THE CRIMSON PIRATE
US, 1952, 105 minutes, Colour.
Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, Torin Thatcher, James Hayter, Margot Graham, Noel Purcell, Dana Wynter, Christopher Lee.
Directed by Robert Siodmak.
The Crimson Pirate is possibility the most rollicking of pirate films. It stars Burt Lancaster at his most acrobatic and he is supported by his long-time acrobatic partner, Nick Cravat. Eva Bartok is the romantic lead and the supporting cast contains a number of British character actors and early roles for Dana Wynter and Christopher Lee.
It is set in the 18th century, involves all kinds of plots, scientists, battles. After World War Two there was an appetite for pirate films like Sinbad the Sailor, Against All Flags, Anne of the Indies, Blackbeard the Pirate.
The film was directed by Robert Siodmak who had begun his career in Germany, left after the Nazi takeover and made films in France before going to the United States where he made a number of significant films, especially film noir like The Spiral Staircase, The Killers, Criss-Cross?, The File on Thelma Jordan. He continued to make films in the United States but returned to Europe in the mid-1950s, making only a few films in the US after this, including Custer of the West. The Crimson Pirate was his last mainstream American film.
1. Why are pirate films entertaining? As presented in the 50's?
2. The qualities and conventions of the pirate genre? Ship, leader, personalities, the Caribbean, treasure, fights, corrupt officials? Were these conventions well used in this film?
3. The colour photography, the ship set and the Caribbean towns? The use of colour, stirring music? The special effects for the battles? The emphasis on acrobatics with Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat?
4. How Boys' Own Adventure was the plot? Historically credible? sufficient for the purposes of a rousing adventure?
5. Burt Lancaster as Captain Vallo? His initial introducing the audience to the story, treating it as an adventure, fairy tale, his geniality, acrobatics, heroics? His lack of principle in piracy? His robbing one group and trying to rob another? His relationship with his men, qualities of leadership, the loyalty of Ojo? The loyalty of Bellowes and Bellowes turning against him? His deals with Gruda? The involvement with Libre? with Consuela? How did he change his attitude throughout the film? The fact that his men turned against him? The clash with Bellowes and Bellowes finally dying for him? The inevitability of his destroying evil and leading the goodies to some kind of achievement? The romantic happy ending? A good pirate character?
6. The supporting characters: Ojo and his acrobatics, his loyalty, his ingenuity in helping Vallo? Gruda and officialdom and betrayal? Bellowes and the code of piracy, loyalty and betrayal, the heroism of his staying on the ship to help Vallo? Libro? The doctor (and the humour of his inventions especially his submarine series which saved them in the rowboat?)
7. Consuela as the conventional heroine for this kind of film, her situation, her vigour, her love for Vallo?
8. Comment on the presentation of the British officials, the other pirate characters.
9. The presentation of the fights, the capturing of the ships, the challenging of people in the town and the fights into which Vallo and Ojo fell?
10. Libre's followers and their companions, their helping Vallo? The crisis at the ball? The rescuing of Libre?
11. The final battle? What do audiences expect from such sequences? Were they satisfied? What attitudes in the audience towards heroism, pirates, the clash of good and evil? How well were themes treated in the light vein of the pirate film?
