O Pirata Real (1962) is the final film of Polish-born director Rudolph Maté (a seasoned war horse who got his start as cinematographer on Carl Theodor Dreyer's O Martírio de Joana D'Arc (1928)), this Italian-made Cinemascope adventure about the daring exploits of Sir Francis Drake (Rod Taylor, pre-Os Pássaros (1963)) as he plunders on the high seas for the glory of England and Queen Elizabeth I (Irene Worth) is full of swashbuckling, fancy dress, and tall ships on fire. Shot in Rome, the outrageous and near-operatic sets recall other Maté-directed films like O Fim do Mundo (1951), and the naval battles created in miniature by special effects technician Eros Bacciucchi (who later distinguished himself as resident squib-man on many of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns) are fun in a very real, pre-computer graphics way.
While filming in 1961, Rod Taylor was dating Anita Ekberg. At the time, they announced plans for a San Francisco marriage but this never occurred. By 1963, both had gotten married to other spouses. They coincidentally died within four days of each other --- she died at age 83; he died at age 84 of a heart attack.
Francis Drake's knighthood actually occurred differently then depicted in the film. Queen Elizabeth awarded Francis Drake his knighthood aboard his ship, Golden Hind, in Deptford on April 4, 1581; the dubbing was actually performed by a French diplomat, Monsieur de Marchaumont, who was negotiating for Elizabeth to marry the King of France's brother, Francis, Duke of Anjou. By getting the French diplomat involved in the knighting, Elizabeth was gaining the implicit political support of the French for Drake's actions. During the Victorian era, in a spirit of nationalism, the story was promoted that Elizabeth I had done the knighting.
The event depicted in the film where Francis Drake returns to England Laden with gold occurred on September 26, 1580 when the Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. The queen's half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown's income for that entire year.
O Pirata Real (1962) was mainly shot at the Titanus Appia Studios in Rome, but some scenes were filmed at the Bay of Naples.