, I only recommend this movie to die hard Flynn fans. But hey, Warner Brothers - how about giving us a few of Errol's truly memorable classics on DVD - "Charge of the Light Brigade", "Dodge City", "Captain Blood" and "They Died With Their Boots On" come to mind.