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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | History | Romance

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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

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).

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Goofs

The story is set in 1674, during the reign of King Charles II, but throughout the film the British flag is the familiar "Union Jack," not in use until the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

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Quotes

Capt. Sir Henry Morgan: [addressing Jamie Waring] Now put your shirt on. You look much too naked for a decent English gentleman.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

What is that?..........the devil looking after his own!

This is the story of the Spanish Main, when villainy wore a sash, and the only political creed in the world was, love, gold........and adventure!

The Black Swan finds Tyrone Power at his swashbuckling best, here as James "Boy" Waring, a pirate starting to find his conscience as he starts to find love, Power is devilishly handsome and swaggers about with knowingly comic abandon. Tho this Henry King directed picture reeks of being an illegitimate child to Errol Flynn's fabulous Captain Blood, it has such a great sense of fun and high production values, it really doesn't matter one jot. The colour cinematography from Leon Shamroy rightly won an Academy Award, whilst the nomination for Alfred Newman's booming score and the one for special effects team were very much deserved. The other thing to note is the fabulous costumes courtesy of Earl Luick, splendid attire, none more so than evidenced by Laird Cregar's joyous Henry Morgan. George Sanders and a ravishing Maureen O'Hara are in on the fun and really it's a film that to me is impossible not to enjoy, so avast yee lubbers and buckle up your swash. 7/10