TYRONE POWER’S SWASHBUCKLER FILMS

Tyrone Power was one of Hollywood’s top level heart-throbs and came from an acting family which had performed onstage since the 1700s. Here are his swashbuckler movies.

THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) – Tyrone Power starred in this semi-remake of the 1920 Douglas Fairbanks classic. To me, nothing can top the Fairbanks version, but this Power effort comes a close second.

We all know the basics – Don Diego de Vega (Power) returns to 1820s California following his higher education in Spain. His father’s letters while he was away have made him pose as a meek and foppish aristocrat; the better to covertly fight California’s oppressors as the masked and costumed el Zorro – “the Fox.” 

Not even Diego’s father knows about his son’s dual identity, so he is just as contemptuous of the cowardly, buffoonish figure he pretends to be as everyone else. Eligible ladies of California look down on Diego, too, despite his family’s wealth. They all have the hots for the dashing Zorro who strikes the oppressors with his sword, pistols and whip, then vanishes into the night. 

Ultimately, Zorro gains enough popular support to topple the villains, led by Basil Rathbone. Linda Darnell plays Lolita, Gale Sondergaard is Inez and Eugene Pallette portrays Frey Felipe. 94 minutes.

THE BLACK SWAN (1942) – The title and some story elements come from Rafael Sabatini’s 1932 novel The Black Swan, but the rest is just Hollywood going its own way with the material. Tyrone Power stars as British pirate Jamie Waring instead of the French pirate hero of the novel, Charles de Bernis.

The movie deals with reformed pirate Henry Morgan’s period as Governor of Jamaica, when he fought pirates like he used to be. Jamie Waring is helping Morgan and falls in love with Lady Margaret Denby (Maureen O’Hara), daughter of the former governor.

Margaret is engaged to treacherous British officer Roger Ingram (Edward Ashley) but is hot for Jamie Waring. (Obviously, NONE of the main characters go by what their names were in the novel. Who knows why.)

Swords clang, cannons roar and pistols flash as Waring tries to show Margaret what her betrothed is really like while also waging war on pirate ships commanded by Billy Leech (George Sanders) and Wogan (Anthony Quinn). Naturally, all ends happily. 85 minutes.

CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE (1947) – In 1518 Spain, Castilian nobleman Pedro de Vargas (Tyrone Power) helps an abused Aztec slave (Jay “Tonto” Silverheels) escape his abusive owner Diego de Silva (John Sutton).

Not long after, Pedro outfights a few of de Silva’s soldiers when they try to force themselves on tavern waitress Catana Perez (Jean Peters). Twice stung by our hero, de Silva uses his influence with the forces of the Spanish Inquisition to have Pedro and his entire family imprisoned on charges of heresy.

Catana and adventurer Juan Garcia (Lee J. Cobb) help Pedro and his family members escape. While the other de Vargas flee to Italy, Pedro goes to Mexico with Catana and Juan. Once there, they sign on with Hernan Cortez (Cesar Romero) and his troops in their conquest of Mexico. (This is looked on as a good thing in this film.)

Lots of action and some climactic intrigue as Diego de Silva shows up as a Spanish Crown Aide to Cortez. De Silva tries to kill our hero and his lady Catana but our main characters prevail in the end. 141 minutes.   

PRINCE OF FOXES (1949) – Power stars as the dashing Italian Andrea Orsini, mercenary officer in the service of Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles). The year is 1500 and Orsini is – well – a Renaissance Man, skilled at portrait painting, swordsmanship, poetry and womanizing.

Warfare divides the Italian speaking states and Borgia uses our hero’s talents to help his military campaigns and his double-dealing intrigues.

A confluence of events finds Andrea Orsini leading Borgia’s efforts to take the mountaintop stronghold Citta del Monte, ruled over by elderly Count Varano and his very young wife Camilla (Wanda Hendrix), whom he has never bedded but married to save her from a forced match with a Borgia. Orsini and Camilla fall in love.

Andrea changes sides and helps Citta del Monte militarily defy the Borgias. He also survives assassination attempts, kills Borgia’s assistant villains in combat and gets to marry Camilla after the Count conveniently gets killed. 107 minutes.

THE BLACK ROSE (1950) – In 1200s England, a disinherited young Saxon named Walter of Gurnie (Power) lets his sword-wielding adventures land him on the wrong side of King Edward the First (Michael Rennie).

Our hero flees England alongside his archer friend Tristram Griffen (Jack Hawkins). They hire themselves out on the Continent and eventually wind up as mercenaries for the Chinese General Bayan of the Thousand Eyes (Orson Welles).

Bayan has designs on Cathay and part of a caravan he takes includes the beautiful Englishwoman Maryam (Cecile Aubry), called the Black Rose. Walter helps her escape being given as a gift to Kublai Khan, following which he and Tristram get caught up in plots and counterplots by Bayan and the Khan to conquer Cathay.

In the end, Walter gets to show off such heroics from Cathay to England that he is welcomed back and knighted by King Edward I. He and Maryam are to be married. 121 minutes.