ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (Warner Bros. 1948) Warner Home Video

By 1948, Errol Flynn’s personal ‘affairs’ were public knowledge – what, with narrowly dodging a rape conviction, Flynn's proclivity for dalliances with various young women, and, mounting rumors of his out-of-control alcoholism and drug addiction feeding a tabloid frenzy to tear at his once Teflon-coated reputation as Hollywood's he-man. Although Flynn’s newfound repute as a carouser may have helped what little box office Adventures of Don Juan (1948) did – not even director, Vincent Sherman’s tongue-in-cheek approach to the subject material could conceal the ravages all that hard partying had writ large and rather painfully, across Flynn’s visage. Playfully tugging at the bloat of a rather loose jowl, Flynn assured Sherman he could ‘screw’ his way to a firmer body before principle photography began. Alas, not even some clever massaging of the Leah Rhodes/Travilla/Marjorie Best costuming could conceal the fact that Flynn no longer appeared at the height of his physical prowess, especially when dressed in form-fitting tights. Viewing Adventures of Don Juan today, one can immediately spot the scenes where Flynn, weary of the part, is merely phoning in his performance, relying on his screen persona to carry the load. The tragedy, of course, is that on paper, at least, the picture must have seemed tailor-made to Flynn’s strengths. That he failed to bring his usual spry execution to all the lusty swordplay, and, in addition, sincerely lacked his usual devil-may-care to generate sparks in his lovemaking scenes opposite Viveca Lindfors, was a disappointment from which the movie never entirely recovered. Even more detrimental, in an effort to keep costs down, Warner Bros. excised whole portions of stock footage from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) – to piece together some of the action sequences, and, in one glaringly obvious oversight, show precisely what they were trying to conceal; that Adventures of Don Juan was decidedly a hand-me-down in the Flynn archives, instead of a valiant last stand to return the actor to his swashbuckler’s roots.

During a processional march, Don Juan is mistaken as a Duke on route to the palace of the King (Romney Brent) and Queen Margaret (Viveca Lindfors). Flynn is briefly, though quite obviously, glimpsed astride his horse in the full regalia he wore for ‘Elizabeth and Essex’ before director, Sherman cuts away – too late, as it were - to reveal Flynn, wearing an entirely different uniform for this movie. Plot wise, the George Oppenheimer-Harry Kurnitz screenplay had Don Juan rescuing the Royals from a treacherous plot by the Duke de Lorca (Robert Douglas – largely left sneering in half shadow). Although generic and rather pointlessly scripted by George Oppenheimer and Harry Kurnitz (with uncredited assists from William Faulkner and Robert Florey) based on a story by Herbert Dalmas, Adventures of Don Juan did have some tender humor between titular love-maker and simpering, Donna Elena (Ann Rutherford). Alan Hale was in it too, predictably playing – what else? – Juan’s ever-faithful sidekick, Leporello. A minor effort all around, the film is immeasurably fleshed out by a few elephantine sets and some minor swashbuckling from Flynn, skillfully edited by Alan Crosland Jr. to conceal Flynn’s lethargy. Unfortunately for all concerned, Adventures of Don Juan was not a box office bell-ringer. Flynn’s failings aside, the movie did much better business in Europe where crossed sword quickies still held wide appeal. But in America, tastes for this sort of costume comedy/melodrama were already a thing of the past. As such the picture was largely panned by critics and dismissed by audiences. Its tepid returns resulted in budgetary restrictions on subsequent Flynn films, and, the eventual cancellation of his contract.

Warner Home Video’s DVD is disappointing. Colors are, on the whole, fully saturated, vibrant and bold. The image is generally crisp, with a few minor instances of mis-registration. Flesh tones are orange, but passable. Contrast levels are ideally realized. Blacks are deep and solid. Whites are clean. Age related artifacts are present. Edge enhancement renders the credit sequence and opening prologue an unstable mess. The 1.0 Dolby Digital audio is adequate for this presentation. Extras include Warner Night at the Movies – minus Leonard Maltin’s participation, an audio commentary from Sherman and Rudy Behlmer, and several vintage short subjects.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

2.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

3.5

EXTRAS

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