Plot
| “ | O Lord, we pray Thee, not that wrecks should happen, but that if they do happen, Thou wilt guide them to the coast of Cornwall for the benefit of the poor inhabitants. So ran a prayer in the early nineteenth century, before there were formal lighthouses, in Cornwall, a lawless corner of England . . . | ” |
Jamaica Inn is headquarters to a gang of smugglers, led by the innkeeper Joss (Leslie Banks). The smugglers extinguish coastal beacons in order to cause ships to run aground. Then they loot the wrecks and kill the surviving sailors.
Mary (Maureen O'Hara), the orphaned niece of Joss's wife Patience (Marie Ney) comes to live at the inn, and saves the life of Traherne (Robert Newton), a gang member lynched by his fellow smugglers for embezzling. Traherne is actually a secret law-officer, trying to bring down Joss's gang. They flee the inn and seek the protection of Sir Humphrey Pengallon, the local magistrate, little knowing that he actually protects Joss's gang, as he needs the loot in order to maintain his lavish lifestyle.
Traherne and Mary must race against time to stop a ship from being wrecked, and an unlikely love affair blossoms.
Read more about this topic: Jamaica Inn (film)
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—John Dryden (1631–1700)