Captain Lightfoot (1955)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Douglas Sirk

Writers:

W.R. Burnett (novel)
W.R. Burnett (writer) ...

Release Date:

26 March 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Adventure

Plot:

A pair of Irish rebels have swashbuckling adventures in 1815.

Plot Keywords:

Rebellion | Period Piece | Beautiful Woman | Ireland | Swashbuckler

Cast

Rock Hudson	...	Michael Martin
Barbara Rush	...	Aga Doherty
Jeff Morrow	...	John Doherty, aka Capt. Thunderbolt
Kathleen Ryan	...	Lady Anne More
Finlay Currie	...	Callahan
Denis O'Dea	...	Regis Donnell
Geoffrey Toone	...	Captain Hood
Hilton Edwards	...	Lord Glen
Sheila Brennan	...	Waitress
Harry Goldblatt	...	Brady
Charles B. Fitzsimons	...	Dan Shanley (as Charles FitzSimons)
Christopher Casson	...	Lord Clonmell
Philip O'Flynn	...	Trim
Shay Gorman	...	Tim Keenan
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Desmond (High Steward) (as Kenneth Mac Donald)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

A young star flexes his wings

Universal in the early Fifties was a decidedly second rate studio in desperate need of a star of their own. Director Douglas Sirk spotted Rock Hudson in a bit role and sensed star potential. Sirk almost single handedly coached and groomed Hudson towards stardom, which was achieved with the wildly successful "Magnificent Obsession" (1954). They would make eight movies together, "Captain Lightfoot" being the fourth, and the first in which Hudson would appear as an established star.

Hudson's newfound stardom is palpable throughout the movie. He exudes a boyish confidence as yet unseen in his work making this the joyful romp that Sirk intended. He is matched by a feisty Barbara Rush who played opposite him in the inferior "Taza, Son of Cochise" and supported by an cast of Irish players vastly superior to the bit players Universal would have supplied had the movie not been shot in Ireland.

Sirk's Hollywood career can be divided into three phases. First, the early years in a new country, finding his feet with some solid, if unexciting movies. The middle period was characterized by light weight comedies and trying his hand at different genres such as the western, the costume and historical dramas. Finally, would be his golden period of the melodramas for which he became famous. "Captain Lightfoot" signals the end of the middle period.

While extremely enjoyable, it lacks sufficient substance to make it memorable. Sirk fans would naturally not want to miss this, but Rock Hudson fans in particular should seek this out. He seldom seemed to be truly having such a good time as here when flexing his new grown wings of stardom.