Captain Blood on AllMovie

Although the Warner Bros. version of Rafael Sabatini's novel made Errol Flynn a star in 1935, it wasn't the first time the romantic adventure was made into a film. J. Warren Kerrigan starred as Peter Blood, the physician turned pirate in this silent Vitagraph version. Peter Blood gets lumped in with a group of rebels who have plotted against King James and is sent to the island of Barbados as a slave. He is purchased, along with his friend, Jeremy Pitt (James Morrison), by Colonel Bishop (Wilfred North), at the request of his willful niece, Arabella (Jean Paige). When a Spanish ship takes over the town, Blood leads the slaves and captures the vessel. After becoming the terror of the seas (but never attacking an English ship), Blood and his men rescue Lord Wade (Allan Forrest) and Arabella from a burning ship. When William III ascends to the British throne, Blood aligns himself with the new king, defeats the French fleet and saves Port Royal. He is appointed governor of Jamaica for his heroic deeds, and finally wins the hand of Arabella.