Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

(On Cable TV, March 2022) Quintessential swashbuckling icon Errol Flynn gets a great showcase in Adventures of Don Juan—not necessarily his last adventure film, but perhaps the last of the good ones that made his reputation. Shot in colour with all the lavish means that Warner Brothers was able to muster, it takes place in gilded palaces and period carriages, with Flynn smiling through dialogue meant to establish that Don Juan was no ordinary man. The film begins quite well, with a series of familiar but well-executed sequences to showcase Don Juan’s prowess as a seducer, without quite making him an unlikable womanizer. Pressed into the service of the nation, he turns out to be a proto-James Bond able to seduce his targets to gather information about a dastardly plot. Alas, the middle section of the film struggles under the requirements of advancing the plot—the character is already introduced, but the action climax isn’t ready yet… so the pacing sags somewhat. Fortunately, there’s the ending to turn things around, get Don Juan to go all-out on the sword-fighting and wrap up the picture on a high note. Flynn is at ease here, his age adding further credibility to the character. He makes it look effortless, but the film’s production history shows just how Flynn was burning out at the end of his best years—missing weeks of shooting due to illnesses and heavy drinking. Still, the result on-screen speaks for itself: Adventures of Don Juan isn’t prime Flynn, but it’s not too far from it, and it makes for a decent watch.