MovieChat Forums > Blackbeard, the Pirate (1953) Discussion > Maynard Vs. Blackbeard (spoilers)

Maynard Vs. Blackbeard (spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by gnome-5
2 replies | jump to latest

It's interesting that they go with the ending of the pirates killing Blackbeard. In real life, Robert Maynard led the assault on Blackbeard's ship, and the protagonist of this movie is named Robert Maynard. Why not finish the film with a fight between these two characters? I suppose they wanted that final image of Blackbeard buried to his neck and under water.

Or maybe it was the Breen Office getting involved. In real life, Maynard decapitated Blackbeard and flew his head from the bow of his sloop as a warning. I wonder if they tried to go with that, the Breen Office declared it was too brutal, and the buried in the sand ending was substituted. The problem is, it makes your hero a casual observer to the climax of the movie.

Are there any behind-the-scenes info on the DVD about this?

[–] magolding 13 years ago

They did show Sir Henry Morgan swinging his cutlass to decapitate off screen the man he thought was Blackbeard, and I think I remember the head hanging from the Bowsprit of Morgan's ship.

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

Yes, aspects of the true story were rearranged to suit this fictional narrative. IRL Morgan wasn't involved in the final battle with Blackbeard and Maynard's involvement was far more directly naval in nature, not this undercover game he plays in the film, which of course allows the romance with Edwina.🐭