Arturo de Córdova is the dashing pirate who sweeps Joan Fontaine off her feet in Frenchman's Creek (1944), a gloriously extravagant Technicolor indulgence! The plot reminds us of the 1945 film The Wicked Lady, but this was a sexually charged bodice ripper that caused controversy on both sides of the Atlantic while Frenchman's Creek is an American swashbuckler in the vein of Captain Blood (1935) or The Black Swan (1942). For the most part its reviews were positive, although with a few caveats. Over all, critics thought Frenchman's Creek a lavish, fun film that could not be taken too seriously. Utterly bonkers... It did not do particularly well at the box office. It was the 9th highest grossing film for the year and it made a respectable $3,500,000. The problem is that with a budget of $3.6 million, Paramount really did not make a profit from the movie. Quite simply, if it had cost a good deal less, it could rightfully be considered a hit. With a budget of $3,600,000, it was the most expensive film that Paramount had made up to that point! Over 46 sets were built, including the Cornish village of Fowey. Well over 2000 props were used. And as might be expected, so lavish a film had to be shot in vivid Technicolor. But as far as swashbucklers go, stick to The Scaramouche, The Duellists, The Prisoner of Zenda and Adventures of Robin Hood.
Review of Frenchman's Creek
