The Black Swan (film)
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The Black Swan | |
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Directed by | Henry King |
Produced by | Robert Bassler |
Written by | Raphael Sabatini (novel) Seton I. Miller (adaption, screenplay) Ben Hecht (screenplay) |
Starring | Tyrone Power Maureen O'Hara Laird Cregar Thomas Mitchell |
Running time | 85 min. |
Language | English |
The Black Swan is a 1942 swashbuckler film by Henry King, starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won one for Best Cinematography, Color.
[edit] Plot
After England and Spain make peace, notorious pirate Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar) decides to reform. As a reward, he is made Governor of Jamaica, with a mandate to rid the Caribbean of his former comrades, by persuasion or force, if necessary. He replaces the former Governor, Lord Denby (George Zucco), but is not trusted by either the lawful residents or the pirates.
Captain Jamie Waring (Tyrone Power) and his lieutenant, Tom Blue (Thomas Mitchell), reluctantly give up their "trade" out of friendship with Morgan, but others of the Pirate Brotherhood, such as Captain Billy Leech (George Sanders) and Wogan (Anthony Quinn), refuse to change. Meanwhile, Waring takes a liking to Denby's daughter, Lady Margaret (Maureen O'Hara), who happens to be inconveniently engaged to an English gentleman. As it turns out, her fiancé is secretly providing information about ship sailings to the unrepentant pirates.
When Morgan is unable to stop the depradations of his old shipmates, he is suspected of still being allied with them. It is up to Waring to set sail to get to the bottom of things (kidnapping Lady Margaret in the process so she can get to know him better).
[edit] DVD Commentary
- In the DVD version of the film Ms. O'Hara's commentary can be heard along with flim critic Rudy Behlmer. Many anecdotes are presented in the dialogue between the two. This is an exceptional commentary, filled with valuable historic information about the genre, the period and the movie but also full of anecdotes and information about the production of this film in particular. Despite her age, O'Hara still sounds like a young woman and comes across equally energetic. The details she remembers about the film – and others – or about the people involved is simply remarkable, especially considering that it was shot over 60 years ago. Considering that she was an actress on the picture and not involved in any technical capacity, her knowledge, insight and most importantly memory of these details are quite vivid.