Hurricane Island

HURRICANE ISLAND (1951) is another in a series of mediocre Pirate Films churned out or released through Columbia Pictures. Non of which is going to make you forget about CAPTAIN BLOOD, THE SEA HAWK or THE BLACK SWAN. This one is not up to the level of those that usually featured Paul Henreid. Here we have Jon Hall as Capitan Carlos Montalvo and Marie Windsor, Pirate Queen Jan Bolton.

The objective, the 'Fountain Of Youth' on the island of Florida. Capitan Montalvo wants it to restore the health of Ponce de Leon. Pirate Bolton and her Buccaneers want the alleged Gold. In the way, the indigent People, Indians, some wanting peace the others war. Who will win out, watch it and see. There is a Hurricane at the end of the film. If you expect it to be a spectacle, look somewhere else. There is NO John Fulton, Gordon Jennings or Fred Sersen masterminding the SFX here. Forget the musical score also. Largely recycled from the Humphrey Bogart WWII actioneer SAHARA.

Poor Mr. Hall and Ms. Windsor. Both had successful careers with the major and 2nd tier studios from the late 1930s through 1940s. This is quite a step down for them. Both would find more rewards, both financially and professionally, in the new medium of Television in the 1950s.

I have quite some luck to find rare stuff since a while now. This one, made by Lew Landers, is one little adventure yarn set in sixteenth century, a pirate tale, as he gave us with BARBARY PIRATE, TYRANT OF THE SEA, LAST OF THE BUCCANERS, etc...Always a real pleasure to get one of those so B movies. Even produced by the "infamous" Sam Katzman, I don't present anymore. All those features are built on the same frame , the same scheme. Love, intrigue, action, very tepid but not charmless although, at least for movie buffs like me.

Unfortunately, I watched it in black and white instead of colour. I guess it is because of the 16mm print it was from.

We can prefer Sidney Salkow's pirates films, but all this old and so rare stuff is and will always be interesting to catch, no matter everything else besides.

And Jon Hall without Maria Montez - buried in Montparnasse cemetery in Paris - is sure worth seeing.