''Black Jack'', also known as ''Captain Blackjack'', is a 1950

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

written and directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

and starring George Sanders, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Roc and Dennis Wyndham. Set on the Mediterranean, it tells the story of a man who does evil deeds. Although his conscience is awakened and he has fallen in love, escaping his past proves impossible. The English-language film was a co-production between France, Spain and the United States.

Plot

Demobilised after World War II, Mike Alexander pursues any deals, legal or not, which will make him a fortune. He has acquired a yacht in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, where he hears of a cargo ship in difficulty, the ''Chalcis'', which is full of refugees. He agrees to take the six richest off the ship, but is sickened by the distress of the rest and tells the captain to put them ashore on an isolated island. He also sees an attractive young woman, Ingrid, who refuses his offer of a free trip to safety. The captain scuttles the ship in a hidden cove and takes Ingrid to Tangier. Shortly after, Ingrid turns up in Mallorca as companion to an eccentric American millionairess, Emily Birk. Again she refuses the advances of Alexander, even when he says his fortune is arriving soon. Mrs Birk tells her she is really a cop and is after Alexander, an evil crook who is expecting a cargo of drugs. Ingrid agrees to go with Alexander to the island where the ''Chalcis'' is lying and they are sickened to find all the refugees locked in the hold by the captain and dead. When Alexander's drugs arrive, concealed in a schooner, they are lifted by Mrs Birk, who is not a cop but a dealer, and hidden in the wreck of the ''Chalcis''. Alexander finds this out and, his cover blown, destroys the consignment. To escape the law, he then heads in his yacht for Tangier and Ingrid agrees to flee with him. In an ending that was in accord with the Motion Picture Production Code, police launches pursue them and shoot Alexander dead.

Cast

* George Sanders as Mike Alexander * Herbert Marshall as Doctor James Curtis * Patricia Roc as Ingrid Dekker * Agnes Moorehead as Emily Birk *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, ''La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and ''The Rules of the Game'' (1939). ...

as Captain Nicarescu * Dennis Wyndham as Fernando Barrio *

Howard Vernon Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. In 1961, he became a favorite actor of Spanish film director Jesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic films produced in Spain and France. After po ...

as Schooner Captain * José Nieto as Inspector Carnero * Jolie Gabor as jeweler

References

External links

* 1950 films 1950 adventure films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Julien Duvivier Films shot in Mallorca French adventure films Spanish adventure films Seafaring films Films set in the Mediterranean Sea English-language French films English-language Spanish films American adventure films American black-and-white films Films scored by Joseph Kosma 1950s American films {{adventure-film-stub