Sabatini has been at once lucky and unlucky in the adaptation of his novels to film. There can be little doubt that the film versions of Scaramouche, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk have kept Sabatini's titles familiar to the public.

On the other hand, these very films often have little to do with his books.

In 1923 Rex Ingram directed the first screen version of Scaramouche, starring Ramon Novarro as Moreau, Alice Terry as Aline de Kercadiou, and Lewis Stone as the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr. A 1952 version, directed by George Sidney, starred Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, and Mel Ferrer.