''Anne of the Indies'' is a 1951

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

made by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. It was directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; ; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French-American filmmaker, active during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known as an auteur of stylish and atmospheric genre films, many of them for RKO Pictures, including ...

and produced by George Jessel. The film stars Jean Peters and Louis Jourdan, with Debra Paget, Herbert Marshall,

Thomas Gomez Thomas Gomez (July 10, 1905 – June 18, 1971) was an American actor. Life and career Spanish on his father (Sabino Tomás Gómez)'s side (Gibraltar and Santander, Spain) and French-Irish on his mother's side (Alsace and County Cork), Gomez's ...

and

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He often portrayed pompous authority figures in comedies, including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Gregory Peck in seve ...

Plot

After seizing a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

ship, pirate captain Anne Providence ( Jean Peters) spares LaRochelle ( Louis Jourdan), a Frenchman captured by the British, from

walking the plank Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

. He agrees to join Providence's crew and soon she begins to fall for the handsome officer. They travel to an island where they meet with her pirate mentor Captain

Blackbeard Edward Teach (or Thatch; – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he ma ...

(played by

), who takes an instant dislike to LaRochelle although he at first holds back as he can see Anne is attracted to him. Blackbeard eventually realises he has seen LaRochelle before in the French navy when a pirate was hanged. When he reveals this, LaRochelle claims he was dismissed from the French navy. Anne believes him, but when Blackbeard attacks him she defends him and sends Blackbeard and his men away, making an enemy of the notorious pirate. It eventually transpires that LaRochelle is working for the British as they have captured his ship, and he has a wife. He betrays Anne to the British, who attack her ship. She manages to escape and takes his wife hostage. The British do not return LaRochelle’s ship to him, having failed to capture Anne as planned, so he acquires a ship of his own to go after Anne. In the confrontation that follows, LaRochelle’s ship is destroyed and he is captured. Taking her revenge Anne maroons him and his wife on a remote island to die. She sails away, but a few days later her conscience compels her to return with provisions and a small boat. As she does so she is attacked by Blackbeard; instead of fleeing she stays and fights to stop Blackbeard from finding LaRochelle, even though her ship is no match. As Anne, the last survivor of her crew, challenges Blackbeard to a final personal duel, she is blown away by a final, deadly salvo from the enemy ship before Blackbeard can stop his cannoneers. Watching the disaster unfold, LaRochelle and his wife pay tribute to Anne's sacrifice.

Cast

* Jean Peters as Anne, also known as Capt. Providence * Louis Jourdan as Capt. Pierre François LaRochelle * Debra Paget as Molly LaRochelle * Herbert Marshall as Dr. Jameson *

as Red Dougal * Francis Pierlot as Herkimer *

Sean McClory Séan Joseph McClory (8 March 1924 – 10 December 2003) was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series. He was sometimes billed as Shawn McGlory or Sean McGlory. Early years Mc ...

as Hackett * Holmes Herbert as British sea captain * Byron Nelson as Bear handler *

Mario Siletti Mario Giovanni Siletti (22 July 1903 – 19 April 1964) was an Italian actor. He was born in Turin. He performed in more than 160 films from 1932 to 1964. He began appearing in American films no later than 1946. From 1962 to 1964, he also portra ...

as Auctioneer * James Dime as pirate

Production

The film was based on a short story published in the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' in 1947 by Charleston's historical fiction author, Herbert Sass. Sass was asked by New York publishers and Los Angeles studios to write a movie treatment of the story. In 1948 he offered up a fictionalised version of the true story of Anne Bonny, including a 10-page "factual basis" for the story. Studios seemed responsive, but in the end Sass was left out of the loop until the movie came out in 1951. What ended up on the screen was very different from the original story. Without writer credit to Sass, it would be difficult to convince anyone it was the same story. In February 1948 Walter Wanger bought the screen rights to the story as a vehicle for

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrener; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Clarence Thornton, Walt ...

, whom Wanger had under contract. Hayward reportedly was the one who prompted Wanger to make the purchase. The producer hired Jan Fortune to write a script and announced he intended to make the film later that year for Eagle Lion. The film was also known as ''Queen of the Pirates''. It was to be part of a four-picture deal Wanger had with Eagle Lion, the others being ''Tulsa'', ''The Bastille'' and ''The Blank Wall''. In August 1948 Wanger announced he had decided to shelve the film as he believed it would cost too much (the estimated budget was $1.5 million). In February 1949 it was reported Hayward would make the film at Columbia where Guy Endore was writing a script. Mark Robson was to direct. By July Hayward was reportedly trying to set the project up at

to whom she owed a picture. In May 1950 Fox bought the story, assigned Arthur Caesar to write the script and George Jessel to produce; Hayward was still attached to star.

Susan Hayward Drops Out

Hayward was unable to star in the film. By November 1950 Louis Jourdan was signed to play the male lead and Valentina Cortesa was going to play a female pirate. Jourdan had recently had his contract with

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...

bought by Fox. He had appeared in ''Bird of Paradise'' for Fox with Debra Paget and she was teamed again with him in ''Anne of the Indies''. By January 1951 Cortesa was out as the lead - due to her accent, reportedly - and Constance Smith was being tested. Eventually the title role was given to Jean Peters, her first starring role "I would have died if I'd lost the part of Anne," said Peters. "The costumes are delirious, any girl would look good in them.; they have tight-fitting trousers and open throat shirt down to here, and free top boots - I'm in rags, really but so picturesque and flattering. And the character is terrific, she's a complete primitive, a girl raised by Blackbeard, the pirate, who knows no other life than the law of might. Just an animal. I can't wait to begin it. Of course, I'm aware it's a dangerous part, too. You could make an awful fool of yourself if you went overboard."

Shooting

Filming started 26 February 1951.

was signed to a long-term contract at Fox after filming completed. Darryl F. Zanuck later said the studio had developed Peters "for seven years" and she "comes through big" in the film.Drama: Old Stellar System Passe, Says Zanuck Los Angeles Times 11 June 1951: B8.

References

External links

*
''Anne of the Indies'' at AllMovie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anne of the Indies Pirate films 1951 films 1950s historical adventure films American swashbuckler films 1950s English-language films Romantic period films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films directed by Jacques Tourneur Films set in the 1710s Films with screenplays by Philip Dunne Films set in the Caribbean Cultural depictions of Anne Bonny Cultural depictions of Blackbeard American historical adventure films 1950s American films English-language historical adventure films 20th Century Fox films