Le corsaire rouge

I finally got around to watching "The Crimson Pirate". What a blast! Burt Lancaster is the Pirate. His schemes and brainstorms are unconventional and funny.

It's a kinda goofy story, so you have to be in the mood for fun. (For example, the pirate's enemies are silly nitwits, like Keystone Kops or Hogan's Heroes.) Don't expect historical accuracy-- this is total Hollywood pirate caricature. But it's very creative, and everyone on the set, stars and stuntmen, looked like they had a blast filming it.

Burt Lancaster outdoes Douglas Fairbanks. He shows off his great acrobatic training and even paired-up his stuntwork with his old acrobat partner, Nick Cravat (btw, Nick happened to be the airplane-assaulting gremlin on the original Twilight Zone "Terror at 20,000 Feet".)

I feel like I missed out as a kid by not seeing it. Everyone has their own traditional FamilyTime movies ("Wizard of Oz" being a universal example). I wish I'd seen this one as a kid. My parents would've liked it too-- it's very enjoyable for all ages.

This is probably one of the best films I have ever seen. It had a perfect mix of adventure and comedy due to the fact that it pokes fun at all the pirate cliches. Also, it really gave the legendary Burt Lancaster a chance to show of his acrobatic talents. Too bad they don't show this on television anymore. This film would probably appeal not only to older fans but to children as well.

Once you suspend disbelief you can have a glorious time at this movie. The Technicolor looks fabulous on DVD, Burt Lancaster is an Adonis if ever there were, and there's silly fun to spare all around, from the striped tights to the giddy pitched battles and doofus redcoats to the springy Cravat.

You can easily see Spielberg and George Lucas learning their pacing and craft from this director, as well as outlandish stunts and fantastical conceits. You can't help but get caught up in it.

Not only that, those two kisses shared by Burt 'n Eva are HOT. Yumm.

For contrast, view Lancaster in Sweet Smell Of Success. Utter control.

Burt Lancaster plays a 18th-century buccaneer called Capt. Vallo with a taste for action and acrobatics and pits his wits and brawn against the might of a villain nobleman ; as Vallo pretending to be a baron to infiltrate into a strongly-armed island and finding romance along the way . It starts when a ship of the king's Navy armed with thirty guns on a mission in the Caribbean late in the Eighteenth Century . There appears a famous pirate (Burt Lancaster who starred various swashbucklers and classic adventures) supported by bearded and short Ojo (Nick Cravat is mute because he had a thick East Coast accent and in actual life his previous circus partner) leading a band who involves himself in the goings on of a Caribbean revolution . As he saves the damsel (Eva Bartok as a hot-tempered woman who swoons over Vallo) in distress and , of course , seduces her ; furthermore he confronts a ruthless baron (Bradley) at an island . As Vallo poses as a Baron in order to penetrate a well-defended enemy stronghold .

Agreeable pirate movie , plenty of action , thrills , bright cinematography and luxurious costumes . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic final confrontation between Burt Lancaster and Leslie Bradley . ¨The Crimson Pirate¨ results to be one of Lancaster's swashbuckling best and has achieved a classic status . This entertaining pirate movie is packed with noisy action , burlesque , poking fun , loads of ship battles , humor with tongue-in-cheek and impressive acrobatics adds interest to the ordinary swashbuckling . Considered by many to be one of the best pirate movies laced with comedy and enthusiastically paced . Interesting and enjoyable screenplay by Roland Kibbee ; however , the script started life as serious, nay solemn, but Robert Siodmak, the director, with all the sure touch of real tension behind him in "The Killers" and "The Spiral Staircase," took stock of the material in forty-eight hours and turned it into a comedy . Hight budgeted film , including expensive battles at sea , as it overruns ballooned the original $1.1 million dollar budget to $1.85 million . Burt Lancaster is a complete show including spectacular acrobatic in which Burt performing his own stunts . Lancaster played this pirate movie in the wake of his man-of-action epoch when he performed three magnificent adventure movies that included ¨His majesty O'Keefe¨ and ¨The Flame and the Arrow¨ . Because of cost overruns on "The Crimson Pirate" and "His Majesty O'Keefe," Warner Brothers insisted that future films from Hecht and Lancaster be limited to $900,000. Lancaster and Hecht's response was to strike a new deal with United Artists . Good support cast such as Torin Thatcher playing an astute pirate called Humble Bellows , James Hayter as Prof. Elihu Prudence and brief appearance of Christopher Lee who has a small character and gets to struggle with the main star .

Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Otto Heller , being filmed on location in Bay of Naples, Naples, Campania, and Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy . Lively and jolly musical score composed by William Alwyn , well conducted by usual Muir Mathieson . The motion picture was splendidly directed by Robert Siodmak who realizes a skillful filmmaking . Robert had previously directed Burt Lancaster in two classic Noir films titled ¨The Killers¨ and ¨Criss Cross¨. The picture will appeal to Burt Lancaster fans . Burt plays at his best and he provides a lot of fun as his own acrobatic ability , ably assisted by little Nick Cravat . This is a real showcase for Lancaster and Cravat's acrobatic skills . Raing : Above average , 8 , very good good pirate movie , wonderful stuff . Essential and indispensable watching for swashbuckling enthusiasts .

In the late 18th century Caribbean a group of pirates led by Capt.Vallo become embroiled in the revolutionary activities of some islanders against the King.

That's about all the plot that you need to know, for this film doesn't concern itself with historical accuracy or the like. What it does is to place it's tongue firmly in it's cheek and take the audience on a thrilling romp in the best swashbuckling style.

Burt Lancaster plays Vallo with real gusto and exuberance, ideally suited to the all action role. He did all his own stunts, being paired on screen with his one time trapeze partner Nick Cravat as his mute sidekick. In these days of CGI overkill it's refreshing to see smartly choreographed action set pieces with real people performing breathtaking feats of agility. The support cast is filled with familiar faces from the period all giving good value in their respective roles.

The whole enterprise is lavishly mounted and shot in glorious vivid Technicolor. This was possibly one of the last of this type before Cinemascope and widescreen in general became the norm. As mentioned previously, accuracy isn't an issue here. In the finale we encounter prototypes of Gatlin guns, tanks and flamethrowers among other things!

I hadn't seen this since childhood, so I took the opportunity of catching it on the BBC at the weekend. With 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' still relatively fresh in my mind, it seemed appropriate to revisit this old classic. I'm happy to say that it's lost none of its appeal, quite the opposite in fact. Rollicking good fun - recommended.