The Spanish Main (1945) is an adventure film starring Paul Henreid, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak and Binnie Barnes, and directed by Frank Borzage. It was RKO's first all-Technicolor film since Becky Sharp ten years before.
Cinematographer George Barnes received an Academy Award nomination for Best Color Cinematography. Though a box office hit upon its first release, the film is chiefly remembered today for its lavish and intricate score by Hanns Eisler.
Video The Spanish Main
Plot
Dutch sea captain Laurent van Horn (Paul Henreid) is shipwrecked off the coast of the Spanish settlement of Cartagena. After being held and sentenced to death, Van Horn and his crew manage to escape. Five years later, Van Horn has established himself as the mysterious pirate known only by the name of his ship: The Barracuda. After infiltrating the vessel ferrying her to her wedding, they capture Contessa Francisca Alvarado (Maureen O'Hara) who has been arranged to marry the corrupt governor (Walter Slezak). Wishing to avoid further bloodshed aboard the escort ship, Francisca offers to marry Van Horn if he will spare the escort, to which he agrees. Over time Francisca and Van Horn become attracted to each other and set out to defeat the villainous governor Don Juan Alvarado and treacherous pirates Du Billar (John Emery) and Capt. Black (Barton MacLane).
Maps The Spanish Main
Cast
- Maureen O'Hara as Francisca Alvarado
- Paul Henreid as Capt. Laurent van Horn
- Walter Slezak as Don Juan Alvarado
- Binnie Barnes as Anne Bonny
- John Emery as Mario Da Bilar
- Barton MacLane as Capt. Black
- J. M. Kerrigan as Pillery Gow
- Fritz Leiber as Bishop
- Nancy Gates as Lupita
- Jack La Rue as Lt. Escobar (as Jack LaRue)
- Mike Mazurki as Erik Swaine
- Ian Keith as Captain Lussan
- Curt Bois as Paree
- Antonio Moreno as Commandante
- Victor Kilian as Santa Madre Captain
- James Dime as a pirate
The film includes the character Anne Bonny (Barnes), in a fictionalized account of the real-life well-known female pirate.
Walter Slezak played a similar (but less dastardly) role in the 1948 film The Pirate.
Release
The film was successful and made a profit of $1,485,000.
See also
- Women in piracy
References
External links
- The Spanish Main at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Spanish Main on IMDb
- The Spanish Main at the TCM Movie Database
- The Spanish Main at AllMovie
- Review of film at Variety
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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