The Black Swan (1942)

An ex-pirate contends with rowdy buccaneers and a love-hate relationship with an aristocratic woman who's tougher than she seems.

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay), Seton I. Miller (screenplay) (as Seton I.Miller)

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tyrone Power	...	Jamie Waring
Maureen O'Hara	...	Lady Margaret Denby
Laird Cregar	...	Captain Henry Morgan
Thomas Mitchell	...	Tommy Blue
George Sanders	...	Captain Billy Leech
Anthony Quinn	...	Wogan
George Zucco	...	Lord Denby

Storyline

When notorious pirate Henry Morgan is made governor of Jamaica, he enlists the help of some of his former partners in ridding the Carribean of Buccaneers. When one of them apparently abducts the previous governor's pretty daughter and joins up with the rebels, things are set for a fight.

---

Plot Keywords:

maracaibo venezuela | deception | tied up | pirate raid | governor | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | History

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 December 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rafael Sabatini's The Black Swan

Filming Locations:

Cuba

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,012,600, 3 February 1943

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min (copyright time) 85 min (current existing footage) 85 min (re-release) (censored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Black and White (reissue)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ship in the picture was also used in the films That Hamilton Woman (1941), The Princess and the Pirate (1944) and Captain Kidd (1945).

---

Goofs

At the beginning of the film, when Jamie is on the stretching board, the camera angle repeatedly switches from a close-up to a wide angle and back again. Every time the close-up is shown, Jamie is looking over his right shoulder. When the camera switches to wide angle, Jamie is always looking straight forward.

---

Quotes

Capt. Sir Henry Morgan: I am Sir Henry Morgan.
Roger Ingram: From the looks of you it could be nothing else.

---

Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: This is a story of the Spanish Main - - when Villainy wore a Sash, and the only political creed in the world was - - - Love, Gold, and Adventure.

---

Connections

Featured in Conrack (1974)

---

Soundtracks

Heave Ho
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Alfred Newman
Played during the opening credits and sung by an offscreen chorus

User Reviews

More Than a Monument to Public Patience

"This is a story of the Spanish Main -- where Villainy wore a Sash, and the only political creed in the world was --- Love, Gold, and Adventure…" is an apt introduction to this swashbuckling story. "The Black Swan" was made while Tyrone Power (here as James "Jamie Boy" Waring) was at the peak of his second wave of popularity. This began with the re-make of "The Mark of Zorro" (1940), and Mr. Power was suddenly compared to Douglas Fairbanks; as a man, he was more like Rudolph Valentino, though not quite showing it all in "Blood and Sand" (1941). Each of these adventure films retains their sense of hokey fun.

In this one, Power's "sex symbol" status is complimented by a bare chest, stubble, and the beautiful Maureen O'Hara (as Margaret Denby). All in Technicolor. Director Henry King and friendly co-stars like George Sanders (as Billy Leech) helped keep both Power and the public happy. Power performs smoothly with sword in "The Black Swan" but felt he deserved more varied roles.

As an aside, a writer at Paramount in the late 1980s mentioned walking over to Tyrone Power's grave, which was near the studio, so I tagged along. It was a beautiful fall day, and the graveyard was deserted. At the time, I had only a vague notion of who Power was - probably from seeing movies like "The Black Swan" on television - and was startled to see the star's final resting place so well-kept, and adorned with fresh flowers. Three decades after his death, Tyrone Power was still missed and admired.

******* The Black Swan (12/4/42) Henry King ~ Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders, Laird Cregar