Pirates (1986)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach (writer)
John Brownjohn (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Pirate | Galleon | Governor | Mutiny

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Cris Campion	...	The Frog - Jean-Baptiste
Damien Thomas	...	Don Alfonso de la Torré
Olu Jacobs	...	Boomako
Ferdy Mayne	...	Captain Linares
David Kelly	...	Surgeon
Tony Peck	...	Spanish Officer (as Anthony Peck)
Anthony Dawson	...	Spanish Officer
Richard Dieux	...	Spanish Officer
Jacques Maury	...	Spanish Officer
José Santamaría	...	Master at Arms (as Jose Santamaría)
Robert Dorning	...	Commander of Marines
Luc Jamati	...	Pepito Gonzalez
Emilio Fernandez	...	Angelito (as Emilio Fernandez)
Wladyslaw Komar	...	Jesus (also as Wladislaw Komar)

Runtime:

121 min | Argentina:116 min | Sweden:118 min

Country:

France | Tunisia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:PG (original rating/video rating) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Accent Films

Trivia:

Opening film at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.

Quotes:

The Frog - Jean-Baptiste: Gold would be your ruin, Captain. It would cost ous our heads.
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red: It's easier to live without a head than without gold, you numskull!
The Frog - Jean-Baptiste: I fight for hatred of the spanish, I fight for glory not gold.
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red: Man fights for what he lacks the most!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in W klatce (1988)

Excellent dark pirate adventure/comedy

Pirate movies are few and far between. Its hard to get people to buy off on a script containing ~40 minutes of "Arrrr" and "Aye Matie".

However, Pirates is just a great fun romp through being a nasty, dirty, pirate. This is one of Walter Matthau's best roles. He literally becomes Captain Red. At no moment do you associate this man w/ any of this other roles.

Too many jokes and gags to list, but not a comedy in the traditional sense. It is an adventure first with humor thrown in.

Less of a comedy and more adventure than Yellowbeard. Darker, deeper, better, and less glitzy than Cutthroat Island. All around, a great classic pirate movie and virtually defines the genre.