The Crimson Pirate (1952)

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writer:

Roland Kibbee (written by)

Release Date:

27 September 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

MAN OF NINE LIVES AND 1000 SURPRISES! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings...

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Pirate | Caribbean | Rum | Man Disguised As Woman

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Capt. Vallo (The Crimson Pirate)
Nick Cravat	...	Ojo
Eva Bartok	...	Consuelo
Torin Thatcher	...	Humble Bellows
James Hayter	...	Prof. Prudence
Leslie Bradley	...	Baron Jose Gruda
Margot Grahame	...	Bianca
Noel Purcell	...	Pablo Murphy
Frederick Leister	...	Sebastian
Eliot Makeham	...	Governor
Frank Pettingell	...	Colonel
Dana Wynter	...	La Signorita (as Dagmar Wynter)
Christopher Lee	...	Joseph (attache)
Ewan Roberts	...	Claw Paw
John Chandos	...	Stub Ear

Also Known As:

Der rote Korsar (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Le corsaire rouge (Belgium: French title) (TV title) (France) [fr]
De rode zeeschuimer (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Den knaldrøde pirat (Denmark) [da]
El pirata hidalgo (Chile) [es]
El temible burlón (Spain) [es]
Ha-Pirat Ha-Adom (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Il corsaro dell'isola verde (Italy) [it]
Karmiininpunainen merirosvo (Finland) [fi]
Le pirate rouge (France) [fr]
O Pirata Sangrento (Brazil) [pt]
O Pirata Vermelho (Portugal) [pt]
O kokkinos koursaros (Greece) [el]
Röde piraten (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #15427) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Bay of Naples, Naples, Campania, Italy

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In his autobiography, Christopher Lee claimed that Robert Siodmak changed the original screenplay: "The script started life as serious, nay solemn, but Robert Siodmak, the director, with all the sure touch of real tension behind him in The Killers and The Spiral Staircase, took stock of the material in forty-eight hours and turned it into a comedy."

Goofs:

Continuity: In several scenes throughout the film, Burt Lancaster's tan appears and disappears, varying between those shots filmed on location in the Mediterranean and ones later filmed in the studio in Britain.

Quotes:

Humble Bellows: There goes a good pirate, Stub Ear, to sell his wares like a fish peddler. Meaning no disrespect to the skipper, of course.
Stub Ear: And us, with a price on our heads, hove to in one of His Majesty's ports like sitting ducks.
Poison Paul: But if the skipper pulls us through again, we'll be the ducks what laid the golden eggs.
Humble Bellows: Ye be thinking of geese, if you'll pardon the correction, Poison Paul. Geese... on a wild goose chase.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Heavy Traffic (1973)

This movie is pure happiness, for kids and adults

"The Crimson Pirate" is pure happiness, for kids and adults. Everything contributes to the mirth of the audience: the bright colors of the beautiful, careful photography, the frenetic, pyrotechnic action, the outstanding acrobatic performances by Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat, the humour of the dialogues and also (why not?) the loveliness and charm of Eva Bartok and of the other supporting actresses. A common question asked by parents seeing this movie with their children: What character did you like best? The unanimous answer by the kids will be: Ojo! In fact, Ojo (Nick Cravat) can deservedly compete for the title of the nicest character in movie history. And the great actor-legend Burt Lancaster (captain Vallo) is just perfect in his smiling auto-irony. By the way, when I happen to see again the video of "The Crimson Pirate" (my daughters know it nearly by heart), I am always stunned by how beautifully this movie is made. Certainly it is a major work, somewhat hidden behind its extreme fun. A final remark: the director of this masterpiece of comic and adventure is Robert Siodmak, a former great specialist of dark thrillers and noirs ("The Spiral Staircase" "The Killers"). This gives an idea of how deeply talented the old Hollywood masters were.