einheri-662-736814
As mentioned as a goof, the Barracuda's hands are tied, yes, but then the red jacket is just draped over him. (Likely to hide that he's tied up from other people/tavern goers in the area.) When the scene cuts back to him, he's struggling to get free of his fetters.The Jacket could have easily fallen off him as he struggled. I'm color blind, but there looks to be two objects on the bridge next to him, one that looks like a jacket crumpled behind him to the far left.It does look, however, that his right hand comes free when he's standing on the bridge--whoops!--then it looks like he shoves it back again.Anyway, so I wouldn't say goof. At best, we just didn't see the jacket fall off. Apart from that, my only comment is that this film is okay. Not Maureen O'Hara's best work, sure, and not even her best pirate movie (watch Against All Flags instead), but it's enjoyable and worth a look.
moonspinner55
Dutch navigator settles an old score against a despicable Spanish ruler and kidnaps his betrothed, a Mexican Contessa, en route to the wedding; he marries her aboard ship, but soon finds himself double-crossed by a former flame. Technicolor pirate production from RKO which is best when keeping its tone light and playful, worse while putting its characters on a soapbox and having them pontificate ponderously. With his mischievous grin, tousled locks and robust appearance, this is probably the sexiest Paul Henreid has ever been on the screen; flame-haired Maureen O'Hara looks sensational too, though her close-ups are obviously carefully posed and lighted for this effect. Still, interest wanes after the first-half, with rote swashbuckling action and a lack of attention paid to the supporting players. ** from ****
MARIO GAUCI
I had foolishly missed out quite recently on this one on late-night Italian TV and, consequently, was very glad now to get acquainted with it (albeit via a slightly washed-out print on DivX) – especially since I was surprised by its quality, making the film an underrated entry in the swashbuckling genre. Borzage was an unusual choice for this type of film – despite being a distinguished Oscar-winning director, he has become with time a largely forgotten figure but his reputation has deservedly soared of late among film connoisseurs and is now generally comparable to that of Douglas Sirk. To be sure, he is more renowned for movies like THREE COMRADES (1938) and THE MORTAL STORM (1940) rather than fluff pieces like THE Spanish MAIN, but that only goes to show how versatile he was, equally capable of handling personal projects and genre pictures.Equally unlikely was the film’s choice of leading man: Paul Henreid, playing an honest man who turns buccaneer in the face of injustice, his character is similar to that of Captain Blood (in spite of an obvious lack of emphasis on the actor’s agility) but also to Henried’s signature role of French Resistance leader Victor Laszlo in CASABLANCA (1942). This alone makes it interesting viewing but, thankfully, they’re supported by solid talent on both sides of the camera (the actors – Maureen O’Hara in her prime, an unusually but effectively cast Binnie Barnes as a hardened lady buccaneer and O’Hara’s romantic rival, splendid villainy from Walter Slezak, John Emery and Barton MacLane being equally dastardly, J.M. Kerrigan, Curt Bois and Mike Mazurki as Henreid’s sidekicks, a script co-written by CITIZEN KANE [1941]’s Herman J. Mankiewicz, magnificent color photography by George Barnes, etc).While the plot offers no real surprise or undue complexity – coming at the tail-end of WWII, it must have provided just the right dose of escapism – it’s professionally-handled entertainment (at which Hollywood excelled during its golden age) of the kind ‘they don’t make anymore’…despite the best intentions of today’s exponents!
Neil Doyle
What was RKO thinking? First, they lavish a Technicolor budget on a pirate film starring MAUREEN O'HARA (the Queen of Technicolor also known as The Pirate Queen), and then they cast Austrian PAUL HENRIED as a Dutch pirate.Having lost all credibility in the casting, it's all down hill from that point on. BINNIE BARNES is no help as Anne Bonney, a feisty woman pirate--but WALTER SLEZAK does his usual scene-stealing business as O'Hara's unlikely husband and does give the film some semblance of authority whenever he appears.Maureen is lovely but it's just another pirate queen role that she handles with her usual finesse. Henried goes through all the motions of being a romantic swashbuckler, but it's no use. Somewhere out there one suspects either Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn or Cornel Wilde were too busy to read the script.It's strictly Saturday afternoon entertainment--bubble gum for the mind, but enjoyable if you like Technicolor and Maureen O'Hara.
AD
