Overview
A thrilling adventure unfolds on the high seas as pirates clash for power and love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- adventurous
- romantic
- witty
- classic movie night
- adventure double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as an enjoyable, exciting, romantic, and visually beautiful swashbuckling adventure, while noting that Lady Margaret is thinly written.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jamie Waring and his fellow buccaneers confront rebels and rivals through swordplay, daring escapes, and Caribbean action.
Jamie Waring and Lady Margaret Denby develop an adversarial yet affectionate relationship amid kidnapping, treason, and competing loyalties.
Contemporary criticism specifically praised the film's beautiful coloring, while its pirate costumes and Caribbean settings provide colorful spectacle.
The story uses the historical Henry Morgan and colonial Jamaica as the framework for a highly stylized tale of piracy, rebellion, and romance.
Films like The Black Swan, and why
Captain Blood
shared pirate adventure, swordplay, romantic rivalry, and charismatic rogue hero
The Sea Hawk
shared colorful seafaring action, treasure-seeking buccaneers, and old-Hollywood romance
The Spanish Main
shared Technicolor pirate spectacle, dashing protagonists, and romantic adventure
Movie Details
- Director
- Henry King
- Release Date
- 1942-12-04
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (98)
Cast
- Tyrone Power
- Maureen O'Hara
- Laird Cregar
- Thomas Mitchell
- George Sanders
- Anthony Quinn
- George Zucco
- Edward Ashley
- Bonnie Bannon
- Fortunio Bonanova
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Black Swan about?
- A colorful Golden Age pirate romp follows a swaggering buccaneer whose conscience and romantic loyalties are tested amid Caribbean rebellion.
- What is The Black Swan like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Black Swan as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Black Swan violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Black Swan as mild.
- What did critics think of The Black Swan?
- Critics broadly regard it as an enjoyable, exciting, romantic, and visually beautiful swashbuckling adventure, while noting that Lady Margaret is thinly written.
- Which films are like The Black Swan?
- Films with a similar feel include Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, and The Spanish Main.
- How long is The Black Swan?
- The Black Swan runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Black Swan?
- In United States, The Black Swan streams on fuboTV, YouTube TV.
