THE PIRATE MOVIE
Australia, 1982, 105 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Aitkens, Kristy Mc Nicoll, Ted Hamilton, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Gary Mc Donald.
Directed by Ken Annakin.
The Pirate Movie, at nine million dollars, was the most expensive movie made in Australia up to the end of 1981.The film, however, looks like an expensive scratch concert. There were a lot of production difficulties: director Richard Franklin withdrew some weeks before filming, there were many discussions about the script, writer Trevor Farrant disowned the film after its release.
The film is at pains to offer its gratitude to the Australian Government and Australia for co-operation - as a result of 1981 tax incentives. The film utilises Australian coastal scenery and the Loch Ard Gorge. Chirnside Park is used for the stately 19th century home. Kristy Mc Nicoll was a popular young actress from Family as well as films like Little Darlings, Only When I Laugh. Christopher Atkins was a popular teenage star with The Blue Lagoon. Executive producer and actor Ted Hamilton leads an Australian supporting cast. Bill Kerr overacts as the Major General. Garry Mc Donald is excellent, winning an A.F.I. nomination for the best supporting actor, for his imitation of Inspector Clouseau as well being leader of the Gilbert and Sullivan police.
The film is loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance - and uses a number of the songs with updated lyrics. It was not a rival to the Linda Ronstadt film of The Pirates. The film takes the conventions of dream and fantasy with acknowledgements to many films which it imitates e.g. Picnic at Hanging Rock, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars. There is a blend of jolliness as well as amateurishness in the production and acting - and a great number of sex jokes which are presented and passed over rapidly. The film was aimed at a teenage audience - and as a piece of expensive frothy entertainment it might pass a rainy afternoon or other. Direction is by Ken Annakin who made such films as Those Magnificent Men, The Longest Day, The Battle of the Bulge and several Disney films.
1. Entertainment? For what audience? International, Australian? The production values? The Controversy about its status as an Australian film? The writer disowning it?
2. Australian production values: technical skills. coastal and Werribee locations? The musical score? The choreography (by David Atkins)? The American and Australian cast?
3. The success of the film as musical: the basic Gilbert and Sullivan songs, the added lyrics? The romantic songs? The happy ending finale? The pleasant romantic touch? The Gilbert and Sullivan plot and its use - for fantasy and dream?
4. The satire on film-making? The opening credits and the old-fashioned pirate movies? The demonstration to onlookers of how to make action films? The artificiality of the dream film and incorporating modern characters into the dream? The allusions to so many films and the visual satire on Picnic at Hanging Rock, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, the Inspector Clouseau films?
5. The introduction with the modern aspects of film-making and demonstrations? The characters to reappear in the dreams? The girls and the glamour? Mabel with her glasses? Becoming the victim of the other girls, falling overboard?
6. Mabel's dream: the change in her character and personality, strong-minded heroine, attractive, bossy, romantic? Her ability to change her dream at the end? Her father and his poverty, the lavish house, the many daughters and their wanting to be married? Her sighting Frederick and falling in love? The devices of the songs and falling in love? The clash with the pirates? Getting the map from the pirate king's back and the mock seduction scene? Diving for treasure? The siege of the house? The clash with the pirates, her riding for the police? The happy ending and the song-and-dance finale? Kristy Mc Nicoll's vitality carrying the role?
7. Frederick as orphan, the battle for his birthday present, his turning 21, his being set adrift, sighting Mabel and her sisters, falling in love, his romantic touch, his inexperience with girls? The getting of the map from the pirate king's back, diving for treasure? Rescuing the girls? His honesty in siding with the pirates? The final fight? The grand finale? Christopher Atkins in this role?
8. The pirate king - and the irony of his being the loud film promoter? His songs, Gilbert and Sullivan? Esteem for Frederick, his attraction towards Mabel and the humour of the seduction scene, Ruth's love for him? Greed, deals, fights? The happy ending with Ruth? The range of pirate characters?
9. The Major General and his cowardice, his Gilbert and Sullivan song? His involvement in the finale? The many daughters and their being sex-mad -wanting to get married? The finale for marriage?
10. The Gilbert and Sullivan police and their choreography? Garry Mc Donald's imitation of Inspector Clouseau?
11. The conventions and action of the pirate movie? Popular entertainment?.
12. The continued lacing of the screenplay with sex jokes - humour, presentation, not dwelling on them and passing to the next?
13. The atmosphere of expensive scratch concert? A successful entertainment movie?
