THE SPANISH MAIN
US, 1945, 100 minutes, Colour.
Maureen O’ Hara, Paul Henreid, Walter Slezak, Binnie Barnes.
Directed by Frank Borzage.
Routine matinee pirate adventure, notable for its direction by Frank Borzage, a prominent director of the thirties,
and forties, The Mortal Storm. Maureen O’ Hara is once again a fiery heroine. However the tongue-in-cheek film is not particularly memorable. Maureen O’ Hara starred also in the pirate films, Sinbad the Sailor and Against All Flags.
1. An entertaining pirate film? For what audience? Young, old?
2. Audience expectations of the pirate film? The title of the Spanish Main, period settings, the sea, heroes and villains, glamorous heroine. heroics, intrigue? Battles? How well did the film use these conventions? Ordinarily, better than ordinarily?
3. Colour photography, the atmosphere of the Spanish Main, the ships, music. special effects for the battles etc.?
4. How credible was the plot? Laurent and the injustice done to him? Don Alvarado and his cruelty? Francisca and the destiny of her marriage? The entanglements of the plot? Laurent and his becoming the notorious pirate? The battles and resolution? Sufficiently credible for the purposes of the film?
5. Laurent as hero? The unjust treatment at the hand of Alvarado? His identity as the chief pirate? His attitude of revenge? His attitude towards Francisca? Towards his fellow pirates especially the vigorous woman pirate? The characters of the crew especially the vigorous woman?
6. The contrast with Francisca and her vigour? A lady of Spain, being captured, her romance with Laurent? Her involvement in the intrigues and helping him?
7. Don Alvarado and an obnoxious villain? Sinister, cruel? Deserving of his fate? His assistants?
8. Comment on memorable sequences: the naval battles, the courtly styles, the various details of intrigue and escapes? The final fights?
9. The basic themes of this kind of matinee material: heroes and heroines, right and wrong. good and evil? The simple values of good must be done and evil avoided and punished?
