The Black Pirate (1926)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Albert Parker

Writers:

Douglas Fairbanks (story)
Jack Cunningham (adaptation)

Release Date:

8 March 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Action

Plot:

Seeking revenge, an athletic young man joins the pirate band responsible for his father's death.

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Revenge | Good Versus Evil | Sabotage | Sundial

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Douglas Fairbanks	...	The Duke of Arnoldo aka The Black Pirate
Billie Dove	...	Princess Isobel
Anders Randolf	...	Pirate Captain
Donald Crisp	...	MacTavish
Tempe Pigott	...	Duenna
Sam De Grasse	...	Pirate Lieutenant
Charles Stevens	...	Powder man
Charles Belcher	...	Chief passenger (Nobleman)
E.J. Ratcliffe	...	The Governor

Also Known As:

The Black Buccaneer

Runtime:

88 min | USA:94 min (restored version)

Country:

USA

Color:

Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Elton Corporation

Trivia:

The double-thick Technicolor prints (two strips of dyed film, cemented together) presented numerous screening problems for untrained projectionists. If screened improperly, they would warp, scratch, etc. and due to the expense of printing in Technicolor at this time (since there were no optical printers, or any easier way of printing such technology in those days) forced the Fairbanks studio to issue a black-and-white version as well.

Goofs:

Continuity: At about 31 minutes into the film, there are several shots of the "Black Pirate" aiming two swivel cannons at the viewer, interspersed with reaction shots of other actors. The first shot shows him in front of a whitish background (eg an overcast sky), the second such shot (a few seconds later) has a pitch black background. All such shots after that have the white background.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Terror Night (1987)

Everything you want in a pirate movie...

I knew little of this film before watching it, but am glad I found it. It's an excellent early film about a group of cutthroats. The thing that surprised me the most was that it was in color. It was filmed using the experimental two-color technicolor process. After watching the "Making of", apparently Douglas fairbanks was a real pioneer in that area and did much research on color film. This was my first Fairbanks film and I was quite impressed with not only his screen presence, but his ability to do impressive stuntwork, including the infamous sliding down a sail on a knife. This film had all the requirements of a pirate movie... Swordplay, torture, murder, robbery, kidnapping, romance, and even walking the plank. As well as the infamous quote, "Dead men tell no tales!". It had a decent score by Mortimer Wilson that was mostly fitting. One scene I found amusing, was when the pirates drew lots for the monkey. If you're a fan of pirate movies, this is a must see. I found it quite enjoyable.

*** (out of 4)