Le Pirate des Caraïbes

... then and now.

Alright, I saw this flick as the opener for a circus in Radio City Music Hall on my first trip to NYC in 1976. I thought it grand then, and I haven't much changed my mind.

I do agree with those who think that a better villain and ingenue could have been found than Peter Boyle and Genevieve Bujold (one of the most overrated actresses of the time), but the Shaw-Jones pairing sparkles. I loved the score so much I bought the soundtrack on vinyl -- dare I hope that it may be out on CD somewhere? The flick isn't long on plot, really, but the cinematography and action are spiffy, the characterizations work, and man, is Geoffrey Holder a bad ass! It's a sprightly movie and you'll spend a fun time watching it. Who knows, you might even have limerick contests with your mates the next time you're escaping from the local militia.

Rating: 7/10

First off, you've got to remember - This is NOT "The Life & Times Of Blackbeard"! It's a fun seventies romp - The Four Musketeers on the high seas! Now that you have that in mind, read on.

How can one NOT like this movie?! It's the ONLY example of a "pirate movie" in my entire DVD collection - but it's the only one anyone needs. Robert Shaw turns in a commanding and amused performance as Red Ned Lynch - the captain of a scurvy band of pirates including James Earl Jones as Nick and Geoffrey Holder (The UNcola guy... you remember!) as Nick's knife wielding friend, Cujo. Throw in Genevieve Bujold as the damsel in distress/female interest, add Peter Boyle as the classic slimy Governor who abuses his subjects and you've got a recipe for an entertaining hour and forty minutes! Pay attention to some of the supporting character actors and you'll see quite a few you recognize from movies and TV of the time period - Avery Schrieber, Alfie Wise and Sid Haig just to name a few. And of course, we can't forget Beau Bridges as a perfectly stiff soldier and Angelica Huston as she known only as "Woman Of Dark Visage".

Plotwise, this movie has it all - a British Governor who likes to spend his days in the bath playing with ships... a twisted little DeSade in training at his beck and call... the obligatory wronged member of the British aristocracy and his family-in-need... and of course, the moronic civil servant, Major Folly, who only wants to capture Red Ned Lynch and please The Governor.

Do yourself a favor and go rent this one for the weekend - or even better, pick up the DVD. It's relatively cheap as an older catalog title and definitely a keeper. Because EVERYbody needs a good pirate flick now and again.

I LOVE this movie. I don't care how terrible critics might think it is. It's fun, romantic, entertaining, an old fashioned yarn. It came out right after Robert Shaw made a "splash" in Jaws, and he's fabulous as usual. Don't let them make you feel guilty about loving this movie. It's great.

Pirate Ned Lynch (Robert Shaw) and his gang (including James Earl Jones) help Jane Barnet (Genevieve Bujold) fight evil Lord Durant (Peter Boyle).

This film has a very bad reputation. Critics hated it and it was a financial disaster at the box office. I can't figure out why. It's not perfect but it's not horrible. The bad things in it: Shaws' Irish accent makes some of his dialogue unintelligible; the scripts dialogue is aimed at kids; the character of Cudjo (Geoffrey Holder) is introduced--and then disappears for an hour!; ditto with Major Folly (Beau Bridges); the treatment of Bujold is horrible (and she acts very lost in this movie); there are some really strange kinky touches such as Bridges almost being tortured, Bujold's pointless nude swimming scene and Durant's bath with a young boy and having Anjelica Huston in the film...and giving her NO dialogue!

The good: With the exception of Bujold the cast is having a whale of a time (Bridges especially is enjoying himself); it's fun to see Jones so young and full of life; there's plenty of action (with some great sword fights); it's very lavishly produced and there's a rousing music score by John Addison.

Basically it's a fun way to kill of 100 minutes--I was never bored.

This is one of Hollywoods many failed attempts to revive the pirate movie. Through the 1980s and 90s they gave us --"The Island", Polanski's "Pirates", "The Pirate Movie" and "Cutthroat Island". All big budget bombs. Maybe Hollywood should give up (I'm not counting "Pirates of the Caribbean"--that was not a movie-it was an ad for a Disney theme park.)

Worth catching.

Despite Maltin's great slagging-off of this movie (has he actually seen it, I wonder??), I reckon it was a little gem in an era when a lot of filmmakers took themselves and their work far too seriously! Guaranteed to lift the blues on any bad day, it may be a bit corny, it might have been misguided to make a pirate flick in the mid-70s, but there are certainly a lot worse examples of the genre around, and this one is quite a cute and appealing film.