History Film / CaptainClegg

''Captain Clegg'' is a 1962 British film produced by [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]], directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Creator/PeterCushing. Although Hammer are best known for their horror movies, and this one was even released as ''Night Creatures'' in the US, it's not a particularly frightening film, and it doesn't try to be one. Instead it's really more of a lightly Gothic crime thriller, set in the late 1700s.

With UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars looming, Britain and France have increased their mutual tariffs, which is really too bad for any Englishman who wants fine wine, brandy, or gin. Therefore, the southeast coast quickly becomes a hotbed of smuggling, and the Royal Navy dispatches Captain Collier (Patrick Allan) to that area to investigate the village of Dymchurch, in the supposedly-haunted Romney Marshes. The village is also the burial place of the notorious pirate Captain Nathaniel Clegg, whom Collier chased halfway around the world. The town's sweet-natured vicar, Parson Blyss (Cushing, at his most stork-like) receives the sailors with all friendliness, but is peculiarly unhelpful. The audience quickly learn that Blyss is the chief of the smuggling operation, which also includes the witty village undertaker Jeremiah Mipps (the always-delightful Michael Ripper) and aptly-named innkeeper Mr. Rash (Martin Benson). Rash's young ward/waitress, Imogene (the incredibly sexy Yvonne Romain) is in love with Harry Cobtree (a young Creator/OliverReed), son of the local squire (Creator/DerekFrancis), and they plan to run away together.

[[TheMovie Actually an adaptation]] of Russell Thorndike's novel ''[[Literature/DoctorSynTheScarecrow Doctor Syn]]''.

* AdaptedOut: Rather oddly, Syn’s "Scarecrow" SecretIdentity, one of the best-known features of the source novels, largely disappears in the film. Blyss and his followers ride around dressed as scary "marsh goblins", and one of the gang stands around disguised as a scarecrow and so hidden in plain sight as their lookout, but the idea of the Scarecrow as the formidable leader of the smugglers is never even mentioned.

* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: [[spoiler:Oliver Reed]] gave himself a bullet wound in his arm while shaving. Also [[spoiler:the death of Tom Ketch.]]

* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Averted with the stable lad at Rash's inn, who might qualify as UglyCute if he's lucky.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Rash, and later, Clegg]], thanks to the mulatto's JavelinThrower habits -- though less gorily or comprehensively than some cinematic instances of the trope, presumably because effects budgets wouldn't run that far or more horrific effects would have made this less of a family film.
* InspectorJavert: Collier is determined and ruthless in enforcing the law, recalling this trope. Which said, to have a chance of catching Clegg, he needs to be this focused.

* NoNameGiven: “The [[ValuesDissonance mulatto]]”. Justified, because he can't talk: he had his tongue cut out by Captain Clegg for treason (specifically, attacking Mrs. Clegg). Also Collier's boatswain, who serves as a sort of RecurringExtra type character.

* {{Sidekick}}: Mipps. To a lesser extent, Collier's boatswain.

* ScoobyDooHoax: The supernatural-looking “marsh goblins” are just cover for a smuggling racket.

* ThatManIsDead: Blyss/Clegg eventually says in a big speech that the pirate Clegg truly died on the gallows; he has truly become the good-hearted (though not exactly saintly) vicar.

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: A subtle example: [[spoiler:Collier takes off his hat when Clegg is killed]].

With UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars looming, Britain and France have increased their mutual tariffs, which is really too bad for any Englishman who wants fine wine, brandy, or gin. Therefore, the southeast coast quickly becomes a hotbed of smuggling, and the Royal Navy dispatches Captain Collier (Patrick Allan) to that area to investigate the village of Dymchurch, in the supposedly-haunted Romney Marshes. The village is also the burial place of the notorious pirate Captain Nathaniel Clegg, whom Collier chased halfway around the world. The town's sweet-natured vicar, Parson Blyss (Cushing, at his most stork-like) receives the sailors with all friendliness, but is peculiarly unhelpful. The audience quickly learn that Blyss is the chief of the smuggling operation, which also includes the witty village undertaker Jeremiah Mipps (the always-delightful Michael Ripper) and aptly-named innkeeper Mr. Rash (Martin Benson). Rash's young ward/waitress, Imogene (the incredibly sexy Yvonne Romain) is in love with Harry Cobtree (a young Creator/OliverReed), son of the local squire (Derek Francis), and they plan to run away together.

* CoolHat: There's actually a minor arc built around Captain Collier's bicorn hat. Early in the film, Blyss asks him to remove his hat in church, and Collier responds that he would if he were "here in service of my Maker", but at the moment, his duty to the King supersedes his religious duties. See WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife below for how this finally resolves itself.

[[TheMovie Actually an adaptation]] of ''[[Literature/DoctorSynTheScarecrow Doctor Syn]]''.

[[TheMovie Actually an adaptation]] -- see ''Literature/DoctorSynTheScarecrow''.

* AdaptedOut: Rather oddly, Syn’s “Scarecrow” SecretIdentity, one of the best-known features of the source novels, largely disappears in the film. Blyss and his followers ride around dressed as scary “marsh goblins”, and one of the gang stands around disguised as a scarecrow and so hidden in plain sight as their lookout, but the idea of the Scarecrow as the formidable leader of the smugglers is never even mentioned.

* WorthyOpponent: Blyss and Collier, to each other — though they perhaps don’t respect each other enough. While Collier at least acknowledges Clegg’s courage and honour, Blyss deliberately reminds him that he never caught Clegg, allows himself some private grins when he puts one over on Collier, and pulls a series of tricks and stunts that put his gang at risk and ultimately enable the methodical Collier to deduce the truth.

''Captain Clegg'' is a 1962 British film produced by [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]], directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Creator/PeterCushing. Although Hammer are known for their horror movies, and this one was even released as ''Night Creatures'' in North America, this isn't a particularly frightening film, and it doesn't try to be one. It's more of a lightly Gothic crime thriller, set in the late 1700s.

[[quoteright:165:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Captain_clegg_poster.jpg]]

''Captain Clegg'' is a 1962 movie produced by [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]], starring Creator/PeterCushing. Although Hammer are known for their horror movies, and this one was even released as ''Night Creatures'' in North America, this isn't a particularly frightening movie, and it doesn't try to be one. It's more of a lightly Gothic crime thriller, set in the late 1700s.

With the Napoleonic War looming, Britain and France increase their mutual tariffs, which is really too bad for any Englishman who wants fine wine, brandy, or gin. Therefore, the south-east coast quickly becomes a hotbed of smuggling, and the navy sends Captain Collier (Patrick Allan) down to that area to investigate the town of Dimchurch, in the supposedly-haunted Romney Marshes. The town is also the burial place of the notorious pirate Captain Nathaniel Clegg, whom Collier chased halfway around the world. The town's sweet-natured vicar, Parson Blyss (Cushing, at his most stork-like) receives the sailors with all friendliness, but is peculiarly unhelpful. The audience quickly learn that Blyss is the chief of the smuggling operation, which also includes the witty undertaker, Jeremiah Mipps (the always-delightful Michael Ripper), and the town innkeeper, the aptly-named Mr. Rash (Martin Benson). Rash's young ward/waitress, Imogene (the incredibly sexy Yvonne Romain) is in love with Harry Cobtree (a young Creator/OliverReed), son of the local squire (Derek Francis), and they plan to run away together.

''Captain Clegg'' is a 1962 movie produced by [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]], starring Creator/PeterCushing. Although Hammer are known for their horror movies, and this one was even released as ''Night Creatures'' in North America, this isn't a particularly frightening movie, and it doesn't try to be one. It's more of a crime thriller, set in the late 1700s.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: The smugglers are willing to [[spoiler:murder a man who threatens to expose their operation]], but Collier can be a real {{Jerkass}}, too, as he exercises the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique. For most of the movie, you don't know which side you're supposed to support.

* ScaryScarecrows: Used as lookouts by the smugglers. Nevertheless, there's something creepy about [[spoiler:Oliver Reed]]'s eyes looking out of a scarecrow's mask.

* WorthyOpponent: Blyss and Collier, to each other — though they perhaps don’t respect each other enough. While Collier at least acknowledges Clegg’s courage and honour, Blyss deliberately reminds him that he never caught Clegg, allows himself sone private grins when he puts one over on Collier, and pulls a series of tricks and stunts that put his gang at risk and ultimately enable the methodical Collier to deduce the truth.

* BoxedCrook: A low-key example. Collier and his crew first encountered "the mulatto" as the mutilated victim of of Captain Clegg's punishment, and presumably guessed that he had been one of Clegg's crew. But rather than either arresting and trying him as a pirate, or deciding that the mutilation was punishment enough and letting him go, they have taken to carting him around with them, chained up, as a sort of human bloodhound.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Rash, and later, Clegg]], thanks to the mulatto's JavelinThrower habits.

* AdaptationNameChange: In the novel ''[[Literature/DoctorSynTheScarecrow Doctor Syn]]'', on which the film is based, the central character is named -- well, [[CharacterTitle Doctor Syn]]. This film changed it to "Doctor Blyss" to avoid legal issues with Creator/{{Disney}}, who had produced their own adaptation of the story.

* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: [[spoiler: Oliver Reed]] gave himself a bullet wound in his arm while shaving. Also [[spoiler:the death of Tom Ketch.]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Rash, and later, Clegg]], thanks to the Mulatto's JavelinThrower habits.

* JavelinThrower: The Mulatto tends to attack people by throwing spears at them (which fits with some rather unfortunate ValuesDissonance in the depiction of the character).

* NoNameGiven: The "[[ValuesDissonance mulatto]]" guy. Justified, because he can't talk: he had his tongue cut out by Captain Clegg for treason (specifically, attacking Mrs. Clegg). Also Collier's boatswain, who serves as a sort of RecurringExtra type character.

* {{Sidekick}}: Mipps. To a lesser extent, Cpt. Collier's boatswain.

* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler: Clegg jumps in front of a spear to save Mipps]].

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: A subtle example: [[spoiler: Collier takes off his hat when Clegg is killed]].

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Imogene is Clegg's daughter]].

'''Dr. Blyss''': "Oh, it wasn't my arm, Captain.--You trod on my foot."

* SinisterMinister: Parson Blyss smuggles liquor... [[SaintlyChurch: ...but donates the proceeds to charity]]. Still, he can be quite menacing when he needs to be.