Monday, April 08, 2024

Movie review - "The Tyrant Years" (1950) **

 Odd Sam Katzman movie. His films often fleeced through history and this was apparently once a tale of Captain Bligh then was fictionalised. It's about a tyrant in the British navy in 1803 - a captain, played by Rhys Williams, who I was vaguely familiar with, given a showy part. Williams isn't bad at all. The capain is basically turfed into retirement because he's brutal then brought back by Admiral Nelson (neat!) because he's brutal to go oon a special mission to wreck ships of the French. Ron Randell, in an awkward accent, is a lieutenant who falls for Williams' daughter.

The film is odd because Williams is a tyrant, an unfair tyrant - who abuses his crew, plays mind games... but the film never makes him a villain. He's victorious at the end, but wants to court martial Randell. Randell gets away with it because he's done his job. Then there's some cutesy stuff with Williams' wife who teases that they're going to have Randell as a son in law. This is played comically. But Wiliams has been shown to be a vicious commander, needlessly cruel. It feels as though the film might've been greatly rewritten. I could be wrong.

Not that much action except the battle at the end which is well done. It's in black and white not colour.

It's of interest mostly because of its ambiguous hero.

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