The Spanish Main (1945)

After being wronged by the Caribbean authorities, a Dutch captain turns pirate to wage war.

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

George Worthing Yates (screenplay), Herman J. Mankiewicz (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Henreid, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Maureen O'Hara	...	Contessa Francesca
Paul Henreid	...	Capt. Laurent Van Horn
Walter Slezak	...	Don Juan Alvarado
Binnie Barnes	...	Anne Bonney
John Emery	...	Capt. Mario Du Billar
Barton MacLane	...	Capt. Benjamin Black
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Pillery Gow
Fritz Leiber	...	Bishop
Nancy Gates	...	Lupita
Jack La Rue	...	Lt. Escobar (as Jack LaRue)
Mike Mazurki	...	Erik Swaine
Ian Keith	...	Captain Lussan
Curt Bois	...	Paree
Antonio Moreno	...	Commandante
Victor Kilian	...	Santa Madre Captain

Storyline

Laurent van Horn is the leader of a band of Dutch refugees on a ship seeking freedom in the Carolinas, when the ship is wrecked on the coast of Cartagene, governed by Don Juan Alvardo, Spainish ruler. Alvarado has Laurent thrown in prison, but the latter escapes, and five-years later is a pirate leader. He poses as the navigator on a ship in which Contessa Francesca, daughter of a Mexican noble, is traveling on her way to marry Alvarado, whom she has never seen. Laurent's pirates capture the ship and Francesca, in order to save another ship, gives her hand-in-marriage to Laurent, who sails her to the pirate hideout. This irks the jealous Anne Bonney and, also, Captain Benjamin Black, who was already irked, anyway. They overpower Laurent and send Francesca to Alvarado, and then Mario du Billar, trusted right-hand man, makes a deal to deliver Laurent to Alvarado too.

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Plot Keywords:

plunder | ship captain | 17th century | viceroy of mexico flag | archbishop of darien flag | 

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Taglines:

Sword Scarred! Battle Lashed! (original poster)

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

En la ruta de los corsarios

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The inspiration for the " Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland.

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Quotes

Pillery Gow: Here, how can you believe him?
Capt. Laurent Van Horn: Who tells you I do?
Paree: He's such a liar, if he bids me "good morning", I figure it's night, and go to bed. Every word he says...
Capt. Laurent Van Horn: Not every word. Some are true and some are not... a kind of hash. But I won't swallow it before I find out what it's made of.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: The Spanish Main--cruel, oppressive and ruthless, where power alone was a man's single title to everything he held dear, including his very life. It was, thus, a cruel fate that a peaceful Dutch pilgrim ship should be driven there by torrential waves--and crash upon the rocks immediately outside Cartagena, its most remorseless citadel.

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Connections

Referenced in Doctor Who: Origins (2006)

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Soundtracks

What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?
(uncredited)
Traditional sea shanty

User Reviews

Ahoy there Frankie Borzage.

What's this, Frank Borzage producing commercial popcorn fodder? Indeed yes it is. The Spanish Main is a good old pirate/seafaring romp, the production design is considerably better than the actual plotting, with RKO pushing the boat out (hrr hrr hrr), but as long as you have a kink for such old fashioned genre pictures then there is much to enjoy; and much that's easy to ignore...

Maureen O'Hara, Paul Henreid and Walter Slezak are the draw cards, though each one is short changed by the screenplay. O'Hara isn't called on to rise above being a feisty Technicolor beaut who will inevitably become Henreid's gal. Henreid himself is, in spite of the film very much being his baby, actually miscast and wholly unbelievable in the pirate stakes, while the ever wonderful Slezak is quite simply under used.

However, fans of such fare easily forgive the shortcomings, focusing on having a good time with the extended sword play and naval battle scenes, buying into the romance angle and shouting hooray at film's finale! It's all very conventional on the page, but the smart craft involved in bringing it to life is sometimes all you need to brighten a miserable winter's day. 6.5/10