Seven Seas to Calais (Italian: Il dominatore dei sette mari), set in the sixteenth century, is the final film of Rudolph Mate, who co-directs here with Italian Primo Zeglio.
This adventure-biopic of the life and times of Sir Francis Drake was lushly shot by Eastmancolor in CinemaScope, with lavish costumes and elaborate battles that are visually pleasing to the eyes.
Rod Taylor, at his most handsome (and a year before making Hitchcock’s “The Birds”), plays Sir Francis Drake, one of Queen Elizabeth I of England’s leading commanders in the battles with Spain over the New World.
Drake is a man of many talents and skills. He can be a brutal pirate when raiding Spanish gold arsenals. He can function as a military commander who plans and executes naval battles with the famous Spanish Armada. He is a smart and subtle diplomat who knows how to maneuver in courtly circles.
The queen is played by Irene Worth, who’s better known as a stage actress.
End Note:
I am grateful to TCM, which showed this film on November 7, 2018.
