1924 Film The Sea Hawk

Directed by Frank Lloyd, the screen adaptation was written by J. G. Hawks based upon the 1915 Rafael Sabatini novel of the same name. It premiered on June 2, 1924, in New York City, twelve days before its theatrical debut.

The Sea Hawk
1924 theatrical poster
Directed by	Frank Lloyd
Screenplay by	J. G. Hawks Intertitles: Walter Anthony
Based on	The Sea Hawk 1915 novel by Rafael Sabatini
Produced by	Frank Lloyd
Starring	Milton Sills Enid Bennett Lloyd Hughes Wallace MacDonald Marc McDermott Wallace Beery
Cinematography	Norbert F. Brodin
Edited by	Edward M. Roskam
Music by	Modest Altschuler Cecil Copping John LeRoy Johnston
Production company	Frank Lloyd Productions
Distributed by	Associated First National Pictures
Release date	June 14, 1924 (1924-06-14) (U.S. theatrical)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)
Budget	$800,000
Box office	$2 million

At the instigation of his half brother Lionel (Lloyd Hughes), Oliver Tressilian (Milton Sills), a wealthy baronet, is shanghaied and blamed for the death of Peter Godolphin (Wallace MacDonald), brother of Oliver's fiancée, whom Lionel actually has slain. At sea Oliver is captured by Spaniards and made a galley slave, but when he escapes to the Moors he becomes Sakr-el-Bahr, the scourge of Christendom. Learning of Rosamund's (Enid Bennett) impending marriage to his half brother, he kidnaps both of them, but to avoid the risk of giving her to Asad-ed-Din (Frank Currier), the Basha of Algiers, he surrenders to a British ship. Rosamund intercedes to save his life, and following the death of Lionel they are married.

Director Frank Lloyd recognized that moviegoers of 1924 would be put off by miniature models, and instructed that full-sized ships be created for use in the film at a cost of $200,000. This was done by outfitting the wooden exteriors of existing craft to the design of Fred Gabourie, known for his work in constructing props used in Buster Keaton films. The ocean scenes were filmed off the coast of California's Catalina Island, with 150 tents set up on the island for housing and support of the film's 1,000 extras, 21 technicians, 14 actors, and 64 sailors.

A movie with the same title (but an entirely different plot) was released in 1940, starring Errol Flynn. The studio used some key scenes from battles in the 1924 film. They spliced the scenes into the 1940 film, thinking they could not have been done better. The life-sized replicas were considered so well recreated, that Warner Bros. repeatedly used them in later nautical films.

When the film was released, a New York Times critic called it, "far and away the best sea story that has ever been bought to the screen". It held that unofficial status for years.

The film is referenced in The Lost World (1925) when the explorers return to London and there is a shot of the London Pavilion with a flashing sign advertising a showing of The Sea Hawk.

Some of the film's sea-battle footage was used in the 1935 film Captain Blood.

 

Wiki Commons has media related to The Sea Hawk (1924 film).

• The Sea Hawk at IMDb  
• Synopsis at AllMovie
• The Sea Hawk at the TCM Movie Database
• The Sea Hawk at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Lobby poster
• Fritzi Kramer, The Sea Hawk (1924) A Silent Film Review at moviessilently.com