Loosely based on the Rafael Sabatini book of the same name, The Black Swan is a 1942 swashbuckler film directed by Henry King, starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara.
It tells the story of Captain Jamie Waring (Power) a privateer who finds it difficult to cope when his old friend Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar) trades in a life of piracy for the Governorship of Jamaica. Waring considers joining his old mate Billy Leech (George Sanders), captain of the titular Black Swan, until his head is turned by the beautiful Margaret Denby (O'Hara).
Not to be confused with the 2010 Natalie Portman film Black Swan.
This film has examples of:
- Affably Evil: Leech. After tying up Jamie for suspected treachery he instructs his men to treat him carefully, as if the treachery is unfounded, he will want to beg Jamie's pardon.
- The Alcoholic: Leech.
- Anti-Hero: Jamie.
- Break the Haughty: Happens to Margaret throughout.
- Cool Boat: The Black Swan.
- Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Or pirate; so much so that Jamie considers abandoning his old friend Henry and joining Leech and Wogan instead.
- The Dandy: Ingram.
- Deal with the Devil: Ingram gives Leech the locations of English merchant vessels in return for a percentage of the plunder.
- The Dragon: Wogan to Leech, though he is also a formidable privateer in his own right.
- End of an Age: Piracy is dying and the choice seems to be either become a King's man or hang from the gallows at dawn.
- Evil Former Friend: Though Leech and Wogan are occasionally hostile to Jamie, they seemed to be on reasonably good terms with him before the King's Shilling is offered, and are keen to have him join them in Maracaibo.
- Evil Redhead: Leech has explosive red curls and a beard.
- Fake-Out Make-Out: A variation, Jamie pretends Margaret is his wife to spare her from Leech and later hops into bed with her in a state of undress to keep up the charade.
- Father Neptune: Tommy Blue.
- Heel–Face Turn: The pirates join the King.
- Historical Domain Character: Sir Henry Morgan.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Don Miguel is strapped to the same rack he hung Jamie on minutes before.
- In Name Only: Bears only the title of the book.
- Master Swordsman: Billy Leech gains The Dreaded status because of this, though Jamie is no pushover either.
- Mercy Lead: Morgan offers any who will not join him a short period of time to clear their vessels from English waters before he hunts them down.
-
Playing Against Type: George Sanders the quintessential cad, almost unrecognisable as the bewhiskered, leering Captain Leech. - Sissy Villain: Ingram, who is defeated with a single blow.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Jamie and Margaret's relationship to a T.
- Stuffy Brit: Margaret, Lord Denby and Roger... though Margaret gets better.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Roger Ingram is presumably brought to justice for his crimes, but we never see this take place.
- Wretched Hive: Tortuga, even before Jack Sparrow came along.
- Would Hit a Girl: In their first meeting Jamie (accidentally) knocks Margaret out cold.
