The Spanish Main (1945) Reviewed

The true star of The Spanish Main (1945) is the color cinematography for which it received an Academy Award nomination. It is a visually beautiful spectacle that draws the viewer in only to abandon said viewer to the usual monotony of lower tier pirate movie clichés. If it were a book, it would be unremarkable except for its lavish illustrations.

The story (for want of a more accurate word) begins with the usual unjust treatment of a good-natured fellow by a colonial governor in the Caribbean and the good-natured fellow's inevitable rise to infamy as a pirate captain and thorn in the governor's side. In this case, the good-natured fellow/scourge of the Spanish Main is Captain Van Horn (played by Paul Henreid), and the comically tyrannical governor is Don Juan Alvarado (played by Walter Slezak). There must, of course, be a noblewoman who alternately and repeatedly finds herself besotted with and repelled by the hero, and that part is Contessa Francesca (played by Maureen O'Hara). In such a story, misunderstandings are the primary tool of the writer, and the writers are unsparing in its employment. In The Spanish Main, if anything can be misconstrued by anyone, it will be.

While Slezak seems to savor his lines as he chews the scenery (and his dialogue is usually the only entertaining aspect of most scenes), O'Hara's performance wavers between middling and exceptional, and Henreid's is uniformly uninspired. The best performance comes from Fritz Leiber in a comparatively minor role as the Bishop.

The least convincing scenes (and there is plenty of competition for that title) are those involving any two of the unlikely love triangle consisting of Van Horn (who, by this time, is known as the Barracuda, captain of the Barracuda), the Contessa, and historical pirate Anne Bonney (played by Binnie Barnes). Anne Bonney could have been an interesting character, but neither the writing nor the portrayal live up to the potential.

The cinematography alone, though impressive, cannot save this excessively produced B movie. Despite the vivid color, it is bland and lifeless.

Writing: Mediocre
Directing: Mediocre
Acting: Mediocre
Cinematography: Good (Color: Great)
Stunts: Mediocre
Swordplay: Fair
Panache: Mediocre

Overall Rating: Mediocre
Swashbuckling Rank: Mediocre

Written by: George Worthing Yates and Herman J. Mankiewicz
Directed by: Frank Borzage
Performed by: Maureen O'Hara, Paul Henreid, Walter Slezak, Binnie Barnes, et al.