Raiders of the Seven Seas

First, the good news. This movie is only 4 minutes and 23 seconds old before John Payne takes off his shirt, revealing a V-shaped torso which, unlike many of his earlier unveilings, is gloriously unshaven and only a few years past its prime. Now the bad news. It's all downhill from here. Even fans of pirate B-movies will find this concoction an anemic affair which lacks energy and style and which, due to a tight budget, has a disappointingly studio-bound quality. Throwing in an "adorable" child actor only accentuates the vapidity of the proceedings.

John Payne manages to get by without serious damage to his reputation, aided, of course, by that bare-chest scene, but adding a reddish dye to his dark hair tends to make him look more silly than rakish. Donna Reed doesn't have the fire and flash needed for her part but, to be fair, no one could do much with lines such as: "I will enjoy (your company) even more when you are stretched to the four winds on a torture-rack!"

A better grade-B pirate movie from this era is "Prince of Pirates" with John Derek and Barbara Rush.

1953's "Raiders of the Seven Seas" is a colorful swashbuckler for handsome star John Payne, the second time he was paired with Lon Chaney on the open sea. Where 1949's modern day "Captain China" found the two in brutal opposition, here they are 16th century comrades in plunder once Payne's Barbarossa escapes the Moroccan Sultan's harem and frees the slaves of a passing Spanish ship bound for Tortuga. Once there, Barbarossa is instantly mesmerized by the Governor's beautiful daughter Alita (Donna Reed), taking her prisoner once he appropriates more freed slaves for his growing crew. Her arranged marriage to Captain Salcedo (Gerald Mohr) is compromised by his greed and arrogance, as well as his rivalry with Captain Goiti (Henry Brandon), whose successes earn him a promotion to general. Barbarossa may be a rogue but with John Payne in charge, it's impossible to find anyone to outshine his endearing attempts to woo the stubborn Alita to his side. Lon Chaney's friendly Peg Leg is essentially Barbarossa's first mate, and his shocking murder at Alita's expense leaves her stunned and no longer willing to trust her deceptive fiancee. The various twists and turns make the climax well worth waiting for, and it's one of those rare opportunities to see gorgeous Donna Reed on screen in living color. The script may at first seem formulaic, but with such likable leads it comes off as more than a passing diversion (Chaney would play another sympathetic role in one final seafaring adventure, 1954's "The Black Pirates," opposite Anthony Dexter).

An agreeable as well as decent John Payne swashbuckler about the Pirate Barbarossa, a real personage against the Spanish Main. This classic story of romantic adventure come to life enriched by Technicolor photography and adapted rightly to the screen. Since man's earliest venturings upon the oceans ..into the icy breakers of the North.. or the warm waters of the golden gulf have come down wondrous tales of Raiders of the Seven Seas . Barbarossa was one of them , sailing recklessly through the seventeenth Century , from India's Ocean to the Caribbean islands , today he still lives in hundreds of legends . This is one : It begins in Morocco , in the palace of the Sultan , where Barbarossa (John Payne) flees . As Barbarossa takes over a Spànish ship called Santa Margarita and frees a bunch of prisoners and makes them his crew , as his aide Peg-Leg (Lon Chaney) and deputy Renzo (Anthony Caruso) , among others . As a corsair captain and a crew of escaped convicts plundering for loot and revenge . On a raid, he takes as a prize a Spanish countess (Donna Reed) , Alida , governor's daughter . He has fallen in love with her by the time he manages for her ransom by the captain Salcedo (Gerald Mohr) who was to marry her . Meanwhile, Barbarossa goes to Santo Domingo and Turtle Island . Exposing her intended as a liar and a coward , he goes to ask for her hand but she has fled , and Barbarossa believes she is the one who murdered his assistant . Barbarossa encounters dangerous situations while trying retrieve his lover , as he is double-crossed and after that , he attacks La Habana , Cuba , where is the residence of the governor general and his officer , Captain Goiti (Henry Brandon).

Amusing pirate movie , plenty of action , thrills , colorful cinematography and luxurious costumes . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . Overwhelming battle ships , sword-play and full of villainy , romance , swashbuckler and heroism . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic confrontation between John Payne and Gerald Mohr . Average-budgeted film by United Artists Pictures , using appropriate ship shots and miniature sets when possible . Nice acting by John Payne as a famous pirate who uses all kind of shrewdness in order to penetrate a well-defended stronghold on La Habana . Payne starred various swashbucklers and classic adventures such as ¨Tripoli¨ with Mauren O'Hara , ¨Captain China¨ by Lewis R. Foster , ¨Caribbean¨ by Edward Ludwig with Arlene Dahl , ¨Crosswinds¨ by Lewis Foster with Rhonda Fleming , among others . ¨Raiders of the seven seas¨ results to be one of John Payne's swashbuckling best though hasn't achieved a classic status . There appears the gorgeous Donna Reed as a hot-tempered countess moll who swoons over Payne ; furthermore , an enjoyable support cast such as Gerald Mohr as Captain Jose Salcedo , Lon Chaney Jr as Peg Leg , Anthony Caruso as Renzo , Henry Brandon as Captain Goiti and Frank DeKova as Captain Romero .

United Artists took advantage of the unused as well as left sets from other A-movies by scripting and shooting a hastily assembled B-picture . This is a good-natured Technicolor romp with glamorous cinematography by Howard Greene and evocative musical score by Paul Sawtell. The motion picture was professionally produced and directed by Sidney Salkow , a craftsman who had already filmed other adventures . He realized all kind of genres such as routine westerns (Sitting Bull , The great Sioux massacre , Pathfinder) , Adventures (Prince of Pirates , Sword of the avenger) , war films , Sci-Fi (The last man on Earth) , Terror (Twice-told tales) and melodramas (City without men) . Salkow first worked for Republic, after joining Universal . At Columbia , he handled , among other assignments, four installments of the popular Lone Wolf series . After 1953, Salkow was primarily active as director of episodic television . Rating : 6 , acceptable pirate movie , entertaining stuff . It will appeal to John Payne and Donna Reed fans .

Just saw 7 seas movie. I did not hate it at all. the scenery is adequate and the color was alright. Some scenes were a little hard to swallow but the actors made the film believable. Was fun to see sexy John Payne is something else different from Twentieth Century Fox musicals. Mr.Payne can really show emotions when especially he is mad...watch his forehead and his eyes.Donna reed i simply adore...she has a face that you cant forget. Reminds me a lot of my all time favorite MISS PAULETTE GODDARD. The supporting cast is all recommended and the plot is simple but effective. Really worth a watch. You no what.....todays movies may be advanced and up to date.....id rather see JOHN Payne as a pirate anytime compared to Johnny Depp who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. Yester years actors really worked and sweated to give the best performance ever...and they didn't have much help like the actors of today have.

This hasn't an original bone in it's body, but I love the genre and for the most part this does ok. John Payne is "Barbarossa" who releases a crew of Spanish main sailors then manages to kidnap the feisty "Countess Alida" (Donna Reed) - the daughter of the Governor - whom he initially wishes to hold for ransom. As we all know by now, though, their initial hostility will soon go the way of the dodo and all will be fine in their hammock. There is plenty of action here; just a smidge of chemistry between the two leads; a healthy rivalry between him and her erstwhile fiancée "Capt. Salcedo" (Gerald Mohr) and Lon Chaney Jr adds a bid of mischief as his helper "Peg Leg". Colourful and cheery with just enough swash, buckle and cannon fire (even if the explosions do manage to happen before the guns are actually fired), it's instantly forgettable but I did quite enjoy it.