Immense fun.Mr T.Power tries hard to be serious as Jamie Waring but everybody else camps it up no end.Did ever a pirate have such shiny white teeth or well - laundered pantaloons?His hair absolutely gleams, his moustache is a masterpiece of haute coiffure.His skin a subtle variation of what is known in 21st century Britain as "Essex Orange". No "New Man ",he plays court to Miss M.O'Hara in the manner o which she later became accustomed at the hands of such suitors as Mr J.Wayne. She gives as good as she gets and is every inch the fiery colleen.It is obvious from the start that they will end up in bed together,which they do,but,being 1942,with not a hint of funny business. Mr L Cregar plays former pirate Henry Morgan now governor of Jamaica with considerable relish.He is a fine figure of a man and wears quite a varied wardrobe with panache.If he didn't stop a few times to twirl his moustache he should have done. Mr Power is engaged to bring to justice (i.e.the gallows) one of his former cohorts Billy Leech(Mr G.Sanders clearly on some sort of hallucinatory substance).After kidnapping Miss O'Hara Mr Power allows his ship to be captured and his crew taken aboard Mr Sanders' vessel. He agrees to sign on for Leech's voyage of plunder but reneges on the deal,engages in some nifty swordplay incurring a nasty fleshwound and wins Miss O 'Hara's hand. Although he may possess a certain well - turned - out piratical charm he has poor table manners,ripping what looks like half a cow with his teeth and drinking not rum as every good pirate should but a rather nice claret straight from the bottle complete with the maroon foil round the top of the neck. His sidekick Tom Blue is played by Mr T.Mitchell with a variety of celtic accents in some strange echo of Scarlett O'Hara's daddy. I don't know what the retirement age for pirates is but I would hazard a guess that he is fast approaching it.He's a game old bird though,and he tries to keep up despite his swordfighting skills seeming a bit rusty Mr Sanders sports a beard that looks as though he has dipped his face in a humming - bird's nest.His accent too travels round several countries without stopping long enough to take up permanent residence in any of them. But these are mere quibbles."The Black Swan" is photographed in exquisite colour,every word is enunciated with great care(the exception being young master A.Quinn in a small early role as Leech's henchman) the costumes are lovely,the wigs a delight - Mr Cregar is particularly well - served in that department. This is a pirate movie without scurvy,yellowjack,filthy hair and halitosis.With American boys dying in the Pacific the audience back home wanted escapism and they got it in spades.With paper hats and wooden swords the young brothers of servicemen fighting in the sweltering inhospitable jungles could fly on guy ropes from foretop to foretop before sweeping the heroine up in their arms safe in the knowledge that they would live for ever.
Review of Le cygne noir
