The Master of Ballantrae (film)
Encyclopedia
The Master of Ballantrae is a 1953
British adventure film
starring Errol Flynn
, Roger Livesey
, and Anthony Steel. It is a loose and highly truncated adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson
novel of the same title
. In eighteenth century Scotland
, two sons of a Laird
are rivals for the family estate and for a lady.
in 1745, the year of the Jacobite Rising
, the older son Jamie Durie (the Master of Ballantrae) and his younger brother Henry Durie, decide that one of them will join the uprising while the other will join the loyalists, so whichever side wins, the family's noble status and estate will be preserved. At the toss of a coin, The Master wins and departs to join the Rising, while Henry remains in support of King George II
.
The Rising fails; the Master is betrayed and reported dead. Henry becomes the heir to the estate. The Master falls in with an Irish
adventurer, Colonel Francis Burke, and they take ship to the West Indies, where they are captured by a French-captained pirate ship.
Jamie goes into partnership with Captain Arnaud, and they jointly capture a galleon
that was earlier seized by Captain Mendoza. They fall out and Jamie kills Arnaud, claiming command of the ship. They sail for Scotland.
Jamie returns to the family estate, now rich with piratical treasure and is initially not recognised. He confronts his brother Henry, now engaged to Lady Alison, Jamie's original intended, and a fight ensues between Burke and Jamie and Redcoat officers. The unequal fight ends with Jamie and Burke condemned to death. But they are enabled to escape by Jessie Brown, who originally betrayed Jamie, with Henry's help. Alison elects to come with them.
Jamie, Alison and Burke gallop off into the sunset to an uncertain future.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
British adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
starring Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, Roger Livesey
Roger Livesey
Roger Livesey was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, I Know Where I'm Going! and A Matter of Life and Death...
, and Anthony Steel. It is a loose and highly truncated adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
novel of the same title
The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale is a book by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focusing upon the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen whose family is torn apart by the Jacobite rising of 1745...
. In eighteenth century Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, two sons of a Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
are rivals for the family estate and for a lady.
Plot Synopsis
At the Durrisdeer estate in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1745, the year of the Jacobite Rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, the older son Jamie Durie (the Master of Ballantrae) and his younger brother Henry Durie, decide that one of them will join the uprising while the other will join the loyalists, so whichever side wins, the family's noble status and estate will be preserved. At the toss of a coin, The Master wins and departs to join the Rising, while Henry remains in support of King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
.
The Rising fails; the Master is betrayed and reported dead. Henry becomes the heir to the estate. The Master falls in with an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
adventurer, Colonel Francis Burke, and they take ship to the West Indies, where they are captured by a French-captained pirate ship.
Jamie goes into partnership with Captain Arnaud, and they jointly capture a galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
that was earlier seized by Captain Mendoza. They fall out and Jamie kills Arnaud, claiming command of the ship. They sail for Scotland.
Jamie returns to the family estate, now rich with piratical treasure and is initially not recognised. He confronts his brother Henry, now engaged to Lady Alison, Jamie's original intended, and a fight ensues between Burke and Jamie and Redcoat officers. The unequal fight ends with Jamie and Burke condemned to death. But they are enabled to escape by Jessie Brown, who originally betrayed Jamie, with Henry's help. Alison elects to come with them.
Jamie, Alison and Burke gallop off into the sunset to an uncertain future.
Cast
- Errol FlynnErrol FlynnErrol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
as Jamie Durie - Roger LiveseyRoger LiveseyRoger Livesey was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, I Know Where I'm Going! and A Matter of Life and Death...
as Colonel Francis Burke - Anthony Steel as Henry Durie
- Beatrice CampbellBeatrice CampbellBeatrice Campbell was a British stage and film actress. She was born in County Down, Northern Ireland.-Career:After a distinguished London stage career, Campbell entered film in the mid-1940s...
as Lady Alison - Yvonne FurneauxYvonne FurneauxYvonne Furneaux is a French film actress.-Personal life:Yvonne Furneax started her acting career in England in 1952. At first she started with a few minor productions...
as Jessie Brown - Felix AylmerFelix AylmerSir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
as Lord Durrisdeer - Mervyn JohnsMervyn JohnsMervyn Johns was a Welsh film and television character actor. He was a mainstay of Ealing Studios.Among his dozens of film roles were Walter Craig in Dead of Night , the Church Warden in Went the Day Well? and Bob Cratchit in Scrooge...
as MacKellar - Charles GoldnerCharles GoldnerCharles Goldner was an Austrian-born actor who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Vienna, Austria on 7 December 1900, he made his screen debut in the 1940 film Room for Two and went on to appear in Brighton Rock, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, Bond Street and...
as Captain Mendoza - Ralph TrumanRalph TrumanRalph Truman was an English actor, usually cast as either a villain or an authority figure. He possessed a distinguished speaking voice...
as Major Clarendon - Francis De WolffFrancis de WolffFrancis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
as Matthew Bull - Jacques BerthierJacques BerthierJacques Berthier was a French composer of liturgical music, best known for writing much of the music used at Taizé.-Biography:...
as Captain Arnaud