The Black Swan (1942)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay) and
Seton I. Miller (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 December 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | History

Tagline:

Seas Ablaze...with black villainy, with fiery romance, with breathless deeds of daring...in the roaring era of Love, Gold and Adventure!

Plot:

When notorious pirate Henry Morgan is made governor of Jamaica, he enlists the help of some of his former...

Plot Keywords:

Governor | Pirate | Jamaica | Henry Morgan | English

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Jamie Waring
Maureen O'Hara	...	Lady Margaret Denby
Laird Cregar	...	Capt. Sir Henry Morgan
Thomas Mitchell	...	Tom Blue
George Sanders	...	Capt. Billy Leech
Anthony Quinn	...	Wogan
George Zucco	...	Lord Denby

Also Known As:

Rafael Sabatini's The Black Swan (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

87 min (copyright time) | USA:85 min (current existing footage)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8421)

Filming Locations:

Cuba

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Three of the cast-members in "The Black Swan" won Supporting Actor Oscars at some point in their careers: Thomas Mitchell for "Stagecoach" (1939), George Sanders for "All About Eve" (1950), and Anthony Quinn for both "Viva Zapata!" (1952) and "Lust for Life" (1956).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The ships are fairly authentic looking for the era, but they are being steered by a wheel. This came into fashion some 25 years after the story takes place. A common error in pirate movies.

Quotes:

Jamie: You can lower your pistols, Lady Margaret.
Margaret Denby: Unfortunately, I have no pistols.
Jamie: Your eyes. I've looked into pistol barrels that are warmer.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Pirates of Tortuga (1961)

Soundtrack:

Heave Ho

I want to be a pirate!!

What fantastic fun this film is a swashbuckler of the highest order, fun and adventure on the high seas, a dashing hero, a damsel in distress, a dastardly foe, treachery, sword fights, great sea battles and more pirates than you can shake a cutlass at! What more could any adventure film fan ask? Tyronne Power really looks and plays the part matching those other swashbuckling hero's such as Errol Flynn in bravado and flair. Maureen O Hara is the damsel in distress and as well as stunning looks is more fiery than the usual heroins of these films. George Sander and Laird Cregar are also fantastic on opposite sides of the Pirate wars.

Lighthearted and full of fun this is Sunday afternoon entertainment of the best kind. The pace slows in places but the finale is more than adequate pay off.

A film that makes everyone want to be a pirate!!! 8/10