Themes: Fighting the System, Double Life, Heroic Mission
Main Cast: Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Jeff Morrow, Kathleen Ryan, Finlay Currie
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
Rock Hudson stars as Michael Martin, a naive and impetuous young would-be rebel in 1815 Ireland, who turns to robbery in his desire to support the cause against England. Now wanted by the British and forced into hiding, he crosses paths with the renowned rebel leader Captain Thunderbolt aka John Doherty (Jeff Morrow), who takes him under his wing. Impressed with Michael's bravery, Thunderbolt makes him his second-in-command, a job that becomes twice as difficult when Thunderbolt is wounded and must drop out of sight. Michael must replace him, not only as a rebel leader, but also in running the business that Doherty fronts as a cover, and in his household -- and that puts Michaal on a collision course with Doherty's equally impetuous, headstrong daughter Aga (Barbara Rush). Sparks fly between them, as the English draw ever closer in their pursuit of the rebels. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Review
Director Douglas Sirk brings a lively approach to Captain Lightfoot, an adventure yarn adapted -- by the author himself -- from a more serious and complex novel by W. R. Burnett. Nothing here has to be taken too seriously -- the plot plays almost like a dramatization of some events described in the old Irish folksong "Whiskey In The Jar," about rebels and highwaymen battling the English. The actors, led by Rock Hudson, Jeff Morrow, and Barbara Rush, all tread a fine line, their performances broad and lighthearted enough to be enjoyed, without ever stepping entirely out of character. There are no larger points being made, which is just fine, as the plot and characters don't demand any more than what we see. Beyond Sirk's sustained breezy approach and some colorful characterizations, plus a slight tongue-in-cheek tone to some of the action and interplay, the movie's main appeal is the exceptionally beautiful color CinemaScope photography by Irving Glassberg, plus -- seemingly -- the presence of practically every Irish actor in Hollywood whose fee fit into this picture's budget. Sirk would move on to much more serious and ambitious projects, most of them starring Rock Hudson (the director's favorite actor), soon after Captain Lightfoot. And the fact is, this story couldn't have been filmed at any time after the mid-1950's, a time when innocuous action and a setting that lent itself to color and scope was enough to get a picture green-lighted. But curiously, elements of the relationship between the Jeff Morrow and Rock Hudson characters, as well as their names -- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot -- would reappear on screen nearly two decades later, in Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt And Lightfoot. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Denis O'Dea - Regis Donnell; Hilton Edwards - Lord Glen; Harold Goldblatt - Brady; Charles Fitzsimmons - Dan Shanley; Christopher Casson - Lord Clonmel; Philip O'Flynn - Trim; Shay Gorman - Tim Keenan; Kenneth MacDonald - High Steward; Robert Bernal - Clagett; Louise Studley - Cathy; Mike Nolan - Willie the Goat; J.G. Devlin - Tuer O'Brian; Paul Farrell - The Magistrate; Edward Lexy - Army General; Geoffrey Toone - Capt. Hood; Nigel Fitzgerald - Sir George Bracey; Aiden Grennell - The Umpire; Austin Meldon - Sir Edward Grant
Credit
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Eric Orbom - Art Director, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, John Sherwood - First Assistant Director, Douglas Sirk - Director, Frank Gross - Editor, Joseph E. Gershenson - Composer (Music Score), Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Herman Stein - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, Irving Glassberg - Cinematographer, Ross Hunter - Producer, Oliver Emert - Set Designer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Glenn E. Anderson - Sound/Sound Designer, Leslie I. Carey - Sound/Sound Designer, Oscar Brodney - Screenwriter, W.R. Burnett - Screenwriter, W.R. Burnett - Book Author
