The Crimson Pirate is both a parody of and a tribute to the swashbuckling films of Douglas Fairbanks Sr, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. There's plenty of silly, cartoonish action. The characters are mostly stock, however, and the spirited direction can't completely cover the weaknesses of the story.
Vallo (Burt Lancaster) is the captain of a pirate ship. Ojo (Cravat) is his silent companion. Humble Bellows (Torin Thatcher) is a troublemaking crew member. The pirates seize a heavily armed merchant vessel, capturing sneering, scheming Baron Gruda (Leslie Bradley) in the process.
Gruda saves his life by revealing his mission: to capture rebel leader El Libre (Frederick Leister), as the King has placed a heavy price on his head. Vallo plays to sell arms to El Libre, then turn him over to Gruda to collect the bounty.
Such avarice does not befit a cinematic hero, however. Vallo has a change of heart when he meets El Libre's proud but comely daughter Consuelo (Eva Bartok). He also has sympathy with the rebel cause, as naturally they suffer under a brutally repressive Royal colonial government.
For no clear reason, scientist and inventor Professor Prudence (James Hayter) has also been arrested by the foppish governor (Eliot Makeham). When rescued, he joins Vallo's cause. Prudence is a Benjamin Franklin knock-off, who invents anachronistic weapons to fight the predictably hapless Royal troops.
The Crimson Pirate is both campy and breezy, and has long had a cult following. This was a change of pace for Lancaster, whose most famous roles (From Here to Eternity, The Killers, Judgment at Nuremberg) tend to be dramatic.
Before he became an actor, Lancaster was a professional gymnast. His gymnastic skills came in handy for The Crimson Pirate, as he allegedly did all his own stunts for the film. One of his fellow gymnasts from his pre-acting days was Nick Cravat. When casting the film, Lancaster remembered Cravat, and cast him as his sidekick. Cravat had a heavy accent, however. This problem was avoided by making Cravat's character mute. The character worked: for many people, Ojo is the most enjoyable character in the film.
The Crimson Pirate was the last Hollywood film for director Robert Siodmak. He would spend the rest of his career making movies in Europe.
The story goes that Burt Lancaster was originally cast to play Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. However, his schedule was too busy, partly due to The Crimson Pirate. Brando, of course, would play the brutish Stanley instead, making his career in the process. (60/100)
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