One of the best films i have seen

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Recently seeing a number of interesting RKO Drama's on BBC iPlayer,I decided to find out what title had recently been shown. Looking for trivia, I was intrigued to find out that this was RKO's first colour movie! Which led to me sailing to the Spanish Main.The plot:Seizing a ship, Laurent Van Horn breaks up the arranged marriage between Don Juan Alvarado and Contessa Francesca by taking Francesca to his hideout. Arriving at the hideout, Alvarado finds girlfriend Anne Bonney.Not about to let the marriage end easily,Alvarado sails the high seas of revenge. View on the film:Setting the cannon alight, director Frank Borzage & cinematographer George Barnes get into the swashbuckling atmosphere for RKO's first colour production, with explosive cannon battles at sea,and the clanging of metal sword-fights.While the amount of action is limited,Borzage keeps the bottle of rum pouring out with rich reds and towering castles giving the flick a sense of Adventure.Clearly having the most fun with the baddie,the screenplay by George Worthing Yates/Herman J. Mankiewicz and Æneas MacKenzie give the dialogue a funny boo-hiss crunch,which does very well at setting Don Juan Alvarado up as the final boss.Covering the screen with exposition texts at various stages, the writers get unsteady in which direction to sail the film towards,with the various tangled betrayals dimming the action set-pieces.Swinging over to RKO after Warner Brothers turned the project down, Paul Henreid gives a dashing performance as Capt. Laurent Van Horn,whilst Maureen O'Hara gives the film a splash of glamour as Contessa Francesca. Chewing the ships, Walter Slezak gives a superb performance as boo- hiss Don Juan Alvarado,with Slezak stealing the bounty with the biggest slices of Parma ham.

I thought this movie was a lot of fun, with some memorably witty lines (mostly delivered by Walter Slezak) that are referred to elsewhere on this site. I wonder if these were from Herman J Mankiewicz, who co-contributed to the screenplay - he certainly was talented enough.All of the criticisms of it that are mentioned in other comments are true - it does have a familiar story line, obvious sets / model shots / backgrounds and some clunky dialogue and acting.However these criticisms to me they don't really matter - it is a movie designed to entertain and provide enjoyment and it succeeds perfectly well at doing this.By the way - the 'real' shot of the coastline I'm sure I've seen in other movies. Must have been close to Hollywood.

The studio sets and models are not too bad although the matts are visible in some shots. The action is a bit lacking. There is the obligatory duelling galleys in the early part of the movie but you don't really get the feel that these are men fighting for their lives.The lack of action is not made up for by the story. There are some amusing bits of dialogue, most of the good bits are on IMDb.Maureen O'Hara looks terribly mature for a 25 year old but plays her role well but the film lacks a strong central role such as Robert Newton.More a sailing than a pirate movie.

What fun!! Get some popcorn (or nachos in this day and age) and just hunker down for a evening of fun and romance. Maureen O'Hara at her red-haired best as the aristocratic lady, and Paul Henreid the swashbuckling pirate have a merry romp in this film. The villainous Walter Slezak is so very good being bad.All in all, for this type of film from 1945, a pleasure to watch. It all comes out in the end with a beautiful sunset, the lovers together and all is well as the music rises. What more can you ask for an hour and a half of your time?