I want to talk about the great actors in this
film. In the title roles we have Tyrone Power, who’s flexing all of his muscles
for the audience in the first ten minutes of the film, and Maureen O’Hara, who
was often called “The Queen of Technicolor.” This movie would be worth viewing
just for them, but we also have other huge talents involved. Laird Cregar strides forth as the legendary pirate, Henry Morgan.
Cregar’s presence is very imposing; you half wonder if this film isn’t about
him. A couple of villainous pirates are George Sanders as the oily Captain
Leech, and Anthony Quinn as the one-eyed Wogan. In the role of Tommy Blue is
Thomas Mitchell the great character actor. Mitchell became the first actor to
receive the “triple crown” of acting awards (Oscar, Emmy, Tony). I could write
at length about any one of these terrific performers. Most of them won Oscars,
received stars on the Walk of Fame, and had terrific careers. To have them all
working in a swashbuckling pirate movie, with model boat pyrotechnics, sets
with garish details, matte-painted landscapes and spliced sunsets is a visual
festival full of fun. The only way a modern movie could be this much fun is if
they broadsided it with a CGI cannon. It’s well worth a viewing just to see how
they did it back in the day.
