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14 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Be a clown!, 10 June 2006 Author: jotix100 from New York
They certainly don't make movies like this one anymore! "The Pirate" shows how MGM dominated the musical genre with stars of the magnitude of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland under Vincente Minnelli's direction, and music by Cole Porter.The story is just a pretext to present the stars doing what they did best. The film is totally dominated by Gene Kelly, who makes a wonderful contribution to the film as Serafin, an itinerant entertainer who happens to be in Calvados, the Caribbean, a fictional island where the beautiful Manuela is about to get married to a powerful man, Don Pedro Vargas.After being pursued by Serafin, Manuela's resolve to marry the much older, fatter, and uglier, Don Pedro, is reduced to seeing the would be husband by what he really is, a bully and a man who she will never bring herself to love. The revelations at the end and the happy conclusion gives the film a great finale.Gene Kelly and Judy Garland were at the peak of their careers. Ms. Garland looks so beautiful in the film and she makes an adorable Manuela. Mr. Kelly gives an excellent performance as the song and dance man who can put people in a trance as he hypnotizes them. The musical numbers in which Mr. Kelly dances are superbly staged.The supporting players are a delight. Gladys Cooper, makes a great Aunt Inez. Walter Slezak is perfect as Don Pedro, a man who hides deeply rooted secrets. Reginald Owen and George Zucco are also seen. Best of all are the Nicholas Brothers who were amazing in their number.The glorious Technicolor utilized in the film has kept its luster as it has aged gloriously.
13 out of 14 people found the following review useful: The Loveliness of the MGM Sound Stage, 10 February 2002 Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com
SEE THE LOVELINESS OF THE CARIBBEAN trumpets the trailer for this movie - a little misleading as the entire movie is clearly set-bound. Having said that, THE PIRATE is a typically colourful and exuberant MGM musical from a time when MGM were undisputed masters of the genre.It's surprising, therefore, to learn that this movie actually made a loss upon it's release, recouping only about two-thirds of it's budget. While it isn't the most memorable of musicals, the quality of THE PIRATE's numbers and performances is certainly good enough to have deserved better commercial success.Gene Kelly, at his peak, is an awesome spectacle: graceful and agile, he bounds around the screen, upstaging all others, relentlessly striking poses designed to accentuate the strength and definition of his form. In contrast, Judy Garland, while delivering a creditable performance and belting out her numbers with gusto, looks small and frail. Kelly's powerful physique emphasises Garland's fragility, slightly undermining the undeniable chemistry between the pair.The story is the usual fluff designed to link the musical set-pieces and, by that measure, serves it's purpose well. Slezak turns in an enjoyable performance as a sleazy mayor with designs on Garland, and Gladys Cooper is as reliable as ever as Garland's elderly aunt.
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Unusual and endearing swashbuckler, 28 March 2001 Author: hilamonster from United States
This film is an exciting offshoot of the old swashbucklers (with song and dance to boot). Consequently it has the adventurous, romantic elements of the old films as well as hilarious parodies of them. Garland sparkles -- she is spellbinding in the number Mack the Black. Kelly is in his prime and complements her beautifully, especially in the (rather one-sided) fight scene. Both Garland and Kelly grow out of their protagonist boundaries into character acting. Excellent dance numbers, especially Be A Clown with Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A classic I never tire of watching., 9 February 2000 Author: jjewler1 from Columbia, South Carolina
I was a kid when I first saw "The Pirate." So I missed many of the nuances in this incredibly glorious farce. Garland and Kelly have never been funnier. Though the songs are few, the production numbers are astounding. Garland, of course, sounds incredible and Kelly does at least three long dance numbers that make for wonderful watching. Viewers must remember that the whole movie is a put-on to some degree, and the stars put it over marvelously. Great support, too, from Walter Slezak and Gladys Cooper. This is one of those films that validate the phrase "glorious technicolor." It also adds lustre to the memory of the golden age of MGM musicals.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: What a pair of comedians!, 2 August 1999 Author: wolfie-8 from Japan
Judy Garland may never have been so funny again (or had such a wonderfully over-the-top script to work with) as in "The Pirate." Her best scene by far comes toward the end, when she discovers that Gene Kelly is not the dashing pirate he's pretending to be. At first, she makes a great show of passion toward her "dream lover," but her temper soon snaps and Kelly is dodging everything from vases to chairs.Kelly is also marvelous, both in his dancing and his comic delivery, which meshes perfectly with Garland's. My personal favorite: "Oh senorita, don't marry that pumpkin."Not to be missed!
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: A pirate's treasure of a film...highly enjoyable..., 13 April 2001 Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.
Vincent Minnelli makes sumptuous use of color, costumes and settings in this lush MGM musical teaming Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in their prime. The score may not be one of Cole Porter's best (in fact, Garland expressed her open dislike to the composer for some of her numbers), but just watch her do magic with 'Mack the Black' and 'Love of My Life'. To be honest, it's really Kelly's movie. Garland was having problems at the time and Minnelli decided to give him ample opportunity with additional dance numbers excluding Garland. However, their teaming in 'Be A Clown' is a joyous one, each trying to upstage the other in full exhuberance. And the Nicholas Brothers are worth the price of admission for their climactic routine with Kelly. Gladys Cooper, as always, is a joy in a supporting role as Garland's stern aunt--but it's the comic flair of Kelly that distinguishes much of the fun. Walter Slezak has fun too with his role as the mayor who just happens to be the real Mack the Black. A colorful treat with some of the best color photography ever! Some of the fights between Kelly and Garland get a little strident at times, but overall it's a real gem with Judy showing that her comic timing with a line was just about perfect.
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: The Pirate, 2 July 2006 Author: Larkrise from Ireland
When i first saw this movie as a kid i absolutely loved it i own it now on video and it gets better with each viewing, the chemistry between Judy Garland and Gene Kelly is electrifying the pirate dance sequence is excellent along with the Mack the Black number, on some reviews people kept commenting about the paleness of the character as it being set in the Caribbean, well since it was made in the 1940's it was common to place white actors in such roles Jeanne Crain in Pinky. If people can look beyond this they would see a truly original film taking a poke at swashbuckling films of that period. I gave a 10 because i truly believe this film should be up there along with Meet me in St, Louis and Singing in the Rain. I hope they bring this out on DVD soon with lots of extras as my video is warring with over use.
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: A Calculated Risk from MGM and Vincente Minnelli..., 1 December 2005 Author: Isaac5855 from United States
THE PIRATE was a definite departure from the typical fare MGM was churning out during the 40's and 50's and audiences let MGM know immediately that this was not the kind of thing they were accustomed to because, for the most part, audiences stayed away in droves, and sadly, missed one of the most colorful and imaginative offerings to come from the MGM stable. THE PIRATE was the second of three films that Judy Garland and Gene Kelly appeared in together. Judy delivers a smart comic performance as Manuela, a Spanish princess engaged to a rich and sleazy nobleman (Walter Slezak)though at night she dreams of being with an enigmatic pirate she has heard tales of called Macoco or Mack the Black. Manuela meets Serafin (Gene Kelly) an actor in a traveling troupe and mistakes him for Macoco and it is this bit of mistaken identity upon which the thin plot thread resolves. Vincente Minnelli once again shows his penchant and eye for color with some outstanding scenery and art direction, as well as some state of the art special effects for 1948. Despite looking frail, Garland delivers an on target comic performance as Manuela and her voice, in fine form as usual, resonates on the rousing "Mack the Black" and is equally compelling on the beautiful ballad "Love of My Life". Gene Kelly is at the peak of his on screen charm and physical and dancing prowess as the witty Serafin and makes the Pirate Ballet fantasy a must see for musical fans and it goes without saying that his duet with Garland, "Be a Clown" is a classic. Kelly also does an amazing dance number with the Nicholas Brothers. Vincente Minnelli's magical eye, the voice of Garland, the charisma of Kelly, and Cole Porter music...what else do you need?
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Excellent musical, very different to most others, 12 July 2004 Author: social_science_14 from russia
The first 20mins of this movie are a bit slow but once Judy launches into 'Mack The Black' it takes off at an incredible speed. Garland and Kelly are wonderful with their tongue-in-cheek characters,especially funny is the scene where they have a huge row, judy throwing things at gene.I find it a bit hard to believe that judy is this Spanish/Caribbean woman, could they not have used a little self tan? Most of the numbers are excellent although Minnelli gets a little self indulgent with his style at times.This is enjoyable as it is rather satirical and doesn't contain any corny well used plots like many musicals of the time, however this is not as good as judy and gene's first outing 'for me and my gal'.It's a pity the first take of 'voodoo' isn't available, the one that made LB Mayer burn the film and gave gene a massive lecture on how to behave whilst dancing, it probably wouldn't be so shocking today.Not as good as classics such as 'meet me in st louis' and 'singin in the rain' but still ***** 5 stars.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Be A Clown, Be A Pirate, Be A Clown, 1 April 2009 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
Gene Kelly and Judy Garland stepped into some mighty big shoes when they accepted the lead roles in The Pirate. On Broadway, The Pirate ran in the 1942-43 season for 177 performances and the shoes that Kelly and Garland were filling belonged to Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne. True it's probably one of the lighter vehicles that Lunt and Fontanne ever did, still it might have been interesting to compare what they did with the snappy dialog of S.N. Behrmann.Cole Porter signed on to write the score for this musical adaption of The Pirate. Porter had been in a creative dry spell for a few years, most notoriously he was associated with a flop musical based on Around The World In 80 Days, a couple of years back. Believe it or not, he was having trouble getting work in Hollywood and on Broadway when he signed with MGM for The Pirate.According to the George Eells biography of Porter, it was Gene Kelly who asked Porter to write a clown number for him and Judy Garland. Porter responded with Be A Clown which turned out to be the hit of the film. The rest of the score is not top drawer Porter, but mediocre Cole Porter is better than most songwriters can come up with.Judy Garland plays another starry eyed youngster in The Pirate which is set in the 18th century Caribbean. She's first seen reading what would later be called a dime novel about the legendary Makoko the Pirate. She's getting into an arranged marriage with the mayor of the town, staid and settled Walter Slezak. When a troupe of strolling players led by Gene Kelly come to town, under hypnosis she reveals that she longs to be the bride of Makoko. What's Gene Kelly to do, but pretend to be Makoko.That's all well and good except that Walter Slezak is the real Makoko now just trying to live in peaceful obscurity away from the authorities who want to hang him. All this leads to some interesting complications that of course get all sorted out in the end.Judy gets to do two ballads in her unmistakable style, Love Of My Life and You Can Do No Wrong. And she stars in a rousing production number where the proclaims her enchantment with the legendary Makoko in Mack The Black. The film got a tepid response in 1948, it's given far better critical notice in retrospect. The Pirate was produced by MGM's legendary Arthur Freed and his unit and directed stylishly by Vincent Minnelli who was Judy Garland's husband at the time. Today's audiences would far better appreciate the combined wit of S.N. Behrmann and Cole Porter.As for Porter, his next writing assignment would stop all talk of his going into decline. The following year Kiss Me Kate debuted on Broadway which was Porter's biggest critical and commercial success. No one ever said that score wasn't up to his usual standard.
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