Le avventure di Mary Read

I only recently became aware of this early Lenzi swashbuckler, but I had read generally favourable assessments of it; having now watched it myself, I quite agree that the film is an above-average peplum – with star Lisa Gastoni in fine form (though most other credits are unfamiliar, including American leading man Jerome Courtland!). Acquired via a late-night Italian TV screening, the print was apparently a hybrid – as the main titles were severely panned-and-scanned, while the rest was in the proper aspect ratio…albeit of hardly optimal quality!

The plot (while supposedly set in England and the Americas, the road signs are conspicuously displayed in Italian!) deals with lady criminal Mary Read – who is already notorious when we first meet her, even if operating on a small-scale level. She ends up in prison after committing a theft while donning male attire; her philandering cellmate happens to be the son of a lord (Courtland), and it does not take him long to realize her true gender – of course, the heroine freshening up while he is ostensibly asleep does not help her conceal the fact! However, their relationship runs hot and cold: after the nobleman is released and she escapes (by chaining the door to the window bars which, when the former is forced open by prison attendants the latter get unhinged!), he makes fun of her to his peers. She swears to get even and, to this end, falls in with a pirate leader bearing the unfortunate name of Captain Poof! When he is killed in a raid, she even assumes his identity; her buccaneering exploits become the stuff of legend: at one point, we are told that she has taken up residence in the colonies with the likes of Blackbeard and Sir Henry Morgan (but these historical figures never actually come into play)!

The male protagonist, on the other hand, is scolded by his dad and offered three courses of action to follow: marry a rich ugly woman (which, when he refuses, presumably becomes his mother-in-law since she is subsequently father's constant companion!), take monastic vows or opt for a military career. He chooses the minor evil amongst them and settles on the latter: given his clout at court, he is almost instantly entrusted with the biggest ship in the British fleet...yet he proceeds to scuttle the Governor's vessel, after being deliberately misled by Poof! However, he determines to make up for his error by offering to catch the feared pirate single-handed: when he finally boards the ship and finds Mary in the captain's cabin, he berates her for having become his lover – only to be told that she herself is Poof. Still, they predictably patch up their differences and, when the Governor comes to assist Courtland and wrecks the buccaneer's vessel, the hero passes Read off as a captive; back at court, dad is happy his offspring is, at long last, ready to settle down. All in all, this proves a lively and colourful entertainment, though perhaps too low-key to stick in the memory for too long...

The Italy was the ground of Peplum and Sandals pictures, in early sixties they also exploit other genre as Swashbuckler Pirate features, Le Avventure of Mary Deary is an Italian-French production over the legendary British pirate Mary Ready, it's a freely adaptation over this famous female pirate, they invited the newbie director in second entry technically speaking, an upcoming prolific & iconic director fare well in this movie without scratches, even due the smallest flaws are easily noticed.

The story takes place in the dawn of 18th century at England when redhead Mary Read (Lisa Gastoni) is a pickpocket aid by the old harmless partner Mangiatrippa (Agostino Salviette), she was arrest in the trip disguised as a man in a fancy chariot which Mary pick a couple of pieces of jewelry of an old lady, sending into a jail where he (she) shares the same cell with a flamboyant Casanova Peter Goodwin (Jerome Courtland) who perceived that such inmate is a gorgeous women, flirting her at once, Mary stays enchanted with so dashing aristocratic,he gives a medallion to Mary as signal of love,he leaves the jail by his powerful father the clever Mary Read using a trickery got run away from there, looking around Peter's palace aftermaths, however she see him surround by some many eye-candy applicants that she gives back his medallion also slapping him before leave for good.

She meets once more his sidekick Mangiatrippa in a harbor town, both entering in a ship of Captain Poof (Walter Barnes) actually a pirate who gets her envisaging a sexy trip with so gorgeous woman which Poof will shares his private cabin, suddenly a Spanish ship appears at sight toward his vessel thus the bothered Captain has to postpone his dating with the reluctant Mary aiming for fend off the Spanish, sadly the Captain Poof comes to die at battle, then Mary takes over his place as if was his wife, henceforth she becomes Captain under Poof's name, soon she will fight the already Captain Peter Goldwyn on English fleet at America.

Colorful pirate adventure with strong humor oriented by the craftsman director Lenzy, supported by fine screenplay and mainly by the movie stealer Agostine Salviette in a stunning performance, it has a smallest flaws on those full-sized Galleons where there aren't any wind on countless steady sails, also the still waters around the ships whereof the audience perceived that it was shot at large stage pool, perhaps they must shot a closest surround by strong blowers and some raining stage could be had better results on those almost standing still sequences, but overall a good movie far away to be bad as some implied!!

Resume:

First watch: 1979 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.

In Jolly Old England, Lisa Gastoni is a highwayman; at least, she dresses in men's clothes while doing her bit. Along the way, she meets Jerome Courtland in prison; he's there because the police chief doesn't know who he is. When they are both released, Miss Gastoni joins the privateer crew of Walter Barnes, who rejoices in the name of 'Captain Poof'. He winds up dead, and Miss Gastoni assumes the captaincy and the name of Poof, and turns pirate. Meanwhile, Courtland is given the choice of marrying a lady who is well-connected, rich, and exceedingly ugly, so he becomes a naval officer. On graduation at the top of his class he's given. Command of a ship and orders to destroy Captain Poof.

There really was a Mary Read, or at least she appears in Charles Johnson's A GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES. She was part of Jack Rackham's crew (along with the better remembered Anne Bonney) for a few months before they were all captured and sentenced to be hanged. She pled her belly, and was hanged shortly thereafter.

The movie has absolutely nothing to do with that. Instead, it is handled for laughs, and there are a goodly number here.

Redhead Mary is a girl who dresses like a man to better approach, and rob the jewels worn by the pretty ladies of her time. The King's Guard captures her, and she finds herself in the same cell with Peter Goodwin, a nobleman - who pretends to be a robber like her, to flirt with her and breaks her heart when she discovers he just a Casanova. Motivated by revenge, Lisa joins the cutthroat crew of one Captain Poof (Walter Barnes). Belying his name, the Captain isn't one to be trifled with-but then, neither is Lisa. When the captain dies, the only 'man' aboard who is respected by every faction among the pirates is... Mary. She represents a menace to the Florida Governor, who invites a nobleman to lead the King's naval forces against the pirates: Peter Goodwin, her former lover...

What sets this Italian pirate film apart is the humour - there's some wittty dialogue and funny moments such as when Jerome Courtland's lothario character is given the choice to join the military or marry - one look at his prospective beau makes him join the military academy. Lisa Gastoni and Jerome Courtland play their parts well, their love and conflict is well done and gives this film an amusing flavour. Not loaded with action, ship battles are brief and standard, but the plot and humour are the good points.

This is the story of a female corsair, Mary Read, who takes over a ship of pirates and wreaks havoc on the high seas. Later, she squares off against an old nemesis. This is a very colorful, adventurous film, which looks as if it were inspired by the films of Raoul Walsh (in fact, the director, Umberto Lenzi, is known to be a big Raoul Walsh fan). It's too bad that they don't make films like this anymore.