Charles Laughton
Captain William Kidd
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Synopsis
Captain Kidd presents himself at court as a trustworthy sailor and obtains a royal commission that conceals his own designs on stolen treasure. Among the men he recruits are people whose histories threaten his carefully constructed reputation. The adventure follows a contest of disguises and shifting alliances aboard a ship whose captain has much to hide.
Cast
DirectorsRowland V. Lee
Behind the scenes
Charles Laughton had wanted to play Kidd for years. The production reused ship scenery associated with earlier Hollywood adventures, and it became Rowland V. Lee's final film as director. The historical pirate is the starting point for a dramatized adventure, rather than a precise record of his life.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Charles Laughton — Clarence Sinclair Bull · Public domain
- Randolph Scott — Studio · Public domain
- Barbara Britton — Macfadden Publications page 2 · Public domain
- John Carradine — ABC Television · Public domain
