The Pirate Movie (1982)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Ken Annakin

Writers:

William S. Gilbert (operetta)
Trevor Farrant (written by)

Release Date:

6 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Musical | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Buckle Your Swash and Jolly Your Roger for the Funniest Rock 'N Rollickin' Adventure Ever!

Plot:

The crew of a large ship sail the high seas encountering other pirates from other ships. The boy from...

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Ship | Parody | Sword | Sea

Awards:

3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Kristy McNichol	...	Mabel
Christopher Atkins	...	Frederic
Ted Hamilton	...	Pirate King
Bill Kerr	...	Major General
Maggie Kirkpatrick	...	Ruth
Garry McDonald	...	Sergeant / Inspector
Chuck McKinney	...	Samuel
Marc Colombani	...	Dwarf Pirate
Linda Nagle	...	Aphrodite
Kate Ferguson	...	Edith
Rhonda Burchmore	...	Kate
Cathrine Lynch	...	Isabel
John Alansu	...	Chinese Captain (as John Allansu)
Paul Graham	...	Pirate
Bernard Ledger	...	Pirate
Nic Gazzana	...	Pirate
Richard Boué	...	Pirate
Chris Hession	...	Pirate
Stephen Fyfield	...	Pirate
Kjell Nilsson	...	Pirate
Peter Pantellic	...	Pirate
Tony Deary	...	Pirate
Harry Morris	...	Pirate
Roy Dudley	...	Pirate
Roger Ward	...	Pirate
Gene Del'Mace	...	Pirate
Ian Mortimer	...	Pirate
George Novak	...	Pirate
George Zakaria	...	Pirate
Kurt von Schneider	...	Pirate (as Kurt Schneider)
Zev Eleftheriou	...	Pirate (as Zev Eletheriou)
Edward Brodsky-Schuster	...	Pirate
Pamela Jones	...	Sister
Kerryn Henderson	...	Sister
Margot Knight	...	Sister
Marie T. Ploski	...	Sister (as Marie T Ploski)
Anna Logan	...	Sister
Aleeta Northey	...	Sister
Gai O'Meley	...	Sister
Cheryl Heazlewood	...	Sister
Stephen Leeder	...	Policeman
Clayton Mitchell	...	Policeman
Iain Murton	...	Policeman
Colin Setches	...	Policeman
Bruno Annetta	...	Policeman
William Binks	...	Policeman
Peter Braendler	...	Policeman
Phil Brock	...	Policeman
Bill Handley	...	Policeman
Peter Hosking	...	Policeman
Michael Lake	...	Policeman (as Michael 'Wally' Lake)
Stephen Clark	...	Policeman
Paul Fyfield	...	Policeman
Frank Howson	...	Policeman
Tim Hughes	...	Policeman
William Kerr	...	Policeman
Des McKenna	...	Policeman
John Mesarov	...	Policeman
Kevin Summers	...	Policeman
Glenn Ruehland	...	Policeman
Andris Toppe	...	Policeman
David Swann	...	Policeman
John O'Connell	...	Policeman
Chris Peters	...	Policeman
Clive Hearne	...	Butler
Ben Joseph	...	Servant Boy
Miles Peters	...	Indian Servant
Gary Felsinger	...	Indian Servant
Ransley Mascurine	...	Indian Servant
Sami Kfouri	...	Indian Servant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Copping	...	McDonald's Customer (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Annakin

Writing credits
William S. Gilbert		(operetta The Pirates of Penzance)
Trevor Farrant		(written by)

Produced by
David Anderson	....	associate producer
Ted Hamilton	....	executive producer
David Joseph	....	producer

Original Music by
Mike Brady
Peter Sullivan

Non-Original Music by
Arthur Sullivan		(from operetta "The Pirates of Penzance")

Cinematography by
Robin Copping

Film Editing by
Ken Zemke		(as Kenneth W. Zemke)

Production Design by
Tony Woollard

Art Direction by
Nick Hepworth

Costume Design by
Aphrodite Kondos

Makeup Department
Lisa Reeves-Easton	....	hair designer

Production Management
Tom Binns	....	production supervisor
Richard Davis	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Murray Francis	....	third assistant director
Andrew W. Morse	....	second assistant director
Murray Newey	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jill Eden	....	set dresser
Philip Worth	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Paul Clark	....	sound recordist
Chris Goldsmith	....	boom operator
Terry Rodman	....	sound editor
Hugh Waddell	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
John Eggett	....	special effects supervisor
R.J. Hohman	....	special effects coordinator
Conrad Rothmann	....	special effects

Stunts
Chris Anderson	....	stunt double: Frederic
Fiona McConchie	....	stunt double: Mabel
Grant Page	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Bilcock	....	camera operator: second unit
David Burr	....	camera operator
Jamie Leckie	....	assistant grip
Peter Moloney	....	best boy
Ian Park	....	key grip
Ben Seresin	....	clapper loader
Sorby Stewart	....	gaffer
Dick Tummel	....	grip
Stuart Wood	....	focus puller: second unit

Animation Department
Maggie Geddes	....	animator

Editorial Department
Denise Hunter	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Gethin Creagh	....	music re-recording mixer
Frank Strangio	....	orchestrator
Peter Sullivan	....	conductor
Peter Sullivan	....	music supervisor

Other crew
John Baird	....	horse master
Fran Burke	....	title designer
Phillip Corr	....	location manager
John Fethers	....	sword master
Ian Goddard	....	location manager
Bill Gooley	....	laboratory liaison
Jenny Quigley	....	continuity
Helen Watts	....	location manager
Renate Wilson	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Joseph Hamilton International Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1986) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Court Wizard Special Effects

Runtime:

105 min | USA:98 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1986) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Joseph Hamilton International Productions

Trivia:

Ken Annakin was not the first choice for directing, but was brought in after production had already begun.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film begins with Frederic celebrating his 21st birthday, later dating his actual birthday as February 29, 1856, which would make the present year 1877. However, Mabel later remarks that they were living in the 1880s.

Quotes:

The Pirate King: Away to the ship and hoist up that chain doodad!
Samuel: Anchor, sir?
The Pirate King: No, Sam. Just disappointment.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Dead End (1985)

Soundtrack:

Stand Up and Sing

Wacky version of G&S operetta

Cuties Chris Atkins and Kristy McNichol, he of the blonde curls and she of the blonde curls, star in this wacky version of the old chestnut, Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert & Sullivan.

Atkins plays Frederic the boy pirate who falls for McNichol's Mabel. He was 21 at the time, two years after starring in Blue Lagoon, yet he retained the perennial look of a fifteen year old teenager. McNichol was a famous star at the time, but this is her first role as a femme fatale, not as a tomboy.

This movie could be a musical version of Blue Lagoon. See Atkins and McNichol cavorting in the skimpiest of costumes designed to show their pretty legs and other bits. Surprise, both of these two cuties can sing, and even dance a bit!

The story is too well know to bear repeating. But there are a couple of wacky twists, in the best tradition of the British music halls. Except this movie is an Australian production!

Of course we get the model of the modern major-general (Bill Kerr) with his famous solo song. But we also get a light sabre from Star Wars. We get Inspector Closeau from Pink Panther with a hilarious word play on "pirate" and "parrot". We get a bit of Indiana Jones. And the stars make those asides which are British music hall tradition, stopping in mid-scene to address the audience.

There's lots of double entendre jokes, again another British music hall tradition, where simple words are used with a possible vulgar or sexual meaning. See Frederic at the mercy of the pirate's sword say "nuts". To which the pirate points his sword at Frederic's boy treasures and says "But you'd still have one left".

A jolly good movie. One for a cold winter's evening to warm the heart. Even the old Victorians would approve of this one.