Sir Francis Drake fights for queen and country in Seven Seas to Calais, another film that tries to recapture the magic of the Golden Age of swashbucklers.
On a dark night in Plymouth, 1577, young nobleman Malcolm Marsh (Keith Mitchell) tries to rescue a man from Spanish assassins. The rescue fails, but the man has time to give Marsh a message for Captain Francis Drake (Rod Taylor) before he dies. Marsh fights his way to where Drake's ship is docked, eventually rescued by Drake and his crew. The message turns out to be a map of Spanish gold mines in the New World, and Drake petitions Queen Elizabeth (Irene Worth) for permission to raid the mines. Drake sets sail, Marsh joining his crew after saying what I'm sure was supposed to be a tearful, heartfelt farewell to his fiancée, Arabella Ducleau (Edy Vessel). Under Drake's command, Marsh contends with Spanish forces, a mutinous crew, and tumultuous seas during their many travels across the globe. But while Drake's away, there's intrigue afoot, courtesy of a Spanish plot to assassinate Elizabeth and secretly assemble a mighty Spanish armada in preparation for war with England. Not only that, but the treacherous Lord Babington (Terence Hill) is part of the conspiracy, and he plans to use Arabella as a dupe to help carry it out.