The Black Swan (1942) User Reviews

A red-blooded action adventure under King's direction...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 9/10 · 15 July 2000]

In this stunning Technicolor swashbuckler, the Crown pardons the greatest of the buccaneers Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar), and appoints him governor of Jamaica in the place of corrupt Lord Denby (George Zucco).

Morgan asks that all pirate activities in the area be ended...

When Captain Billy Leech (George Sanders)and his crew refuse the amnesty offered by Morgan, Henry Morgan calls upon Jamie and his pal, Tommy Blue (Thomas Mitchel), to bring the renegade Leech...

Jamie, meanwhile, set his eyes on Denby's fiery daughter, Margaret (Maureen O'Hara), but all of his advances are rejected... He has been unable to win her away from her fiancé, a foppish gentleman, who, Jamie discover, is conspiring with Leech and supplying the captain with information about English treasure ship sailings...

Angered by the continuing loss of ships, the government accuses Morgan of being in collusion with Leech, and the Assembly demands his impeachment...

To get his friend off the hook, Jamie decides to take action and track down the 'Black Swan' at sea...

Unlike Olivia De Havilland, Maureen O'Hara demonstrates that she was not that kind of heroine who would be satisfied to remain ladylike on the sidelines... If her romantic scenes still lacked passionate conviction, her hot-tempered, liberated nature and her beauty were more than sufficient compensation for most of the viewers...

"The Black Swan" garnered several Oscar nominations, in addition to Leon Shamroy's award for cinematography...

The film remains as a classic adventure spectacle with magnificent settings: 17-century costumes; pirates ships in battle on the high seas; pirates armory including cutlass, swords, pistols, daggers; dazzling swordplay; lusty romance; conspiracy in silence; treasure hunt; spectacular special effects, and exciting action scenes all the way...

The most Stylistic in the swashbuckler genre

[david-564 · 8/10 · 10 July 2000]

Tyrone Power was undoubtedly the most stylish and certainly the most handsome and articulate of the great Hollywood swashbuckers from the 30s to the late 50s. In this movie he coyld not have been bettered (Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. included), The starry cast,music,costumes and settings brought vividly to life the Spanish Main,Maracaibo and other Pirate ports of call.With a great family theatrical tradition behind him,Power's presence enriched every movie he made (what a twist of fate that he died exactly as his father Tyrone Power Sr.did,filming a duel scene -"Hamlet" and "Solomon and Sheba). I believe that Power's acting ability even today is not fully recognised,simply because the Studio System restricted his choice of film.Let anyone hear Power recite the poems of Byron (available on disc) and realise his premature death was a tragedy."THE BLACK SWAN" could be said to represent a golden period in the history of Hollywood swashbucklers.

Swashbuckling pirate film based on the popular novel by Rafael Sabatini about an intrepid hero splendidly performed by Tyrone Power

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 14 November 2017]

The film is a nice pirate-adventure movie , being lavishly produced . This classic story of romantic adventure comes to life enriched by Technicolor cinematography in charge of Leon Shamroy . Breathtaking battle ships and sword-play and filled with badness , love story , swashbuckler and heroism . Spirited pirate fare in which seas ablaze with black villainy , with fiery romance, with breathless deeds of daring in the roaring era of Love, Gold and Adventure! . An ex-pirate named James Waring (Tyrone Power) contends with buccaneers and a love-hate relationship with an aristocratic woman , Margaret (Mauren O'Hara) , who's tougher than she seems . He is compatriot of the notoriously rowdy buccaneer Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar at 26-year-old and posing eldest) who is pardoned and sent to Jamaica as its new governor , if he can prevent his from associates from continuing their criminal ways , Morgan enlists Waring to help him fight renegades (George Sanders , Anthony Quinn) . Meanwhile ,Tyrone falls in love with governor's (George Zucco) daughter .

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 . Combination of overwhelming sea battles , lots of derring-do , and full of action , romance , swashbuckler , bravura and humor remarks . Master of swashbuckling , Tyrone could happily have found a better vehicle for his faculties than this entertaining adaptation . Tyrone 's sword flashes as often as his smile . Tyrone Power seems to happy as the adventurer pirate whose good looks and swordmanship were both at their peak and much competition with Errol Flynn in the swashbuckling stakes . Well played by Power who was nearly at his most agile and deft style , he starred various ¨Sword and Swagger¨ films and was superstar of Hollywood swashbucklers . More stylish villainy is provided by both , red-bearded nasty George Sanders and a black-patched Anthony Quinn . And Laird Cregar stands out as the stoutly suave pirate turned into governor ; furthermore , an oily sophisticated Edward Ashly and the ordinary nasty George Zucco . Interesting and stirring screenplay by Ben Hetch and Seton I. Miller , the story is completely original , and the only role retained from the original novel is the historical personage Henry Morgan . In fact , the film is partially based on historical events , as Henry John Morgan (born Welsh 1635, dead Port Royal, Jamaica 1688) was a known corsair , at death of pirate Edward Mansfield was appointed chief by the buccaneers . He conquered Providence island or Saint Catalina . Later on , he sacked the city of Panama , violating the truce between Spain and England . For that reason was imprisoned , but king Charles II freed him and named him governor of Jamaica .

Based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini , whose books have been adapted in ¨Captain Blood¨ with Warren Karrigan , the classic ¨Captain Blood¨ with Errol Flyn , ¨Fortunes Captain Blood¨ with Louis Hayward , ¨Son of Captain Blood¨with Sean Flynn , and ¨The sea Hawk¨ with Errol Flynn . Spectacular and impressive ship battles , and the ship in the film was also used in the movies ¨Lady Hamilton¨ (1941), ¨The princess and the pirate¨ (1944) and ¨Captain Kidd¨ (1945) . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor that deservedly won an Academy Award . Moving and thrilling musical score by the classy composer Alfred Newman , nominated to Oscar . Including luxurious and glamorous production by James Basevi . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Henry Koster . He made all kinds of genres , such as Biography : ¨Wilson¨ , ¨David and Bathsheba¨, ¨Hemingway's snows of Kilimanjaro¨, ¨Lloyds of London¨ , ¨Captain of Castile¨, ¨Stanley and Livingstone¨ ; Religious : ¨Song of Bernadette¨ ; Drama : ¨Carousel¨ , ¨Love is a Many-Splendored-Thing¨ , ¨Maria Galante¨, ¨Hell Harbor¨ ; Western : ¨Jesse James¨, ¨The gunfighter¨ ; Wartime : ¨Twelve o'clock high¨, ¨a Yank in the RAF¨, ¨She goes to war¨.

Avid lover of Pirate films

[liljc55 · 24 August 2004]

This movie is so wonderful. I remember seeing it for the first time when I was around six years of age, and Tyrone Power became my first crush. After seeing the Black Swan I became ridiculously obsessed with pirates. (My mother wondered if there was something wrong with me, considering all the other girls on my block were playing with Barbies and I was watching movies about pirates.) I think the cinematography is just perfectly lovely in this film, and Tyrone Power truly is a great actor. People speak truthfully when they say he did not get the credit he deserved, (much like Johnny Depp) but I deeply respect the late actor, and he captured my heart. If you love films of mutineers, swashbuckling adventure, and roguish characters, then this film is for you. It will sweep you away to an old world where gallantry was sought after and pirates were the scum of the earth.....

More Power to the Pirates

[dougandwin · 7/10 · 25 July 2004]

Well, this one really came as a surprise with Tyrone Power superb in a decent pirate movie - all tongue in cheek but in great fun. With lovely Maureen O'Hara playing the usual hard to get girl wanted by all, but destined for only one, everyone in the movie has a rollicking good time, and why shouldn't they when you consider some of the supporting stars, particularly Laird Cregar as Sir Henry Morgan and George Sanders "hamming" it up in his usual evil way. The Technicolor is magnificent, the settings superb, and as this film was made long before computer-generated effects, it was quite brilliantly done. The story was very predictable but who cares, as it represents great escapist entertainment for nearly a couple of hours!

Clear the deck for action, Henry. Here comes the lass broadside!

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 27 February 2009]

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. Though this Henry King directed picture reeks of being an illegitimate child to "Errol Flynn's" superior "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 nominations for Alfred Newman's booming score and the one for the 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. 8/10

Ty At His Swashbuckling Best

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 12 August 2004]

The Black Swan And The Mark of Zorro show Tyrone Power at the height of his career. This was the Tyrone Power that the public wanted to see, but who he got tired of being. He was constantly after 20th Century Fox and Darryl Zanuck to give him more challenging roles.

Jamie Warring is another of Power's patented hero/heel characterizations. When we first meet him, Power's a totally unrepentant scalawag who has but one virtue, loyalty to the former pirate leader Henry Morgan. Morgan by all accounts was an effective and charismatic leader both in this film and in history. But that leadership is put to the test when the British government decides he's the only man capable of dealing with his former compatriots.

Laird Cregar as Morgan makes a plea for the group to turn honest. But there's a fly in the ointment. A dissident group led by George Sanders and Anthony Quinn don't want to give up the pirate lifestyle. It's up to Morgan, Power and the rest to then eradicate them.

Power at his hero/heel best is not above forcing his attentions on Maureen O'Hara the daughter of the former governor of Jamaica. Those attentions gradually move from the unwanted to the very much wanted, especially after Power and O'Hara are captured by Sanders. For the rest, well as they you just have to tune in.

The Black Swan deservedly won Oscars for special effects and color cinematography. It's unfortunate that today there are so few actors capable of playing the swashbuckling hero the way Ty Power could. He may have wanted to do more, but Darryl Zanuck knew exactly what the public wanted to see Tyrone Power in. It's worth a look.

Romance and Adventure in Full Sail

[Lin-4 · 10/10 · 18 January 1999]

This may be an "escapist" movie but it's one of my very favorites: rich technicolor, clever romantic repartee in the script . . . plus Tyrone Power in a red & black outfit "to die for." When old Ty wasn't trying to appear rough and tough with a few hairs and some stray wine drops on his chest, that is (I think they used to shave chests then, along with pit hair).

FUN! This movie proves you don't even have to have a sex scene to get your imagination working and then some.

Throw in some fencing (Tyrone did his own), plenty of tall ships, excellent secondary role actors, including George Sanders and Anthony Quinn. Wow, all I can say is this movie was so good, I bought it so I can see it over and over again.

Great Movie!!!

[mmegiraldi · 10/10 · 11 March 2005]

I first saw this movie when I was 11 or 12 years old. Since then I've seen about nine or ten times. So what if the good guy is a pirate? A real proud one? Tyrone Power give one of his best performances, George Sanders is pure evil, Maureen O'Hara is more than just the pretty damsel-about-to-be-in-constant-distress and Laird Cregar gives life to a good portrait of Henry Morgan. And the other actors gives good performances as well. Plus the story is good (I never read Sabatini's book, shame on me), a fine example of the Pirate Movie (like Douglas Fairbanks's The Black Corsair). All in all the kind of movie that you can see many and many times.

More Than a Monument to Public Patience

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 20 August 2010]

"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

A stylish, visually stunning and rip-roaring swashbuckler!

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 8 July 2009]

I do think The Black Swan is under-appreciated. It certainly isn't the best movie ever made, but on its own merits, it is a hugely enjoyable and truly remarkable swashbuckler. The cinematography is gorgeous, and thoroughly deserved the Oscar it won, with its perfect capture of the cleverly-choreographed swordplay, and you can also admire the beautiful costumes and sets, as well as the rousing music score that was beautiful. The sets and action sequences are the main merit of this film, very majestic and well-staged. You may think that any film with pirates would fall into predictability, but this one doesn't, it is original, funny at times and has a touch of romance in it. The performances were excellent. Tyrone Power is surprisingly good in the title role, though swashbuckling fans may be yearning for someone like Errol Flynn, and Maureen O'Hara is beautiful beyond words as Margaret. It is probably true that their romance isn't quite as convincing as the one in The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland, but it is still a convincing (and fairly witty) one, and rarely interferes with the focus of the film. As the mutinying Captain Billy Leech, if you put the awkward accent aside like I have, George Sanders (who is the expert of suave and smarmy menace) is excellent, who is surprisingly good at sword fighting. All in all, a stylish and very worthwhile swashbuckler, with a 9/10. Bethany Cox.

Swashbuckler Tyrone Powers is vanquished by the beauty of Maureen O'Hara

[rowiddow · 5 February 2001]

With an excellent screenplay, outstanding cinematography, and stars who galvanize the screen, The Black Swan promises to satisfy its viewers. Made in the period when the Hollywood Studio System was at the peak of its creative, industrial powers, this swashbuckler is a visual feast. Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Powers shine as lovers who begin their romance by loathing each other. The clever dialogue and sexual innuendo between the leads tantalizes us as we see them fall more deeply in love. But don't think this movie is only about romance. There's plenty of action, adventure, and swordplay, too! If you enjoy this one, you'll also enjoy other adventures starring Tyrone Power, Mississippi Gambler and King of the Khyber Rifles.

Rip-roaring adventure and romance on the high seas

[mlraymond · 9/10 · 31 December 2006]

This is one of the classic old pirate movies beloved by generations of viewers. Tyrone Power demonstrates the same dash and flair as in The Mark of Zorro, though here he is far more a genuine outlaw than the bandit who robs from the rich to give to the poor.

The movie runs true to form, with Maureen O'Hara exchanging insults with Power and telling him how much she despises him, so you know they were meant for each other. There is a strong tongue in cheek element of the characters and dialogue, with everything larger than life. Laird Cregar does a splendid job as the highly theatrical Sir Henry Morgan, buccaneer turned colonial governor, tempted to return to his past life of piracy. Thomas Mitchell is a rascal of the classic type, and Anthony Quinn shows up complete with a black patch over one eye.

The most colorful villain is George Sanders as Captain Leech, the very image of a pirate with a long curling red beard, broad, loose trousers, and a belt bristling with swords and pistols. The sly, appreciative way he looks over Maureen O'Hara leaves no doubt as to what he's thinking. A scene at the beginning has Sanders and Power guzzling ladles of rum out of a barrel, while sitting on a beach with a couple of beautiful Latin maidens tied up to be carried off for sale to the highest bidder. Those who have only seen Sanders in suave, sophisticated roles will be quite surprised by his uncouth, rowdy pirate character, which he plays with great gusto.

Sword fights, battles at sea, impressive sailing ships, and a rogues' gallery of classic character actors make this one a must for all pirate movie fans.

Action with story and performance

[mmeg · 21 February 2001]

If not for the action, for the actors and the actress, for the story or for the direction, see this movie because it´s only one of the best action movies ever made in the USA. Just that! Many of the recent full-action movies, made with more money and resources, are not even 1% of this one.

Pales next to Zorro

[dr_foreman · 5/10 · 9 September 2006]

I'm a big fan of Tyrone Power in "The Mark of Zorro," which is perhaps my favorite escapist film of all time. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find another movie with Power that's quite as good.

And "The Black Swan," I'm afraid to say, is markedly inferior to Zorro. Everything about this film is worse - the script, the acting, the direction, and especially the choreography for the sword-fights (Zorro does not, for instance, feature such obviously sped-up footage in the fight scenes!)

Another disappointment is that "The Black Swan" spends way too much time developing its often tedious romance subplot. Maureen O'Hara is nice to look at, and she does have some chemistry with Power, but she rebuffs him again and again in scenes that get repetitive really fast.

I don't want to sound too negative, since there are aspects of this movie that I like. The plot deals with the compelling issue of pirates being forced to turn "legitimate" after Britain and Spain make peace. Some of them decide to work for the British crown, while others go renegade. Watching this schism develop in the pirate community is pretty interesting.

There are also a few good guest actors - notably Laird Craiger as Captain Morgan (the guy on the rum bottle?) His flamboyant costumes and over-the-top dialog give the movie some life during segments when it might otherwise be slow and draggy.

But, despite a few good points, "The Black Swan" is essentially just a lightweight action movie - the "Pirates of the Caribbean" of its day. A more literate and witty script might have elevated it to a higher level, but alas, the only line of dialog I can remember offhand is "the English dog still barks!" Hardly Shakespearean, is it?

A thief, stalker and bully as hero.

[PWNYCNY · 8/10 · 16 June 2016]

This movie tries to pass off a thief, stalker and a woman beater as a hero. Tyrone Power does a great job playing the miscreant pirate, Jamie Waring. There is nothing too low that Jamie will not do. He assaults, beats, stalks and kidnaps a woman who is engaged to be married. How twisted is that? His brutality is a source of commentary throughout the movie. Even the other pirates find his behavior offensive, yet he does not stop. The purpose of such offensive depictions is unclear. However, it does add a morbid element to what apparently was intended to be light fare about pirates. Tyrone Power is exceedingly believable as an abusive pirate/marauder and Maureen O'Hara gives one of her better performances as a woman who is the target for Jamie's harassment and abuse. Indeed, so depraved is Jamie's behavior that he cannot understand why the woman keeps rejecting him. Indeed, nothing in the movie, including the intercession of other pirates, can dissuade him from pursuing a damsel who is in distress entirely because of him. Whether this movie is meant to be a spoof on chivalry is unclear. What this movie definitely is not about is women's rights.

Visually Beautiful, it almost as good as Errol's work!

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 30 January 2001]

While this is certainly not Captain Blood or The Sea Hawk, it certainly does justice to the genre. Beautifully filmed and with gorgeous sets and plenty of swordfights and action, heros and villains and Maureen O'Hara *sigh*, what's not to like about this film? Won an Oscar for Cinematography. Well worth seeing. Tyrone Power does an excellent job (entirely too under-rated as an actor) and lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast.

Guarantee

[deickos · 7/10 · 16 March 2017]

Whatever Henry King made cannot be bad. Even this "half navy - half etc" movie was surprisingly entertaining. I can name few filmmakers so versatile and so reliable. In this instance I believe the method is to have an open mind - this is not just a navy or a pirate movie, there is romance and a little of everything. Bottom line, making a good film should be a simple thing if you have decency.

" The Ship's flag is as black as your heart, But I'll change that "

[thinker1691 · 7/10 · 9 May 2014]

Ben Hecht wrote the screen play which powered this exciting movie. The direction fell under the talent of Henry King and tittled the movie " The Black Swan. " To date few actors at this time could wear the mantel of both heel and hero as does Tyrone Power who plays Jamie Waring a one time Pirate, now turned privateer working for none other than Capt. Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar). who in turn has been appointed Governor of Jamaica. Morgan's task is to take all of his former pirates and have them fight for the English crown. Most agree, but a few do not. It's these few renegades who decide to keep pirating. With such a task, the movie becomes a rousing sea laden battle royal between the King men and the sea fearing pirates. The cast is loaded with notable names such as Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders, Anthony Quinn (in small part) and Thomas Mitchell as Thomas Blue. Nevertheless, if you like Ship to ship war-fare, here is one you should see. It's become a Classic and you should mark it as such. ****

I want to be a pirate!!

[no-skyline · 7/10 · 3 May 2006]

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

Pirates at bay...

[Lejink · 6/10 · 10 February 2011]

Colourful swash-buckler starring Tyrone Power as a reformed pirate captain chasing George Sanders' treacherous renegade pirate Leech and posh Lord's daughter Maureen O'Hara around the Caribbean. Power gets to bear his chest a lot as he dispenses tough love to the promised-to-another O'Hara, whose stubbornness he naturally wears down by the end. As he displayed handsomely in "The Mark Of Zorro", Power makes for a dashing leading man, but his character here lacks charm, to say the least. In fact when he first encounters O'Hara, he first of all boorishly forces himself on her and then when she quite rightly resists, lays her out with a slap to the face. Later still he kidnaps her from her home to stop her marrying his scoundrel of a rival, not exactly Prince Charming-type behaviour.

That said, there is a likable frisson between them in their scenes together plus I also detected some censor-baiting moments, especially when he jumps into her bed to keep up appearances under the watchful eye of the mistrusting Leech. The plot is fairly rudimentary involving the usual mixture of treachery on the high-seas with some nicely-staged sea-battle scenes and a decent climactic sword-fight to the death (guess whose?) between Power and Sanders, the latter barely recognisable in a set of orange whiskers. Also on board (ouch!) for the fun is the larger-than-life Laird Cregar as the famous Captain Henry Morgan, Power's old boss and role-model.

The direction though seems a bit rushed to me with some loose ends still untied by the end, (for instance, there's no retribution for O'Hara's traitorous former boy-friend) and lacks the winning touches of humour which distinguished "Zorro", but on the whole, an exciting enough pirate feature, easy on both the eye and brain.

Fun Film.

[JelenaG890 · 7/10 · 6 March 2017]

I saw this movie years and years ago, with my grandfather who was a huge fan of the beautiful Maureen O'Hara. i just revisited this film recently, and found it fun and entertaining.

For some reason, I never realized George Sanders was playing Leech! Wow. I hardly recognized him as the same actor who played Addison DeWitt in "All About Eve." Never knew he could play any role other than the sophisticated creep, but I was wrong. Also, I found that his famous voice sounded different in this film, but I'm sure that was done for the character.

I've only seen Tyrone Power in one other film, "Witness for the Prosecution," which is certainly a better showcase of his acting skills than this film. Nonetheless, he shows himself to be a capable fencer and athletic actor.

Unfortunately, Power lacks the chemistry with O'Hara that Errol Flynn had with Olivia de Havilland in the similar film "Captain Blood." However, to be fair, very few on screen couples (past or present) had the chemistry that Flynn and de Havilland did on screen- those two just ignited chemistry, even by just looking at one another. O'Hara is, as always, beautiful and appealing as the headstrong love interest of the lead character and her costumes are fantastic.

To me, though, the real star of the film is Laird Cregar as Henry Morgan. His character gives the film a bit of depth, and he steals every scene he's in. I had no idea he was only a year older than Power and that he died so young (only 31, just two years after this film!) but I suppose he always played older characters in films.

All in all, it's fun, but not fantastic. The dialog is not memorable, and the special effects have not aged very well. Still worth watching, though.

slice from other age

[Vincentiu · 18 January 2014]

seductive at whole. for plot, acting, fights, nice romanticism. for humor and for one of most impressive roles by Tyrone Power. a film like delight more than entertainment. old but interesting at each scene for the mixture of different ingredients, for charm and science to use classic tools of genre in smart manner. a pirates film but not an ordinary one. because its public is large , in same measure, yesterday and tomorrow. the good looking hero, the splendid Henry Morgan, George Sanders in an original character skin, the performance of Maureen O Hara and the antiques ships are spices for each taste or expectation. so, it is an inspired idea to see it !

Blood and Swash

[ronmichaels · 10/10 · 17 August 2010]

OK, OK! So the Summary above is the same as the title of the book dictated to Mrs. Muir by The Ghost in the movie, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." But it's appropriate here, too, since Tyrone Power is the perfect Pirate Captain Swashbuckler in this jewel of a movie. The Ghost in the aforementioned incredible film is also a sea captain. But for The Bloack Swan, remember that this is made in 1942. As a result, powerful special effects are non-existent as we know them today so everything had to be done and filmed in real time. As a result we have a perfect little motion picture that will outlive its critics and satisfy film buffs forever. Examine it and cherish it as it is -- a comic book converted to "eye-candy" from the past and you always will treasure this piece of art as a permanent fixture in your home library. Tyrone Power is, as always, the perfect hero! Maureen O'Hara is -- Maureen O'Hara. There is nothing else that needs to be said. She has been a study in perfection from the time she was fourteen years old.

By the way, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" is a 10, too!

This is how you make a pirate film!

[storychic · 8/10 · 23 October 2015]

The Black Swan was so much fun to watch! It had everything; excitement, adventure, humor, romance! It's a classic swashbuckling pirate film! Jamie Waring and Lady Margaret Denby were a hoot to watch! They had excellent chemistry and every scene with them was great! I love how Jamie transformed from a rough and rowdy seaman to a -tentative- gentleman. I thought it was simply marvelous how smitten he was with her, and it was equally hysterical how much contempt she had for him! Of course, we all knew that her disgust of Jamie wouldn't last for long, as it rarely did in the movies of old. The dialogue in this film was cheesy but hilarious! If you like Captain Blood and Scaramouche, you'll like this film!