Robert Newton's over the top performance as Blackbeard
"Blackbeard the Pirate" was one of the films that really freaked me out as a kid. This is not because this 1952 film is anywhere near a great film but because of the way that Blackbeard (Robert Newton) meets his fate at the end. That might be the first genuinely scary thing I ever saw in a movie on a Saturday afternoon (after the transformation of Elvira Gulch into the Wicked Witch of the West). You would expect more from director Raoul Walsh ("Captain Horatio Hornblower," "They Died With Their Boots On," "High Sierra," "Battle Cry") but this film is subverted by the over the top, eye rolling, leering performance by Newton. Come up with the most extreme seafaring pirate accent you can come up with ("Aarrr") and you will still fall short of what Newton uses in "Blackbeard the Pirate" (and that includes Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"). The only thing that makes Newton's performance look okay is that of William Bendix, who plays first mate Ben Worley and is so miscast in the role that it makes his infamous performance in the titel role of "The Babe Ruth Story" look better in comparison.
Linda Darnell has little to do besides looking good as damsel in distress Edwina Mansfield, the comely captive with whom the 17th century buccaneer falls in love. Yes, yes, that is indeed Irene "Granny" Ryan as Alvina, the lady in waiting. Torin Thatcher (great name) is Sir Henry Morgan, the former pirate who is set by the King of England to hunt down Blackbeard. Just to make things interesting, Edwina turns out to be Morgan's daughter. But she likes Edward Maynard (Keith Andes), a honest lad who ends up as the ship's surgeon on Blackbeard's pirate vessel. By the standards of the time this is a pretty bloody little film, and you can certainly argue that Blackbeard gets his just deserts (shudder), but time and time again Newton's performance turns this into too much of a cartoon; even if the end of this film still freaks me out.
Blackbeard sails once again!!!.....the DVD
I have this movie recorded on tape, but I just now stumbled on the DVD on Amazon. This movie nearly outranks Treasure Island which is also one of my favorites. Robert Newton, fresh from his role of Long John Silver in Treasure Island, does a surperb job in the role of Blackbeard, the most feared of all pirates. William Bendix adds comic relief as Blackbeard's First Mate Mordey. Linda Darnell does really good in her role as Edwina Mansfield, and I forgot who did the role of Robert Maynard, but he does a good job in the role, and last, but not least, whoever does the role of Sir Henry Morgan, does a excellent job of it. I saw this movie on DVD, and I may purchase it off Amazon. If you didn't see this movie, you don't know what you're missing. I recemend this movie to everyone who loves pirate movies. Glad it's on DVD. Thanks Amazon.
Robert Newton's over the top performance as Blackbeard
"Blackbeard the Pirate" was one of the films that really freaked me out as a kid. This is not because this 1952 film is anywhere near a great film but because of the way that Blackbeard (Robert Newton) meets his fate at the end. That might be the first genuinely scary thing I ever saw in a film on a Saturday afternoon (after the transformation of Elvira Gulch into the Wicked Witch of the West). You would expect more from director Raoul Walsh ("Captain Horatio Hornblower," "They Died With Their Boots On," "High Sierra," "Battle Cry") but this film is subverted by the over the top, eye rolling, leering performance by Newton. Come up with the most extreme seafaring pirate accent you can come up with ("Aarrr") and you will still fall short of what Newton uses in "Blackbeard the Pirate." The only thing that makes Newton's performance look okay is that of William Bendix, who plays first mate Ben Worley and is so miscast in the role that it makes his performance in "The Babe Ruth Story" look better in comparison.
Linda Darnell has little to do besides looking good as damsel in distress Edwina Mansfield, the comely captive with whom the 17th century buccaneer falls in love. Yes, yes, that is indeed Irene "Granny" Ryan as Alvina, the lady in waiting. Torin Thatcher (great name) is Sir Henry Morgan, the former pirate who is set by the King of England to hunt down Blackbeard. Just to make things interesting, Edwina turns out to be Morgan's daughter. But she likes Edward Maynard (Keith Andes), a honest lad who ends up as the ship's surgeon on Blackbeard's pirate vessel. By the standards of the time this is a pretty bloody little film, and you can certainly argue that Blackbeard gets his just deserts (shudder), but time and time again Newton's performance turns this into too much of a cartoon; even if the end of this film still freaks me out.
I love a good swashbuckler classic, & you get a pretty good collection here for a very low price. Captain Kidd stars Charles Laughton in another great villanous role, & Randolph Scott, who was 46 at the time(!), as the man determined to bring him to justice. Considering it was made in 1945, the picture quality is pretty good. This is a fun classic for swashbuckler fans. The Son of Monte Cristo is definitely one of the corniest movies I've ever seen! Most of the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious, but it was very entertaining & makes the perfect movie for a rainy night! It stars Louis Hayward, George Sanders, Joan Bennett (who was in several great film noirs), & Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger!). Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island is the fun sequal to Treasure Island, & Robert... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Rowland V. Lee DVD Release Date: Released the 28 January 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Released well after Douglas Fairbanks's and Errol Flynn's heydays, this good-natured Burt Lancaster vehicle is, nevertheless, a superior example of the classic swashbuckler: set in the 16th century, along the Spanish Main, this lusty adventure both expands on and explodes genre conventions. Lancaster, a circus acrobat before turning to movies in the '40s, gives what may be his most physical performance as sword-for-hire Captain Vallo, a.k.a. the Crimson Pirate.
Nick Cravat, Lancaster's real-life circus buddy, matches the star leap for leap, somersault for somersault as Vallo's mute sidekick. The fetching Eva Bartok causes Vallo to throw over the Spanish for rebel forces, and a young Christopher Lee demonstrates the swordsmanship that would later make him a natural in Richard Lester's... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Burt Lancaster Director(s): Robert Siodmak DVD Release Date: Released the 01 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"Pirates of Tortuga" is a low-budget swashbuckling flick, released in 1961. It is not particularly memorable, but can provide some good fun as long as the viewer doesn't think too much about classic pirate movies with the likes of Errol Flynn, Burt Lancaster or Tyrone Power. It would also be unfair to compare it to last year's big-budget smash, "Pirates of the Caribbean".
The plot is simple. Captain Bart and his crew have just docked their ship in London harbour after a long voyage. However, British Admiralty has an urgent assignment for our hero. He is asked to deal with the notorious pirate, Henry Morgan, who is terrorizing the Caribbean Sea, blocking sea-lanes and plundering ships. Recruiting some old ship-mates, our hero sets sail with his crew. To complicate matters--and add some... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert D. Webb DVD Release Date: Released the 20 April 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Strap on your pantaloons and prepare to travel with Jim Hawkins and Blind Pew to one of the most famous fictional islands in history. Walt Disney's 1950 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling masterpiece has held up extremely well, with action and characterizations that feel freshly minted (although it's unlikely that the Mouse of today would sanction the high level of booze flowing throughout the picture). Great fun, with nary a wasted frame and, in the character of Robert Newton's much-imitated Long John, one of cinema's most boisterously crowd-pleasing villains ever. (Proving that you can't keep a good--er, bad man down, Newton would return with director Byron Haskins for the enjoyable sequel, Long John Silver.) Watching this classic is like having a flashback to... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Bobby Driscoll - Robert Newton - Basil Sydney Director(s): Byron Haskin DVD Release Date: Released the 29 April 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Practically a nonstop brawl between pirates and anybody who gets in their path, this lighthearted, high-energy 1976 movie set in 18th century Jamaica is short on an actual story but thick with stunts and swordplay. Robert Shaw stars as the bawdy, swaggering pirate Red Nel Lynch, whose lusty crew of thieves comes to the aid of Lynch's right-hand man and close pal (James Earl Jones), then helps a beleaguered noblewoman (Genevieve Bujold) whose father and property have been seized by a local tyrant (Peter Boyle). Plot details are pretty much relegated to filling in the spaces between rollicking scenes of flying fists and gleaming blades, and a sort-of love story between Shaw and Bujold never gets the chance to go anywhere for all the orchestrated scuffling. Boyle's performance as a Basil... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robert Shaw - James Earl Jones Director(s): James Goldstone DVD Release Date: Released the 05 January 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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