I pirati della costa

Mediocre adventure film vehicle for hero actor Lex Barker (1919-1973), who through unfortunate circumstances becomes a pirate captain and then intervenes in the war between England and Spain.

The film was shot on Lake Garda and in the Titanus film studios in Rome. The beautiful women at Barker's side are played by Estella Blain and Liana Orfei. The African-American actor John Kitzmiller, who was awarded the Silver Palm at Cannes in 1957 for "The Valley of Peace" and a little later played the title role in the West German version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1965), can be seen in a supporting role.

Lex Barker plays a Spanish Captain who is framed by the Governor of Hispaniola, sentenced to hard labor for life, escapes, and becomes a pirate. The pirate leader (Livio Lorenzon), is a shady guy, who has deals with the duplicitous Governor on the side.

A rather colourful pirate peplum which is typical of its genre yet it's well-plotted, sumptuous looking, has enough twists and turns to keep you interested. The costumes and design is impressive. It's well-paced, but a lack of swordplay and a little too much talking mars it a little. But I enjoyed it still. Lex Barker plays a stalwart yet honourable captain, and Estella Blain as the love interest ( the crooked governor's niece) is a sight for sore eyes, the kind of lady you would walk the plank for.

In this exciting, colorful Italian 1960 swashbuckling costume drama, Lex Barker plays Commander Luis Monterrey, a man who is seemingly successful and powerful (although an interesting early scene makes clear that although Monterrey is allowed to attend important social functions and mingle with the rich, he is NOT one of them, and is expected to "know his place" in society), representing Spain as a naval officer in the mid-1500s. You might be expecting a usual captain hero vs. bad pirates plot based on the first twenty minutes, but the film makes an interesting about-face, and then goes in a very different direction, which I won't give away. Barker handles the role convincingly, and is paired against, then with, pirate head Livio Lorenzon. One of Lorenzon's associates is played by Black American expatriate actor John Kitzmiller. The film could use some more swordplay, but overall, it's an exciting, well-played and well-photographed genre-film, for those who like Italian costume adventures. And the charismatic Lex Barker once again shows why he became such a popular actor in Europe in the late 50s and early 60s. This film was once a staple on US local TV twenty years ago, but an internet search should get you a VHS copy if you really want one...and the legit VHS copy, licensed from ZIV Television, that is circulating is of excellent quality.

Pretty much all I can say about this movie, was that it was alright. Lex Barker was alright, the story was alright, the rest of the actors were alright, and that really covers it.

I liked the scenery and the costumes, and that it was set in the mid 17thcentury (another of my fav time periods) but aside from that, there's not much to say. I seemed to me to be a typical pirate movie, no more, no less.

One thing I thought was clever, was where pirates take over a ship by sending their women on a raft to be "rescued" by the unsuspecting captain and crew, who soon realize they've been taken in by the supposedly weak, frightened women. You'd think they'd have gotten a clue when they perked up fast enough to start flirting (and more) with their rescuers. Well, we can't all be intuitive!

It's not really very original, this, but it's still a good fun swashbuckling adventure. "Monterrey" (Lex Barker) is the captain of a Spanish garrison that falls foul of some pirates who have inside information on the cargo of silver his ship is carrying. Luckily, he manages to escape from his captors after his subsequently rigged treason trial and together with his loyal crew joins the pirates in Tortuga where he signs articles with the duplicitous "Capt. Olonese" (Livio Lorenzon). There he agrees to help them take sides when Spain and Britain declare war but is his new ally trustworthy? Just to further complicate matters, the niece of the governor (Estella Blain) has fallen into their hands and both gents have their eyes on her! After plenty of sea battles and swordplay, we discover just who is pulling the strings before it all ends, Errol Flynn-style, with a rousing fencing denouement aboard the ship. This is a colourful and decently put together seafaring adventure with the romance kept to a minimum and the Lorenzon (who reminded me a bit of Torin Thatcher) proving an entertaining foil to the wooden as a mainmast Barker. Perfectly watchable if you like the genre.