Customer Reviews

The Black Pirate

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wahooo! Now this is a fun movie! I was totally taken by surprise. The swashbuckler of swashbucklers! "The Black Pirate" is the great grand-pappy of all pirate movies to come, and every possible genre convention is on display, be it sliding down the sail by splitting it with a dagger, or fencing several men at once, catching all of their blades with one parry. A lot of great films, such as "The Princess Bride," find their roots here in "The Black Pirate." This is like Disney's "Pirates of the Caribean" ride come to life, with the addition of dashing Douglas Fairbanks.

Fairbanks is extrodinarily athletic, and it is incredible to watch his body in motion. They don't make 'em like that any more. He has the smile, the mustache and the skill with a blade. I imagine he would give a jaunty laugh in the midst of danger.

Although it is a silent film, "The Black Pirate" is not black and white, but colored in a two-color Technicolor process. The color gives an excellent, sureal effect. The underwater scenes are amazing.

Ahoy! Hoist the main sail and prepare to Broadside!

Douglas Fairbanks was at the top of his form in this film, and that is saying a lot. Every era has its screen giants, and Fairbanks held that status throughout the 1920s through his cheerful heroics in such titles as The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, The Thief of Bagdad, and The Black Pirate. Crowds loved his film persona because it was memorable: it was larger-than-life; it was splendidly imaginative; and it consistently showed good overcoming evil. Fairbanks perfectly depicted -- in 50-foot form on a big screen full of splendid sets -- acrobatics, stunts, and deeds of derring-do that no one of us could ever hope to do. Call it escapism, if you will, but it enraptured countless moviegoers historically drawn into this world of Mr. Fairbanks's fantasy epics. Here, as well, there is the added joy of seeing a film genre -- that of the pirate adventure -- at a time when fresh minds brought creative ideas and great craft to bear upon the films of their devising. What the viewer gets, then, is an original product that is vivid and memorable -- and not a tired recycling by lesser talents of uninventive themes and ideas. A viewer of this film, even on DVD, is wondrously drawn into an exotic and fascinating (indeed, even an early Technicolor) world and is held there firmly in place by the skilled and entertaining work of able craftsmen for the duration of the 85-minute running time. And, while so drawn in, one is also uplifted, if nothing else than by the very cheeriness of the star's persona. Unless one despises entertainment value as a legitimate goal of movie-making, there is nothing more that one could ask from a good film of this type. Nor should the age of the film, or its being a silent picture, deter any but those who are prejudiced. There is a reason why Douglas Fairbanks was made so wealthy by moviegoers that he was able to become a founder of United Artists. Whatever else there is, there is sort of magic at work in his best films. It is well worth the modern moviegoer's time, then, to see why this film created such excitement back in 1926. The DVD format makes all this vividly accessible. Highly recommended.

This movie is just so darned fun, you'll have a huge smile on your face the whole time. The story blazes along, the performances are exhuberant, and the two-strip Technicolor process gives it all a beautifully surreal look. The new musical score and extra features on the disc are all top-notch. Have fun!

This really qualifies as an epic, even though it is silent. Amazing special effects, excellent pirate costumes, a cast of characters that you wouldn't want to meet in broad daylight much less a dark alley. Very well acted, with a reasonably coherent plot. Also some underwater sequences that rival James Bond's! Fairbanks' acrobatics are terrific. One caution: you might be surprised at the goriness of some of the scenes, or what is assumed to take place off camera.

The Black Pirate definitely set the tone for every pirate movie to follow. The stunts are fantastic, of course, and the plot - while perhaps predictable by today's standards - is still different enough to keep you interested.

Basically, Douglas Fairbanks's ship is attacked by pirates, blown up and he & his father escape. His father dies later and Fairbanks vows he will avenge his death.

The opportunity soon arises when the pirate crew arrives on the same island to bury their gold. Fairbanks offers to join their band and sets about proving himself worthy, first in a fight and then by taking over a ship single-handedly. Of course, he gets his revenge and The affection o f the princess, Billie Dove, held hostage by the pirates. Sam De Grasse as the resident evil character is foiled repeatedly in his attempts to despoil her by Fairbanks.

The restoration of the film is well done and the musical score contributes to each scene. The added 19 minutes of outtakes and production photos, narrarated by Rudy Behlmer is fascinating - but at times a little too redundant. (I really don't need to see 15 takes of the same scene.) But the explanation of how the stunts were performed, as well as the background of the technicolor process makes it worth watching.

If this DVD had had just the film itself, I would have given it 4 stars, but the extras push it up to 5 stars for me. The film does move a bit slowly, begins kind of in media res, has a rather thin plot, and has some holes in what little narrative plot there is, but it's still packed with the great swashbuckling and action-adventure one expects in a Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., film. He's in top form here, be it in a fight with both swords and rapiers, swinging from ropes, swimming, or effortlessly sliding down several huge sail masts while holding onto a knife slicing its way down the masts. It doesn't hurt that the film is in two-strip Technicolor, although that early color process didn't have an extraordinarily wide color spectrum. Still, limited color spectrum or not, Doug looks even more gorgeous in color. He was never regarded as a particularly gifted actor, but he was so popular because of how fun and exciting he was to watch, and really made up for his lack of a *great* acting ability with his amazing charisma, screen presence, his exciting personality, and his indisputed talent when it came to swashbuckling, physical action, stunts, and everything else about this genre he personified.

Though the plot does seem rather thin, it's pointed out in the audio commentary that it was intended that way. This film is supposed to be a series of situations and episodes, not one long solid narrative with a clearly-defined beginning, middle, and end. We open as a bunch of pirates are taking over an enemy ship and preparing to blow it up, with its tied-up crew still on board. Doug's character, the self-proclaimed "Black Pirate" (the only character who seems to have a name is MacTavish), and his dying father are the only survivors of the attack, but soon after he has carried his father onto the beach of some island, he discovers in horror and heartbreak that he's dead. He has just vowed revenge when the pirates responsible come onto the island themselves to bury some treasure; approaching them, he asks to join their company, and defeats their captain in a swordfight. For some reason, the pirates accept him as one of their own even though he's not only a stranger but has also just killed their own captain. (The pirate ship he joins is literally overflowing with pirates; one wonders where all of them fit on that ship.) He then proves his worth further by capturing a ship single-handed, and hatches the brilliant idea to hold the ship for a hefty ransom until noon the next day. To ensure the ransom will be paid up, he suggests they hold hostage the princess they found hiding down in the lower level of the ship with her maid. Of course, the Black Pirate ends up falling love with the princess (Billie Dove, who doesn't really have much to do but look scared) at first sight and decides to let her go in the night. However, one of the other pirates has his sights on her too, and feels she's his because he drew the short strand of rope when he and some of his friends were arguing over which one should get her. Things get even more complicated when he gets caught and has to face the wrath of most of the other pirates, and all while the ransom still hasn't been paid on the captured ship.

Though perhaps not Fairbanks's greatest film, it's still fun to watch and an action-packed suspenseful adventure all of the way through. The audio commentary by Rudy Behlmer adds a lot to it, and covers subjects such as the history of color in motion pictures (starting back in the 1890s with hand-colored films), the main stars of the picture, the shooting of the film, the history of pirate films, and bits of trivia, such as how the woman Doug kisses and embraces in the long shot near the end was actually Mary Pickford and not Billie Dove, since Mary didn't like her husband kissing other women in his films, at least not on the mouth (Billie Dove does kiss him on the cheek in an earlier scene). There are also 19 minutes of outtakes and behind the scenes footage with more commentary by Mr. Behlmer, as well as production stills that also have commentary. (Certain comments made by Mr. Behlmer during the audio commentary indicate that this commentary was originally done on a double-sided laser disc edition of this film, with the second half of the film, and the extras, on the other side.) Additionally, the soundtrack is actually the one that was originally written for the film back in 1926, so it's not just a generic piano or organ or a modern-day reinterpretation of what the best score for the film should be. (I generally don't have a problem with modern music being used to score silents, but I know a lot of purists hate it and prefer scores to be as close to the original music as possible.) Once again Kino has put together a spectacular DVD of a classic.

This adventure of a film has been described several times and what an adventure it is!

So how about the dvd? As usual the `KINO` badge is synonymous with the highest quality discs from the finest surviving 35mm material.

This is an awe inspiring transfer from the early beautiful two colour technicolor 35mm master. With the original score as played in theatres re-recorded in digital stereo, watching this film is a wonderous experience and the way `silent` films should be enjoyed. Kino increasingly including more and more interesting extras for new releases makes them even more exciting!

THE BLACK PIRATE has everything you could want in a seafaring adventure: cutthroat pirates, swordplay, a damsel in distress, and Doug Fairbanks swinging, leaping, and diving into action. Adding to the visual splendor is the two color Technicolor (still a highly experimental process at the time this movie was made), which has been carefully and gorgeously restored for this video release.Douglas Fairbanks is at his athletic and romantic best and his supporting cast is top notch. Billie Dove is a true vision of loveliness as the kidnapped princess and villainous Sam De Grasse's minimalist style contrasts well with Fairbanks' exuberance. The video is blessed with the original 1926 score, conducted by Robert Israel, and a bonus section of outtakes and production photos, narrarated by film historian Rudy Behlmer.

To begin with, silent movies were made for people like me. I am one of those obnoxious individuals who talk, about the movie I am watching, completely throughout...almost non-stop. This is the reason family and friends will not go with me to a movie, set through or even mention movies in my presents anymore. My wife almost divorced me after the last film we actually attended at a theater...it was Titanic, a movie that I was not overly fond of and was quite vocal about while enduring setting through it. Silent movies though give me a chance to blah, blah, blah and it does not bother those I am watching it with...well, not much I suppose.

Alas for me, I have not had the pleasure of watching this great granddaddy of all pirate films on the big screen, a pleasure I am sure I am poorer for. For swashbuckling adventure, amazing sword play, and sheer entertainment, this one is difficult to top...even on the small screen. My goodness, where to start?

When watching this amazing film, the viewer must keep in mind that it was made in 1926. The technology, special effects and such simply did not exist. There were no computer enhancements available, no multi-camera blends and no "trick photograph" as some might refer to it today. What you see is what you see. This of course was made before the days of full color film, but was done in a two-color or tone method which gives it, as another reviewer nicely put it, "a surreal effect. This enhances the overall mood of the film greatly. Lets face it, this is truly a fantasy, a form of escapism, and the more surrealistic the better as far as I am concerned.

The story line is simple. Douglas Fairbanks, a young nobleman, seeks retribution against a band of cutthroat pirates who have killed his father. The grubby pirates are not nice people, good grief no! Visually, this is made very plane right from the start. To accomplish this, he becomes one of them and it is then a matter of out pirating the pirates.

The cast includes of course Douglas Fairbanks (at his best in my opinion), and in addition we are given Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, Charlie Stevens, Anders Randolf and Sam dr Grasse. It should be noted that the costuming is quite remarkable. The grime, grubbiness, and crude dress of the pirates is much closer to the mark than many of our current films. These guys did not bathe all that much, wore what was available and were pretty crude in their dress...even for those times; exotic, yes, but still and all, crude. This film captures that essence perfectly. Some reviewers in the past, and I note here also, have mention that there are certain homoerotic overtones to portions of this film. Personally I did not note them, but I suppose if this flicks your Bic, then so be it. Who am I to be critical of the opinions of others in this area? I am quite sure that we could find the same thing in stories and movies such as Bambi if we really tried hard enough. On the other hand, I am a bit clueless about such things and maybe there is something to all that.

The big attraction though for me, as far as this film goes, is the sword play. This film more or less set the standard for literally thousands of films of this genre to come. Some of the sword fighting sequences filmed here has simply never been equaled! I have always greatly admired the 1952 movie `Scaramouche,' staring Stewart Granger and the wonderful swordplay featured in that epic film. If you watch closely though, you will find those duels and sword play have been strongly influenced by the sequences filmed in the move being reviewed here. For that matter, again if you examine the films closely, you will find that the sequences between Luke Skywalker bashing away at Darth Vader with his light saber, reflect a strong resemblance to some of the scenes filmed in The Black Prince. There is no doubt that Fairbanks possessed great athletic abilities, in addition to his on screen charisma, and that charm and athletic ability is certainly on full display in this film.

Secondly, I have always been amazed at the elaborate set designs of this film; those of the ship and ships. The filming of the various ships being sacked by the motley crews of the pirate vessels is absolutely amazing...so detailed, so realistic! Again, we must remember that there was no computer enhancement going on here. The set was the set and that is what those who were filming this movie had to work; again, simply amazing to say nothing of impressive!

Third, this movie entertains! It starts this process with the first few frames and does not let up until the conclusion 85 minutes later. Much of the entertainment value is through the absolute acting power of Fairbanks. He is not only quite athletic, but also extremely funny. His cheerfulness, even in the midst of a deadly fight, simply washes off of the screen and permeates this entire work in a dominate way. Even though not one word is uttered throughout the entire movie, you will find yourself chuckling and indeed laughing at times through the whole thing.

From a historical aspect, this is one film that almost has to be in your collection. From an entertainment point of view, you are missing out on some of the best if you have not watched this at least once...although I might suggest multiple viewings, as it is one of those films that reveal more and more with each viewing.

As a side note; yes, I talked through this entire move, I always do. Fortunately for me and fortunately for my family, my only company during my last viewing consisted of my four dogs, all very good movie watchers, and they did not seem to mind my babbling...well, not much, I suppose.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

In Douglas Fairbanks's only color movie, we are treated to what is really a homage to boy's pirate novels. All of the elements are in place: the daredevil hero, the insidious villain, the amiable sidekick, the damsel in distress, saber battles, buried treasure, murder on the high seas, bloody duels on the beach, walking the plank....

The plot could have been from a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Fairbanks plays a nobleman whose father is murdered. He swears vengeance and to gain it, he infiltrates the pirate ship. Plans go awry when the lovely Billie Dove shows up. (she was cast mainly because Fairbanks liked the way she photographed in color!)

This edition features an orchestral score and a commentary on the making of the movie. I found it rather fun to see how Fairbanks worked at making his stunts perfect.

As mentioneed before, the movie is RATHER more bloody than one expects in such an old film but it is by no means as gory as most modern action movies. (I would rate the violence between a PG and a PG-13) Other than the violence, there are no objectionable scenes, it is all mainly suspense.

This was made at the height of Douglas Fairbanks's popularity and you can easily see how it influenced swashbucklers for years after. It's only a shame that the genre died out in the 50s. The certainly do not make them like they used to.