PIRATES

US, 1986, 106 minutes, Colour.
Walter Matthau, Chris Campion, Charlotte Lewis, Roy Kinnear.
Directed by Roman Polanski.

Pirates is a lavish pirate movie. An expensive production, it was Roman Pulaski’s first film for several years after Tess. He declared his admiration for the old pirate movies and wanted to imitate them and pay them tribute. While the film looks spectacular, the treatment is fairly heavy-handed. Polanski had to remove over 15 minutes of the material to make the film acceptable for release.

Walter Matthau enjoys himself - but is possibly a bit too good an actor for the stereotyped Captain Red pirate role. He has quite a good supporting cast and all the pirate types are represented. There is a lot of the swash and buckle and rolling of eyes. However, the material is familiar, the production probably too expensive, thus making the project seem pretentious. Critical reception was very poor on its first release but as the years go by, it will probably take its place in the canon of Polanski's films.

1. The popularity of pirate films? The conventions? Characters, adventures? Period? The impact of this pirate film?

2. The work of Roman Polanski, themes, seriousness? His making a pirate movie?

3. Expensive production, re-creation of period, the 17th. century, the constructed galleon, the sea, Maracaibo, swashbuckling style?

4. The popularity of pirates: the background of the English and Spanish pirates, the 16th and 17th centuries, brutality, greed, way of life, antagonism between Spain and England, the French? Adventure, a new frontier?

5. Audience sympathies and Captain Red? Frog? The Spaniards?

6. The framework of Captain Red and Frog floating on the ocean? The sharks, good and bad fortune? Captain Red tempted to cannibalism? At the end alive ? and a new circle starting?

7. Walter Matthau's Captain Red: appearance, the screen presence, accent? In the Robert Newton, Wallace Beery tradition? On the raft, his delirium, wanting to eat Frog ? The comedy with his leg? The ship, going on board, hunger, in the brig, seeing the throne, eating the rats, stirring up mutiny, his place in the takeover of the ship? The island? The Dutchmen and the roistering? Alfonso and the escape? Maracaibo, the disguise, the Governor? Taking the throne yet caught on the harbour bar? The siege of the prison and the escape? The fight. on the ship? The end ? adrift? His attitudes, morality, pirate traditions, loyalties and greed, way with words? A Walter Matthau character?

8. Frog and his being on the ship, loyalty, on the raft, in action? Loyal to Captain Red, sharing the adventures, gallant towards the girl, in prison, cook, fight, the sad ending?

9. The pirates, the cruise, their loyalties, fickle, options, death?

10. The presentation of the Spaniards, the fops and their arrogance, the Captain and his long speech and its meaning for the whole film, the meaning of his life, death? The Dominican and the confession ? and the mockery of the friar throughout the film4 especially as a hostage? , His fears? Alfonso and his arrogance, flogging the men, forcing Captain Red and Frog to., eat the rats, the mutiny, the change of fortunes, in the barrels, the Governor and his gout, fickleness, the end?

11. Dolores as heroine, the duenna, her being saved by Frog, losing him at the end?

12. The details of life on board the ships? Battles and action? Knockabout humour? An '80s version of the traditional pirate movie?