Roman Polanski's Pirates - Intoduction

Roman Polanski’s Pirates

(1986)

Intro

My favourite Cannon Film with Barfly, Love Streams, The Assault and Runaway Train.

I’ve never understood why people disliked Pirates so much. When I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (which I liked a lot) I thought “That’s Polanski’s Pirates with CGI”. And it is just that. I believed this even more when watching the terrible follow-up films. Enough for one film (Polanski) and then an update (Depp version) but that’s it. The similarities are very many although much of that may be to do with the fact they’re both pirate films :p

Anyway, I love the film and in these few pages you can see a few images and thoughts from Walter Matthau and the team aboard Pirates! Yes, the film didn’t have an exclamation mark. Maybe that’s why it failed?

Polanski, Cannes 1986, preparing for the Pirates launch.

Here’s a comment which I entirely agree with:

I think this is the single most under-rated pirate movie of all time. I've read review after review that criticizes it, claiming it's too slow, too silly, too lacking in plot, etc, etc. Heck, one reviewer even rates it the same as that true disaster, Cutthroat Island.

So let me set the record straight - this is an absolutely gorgeous, terribly fantastic movie. The costumes are phenominal, as are the sets, the acting, and the writing. The story itself revolves around Captain Redd, a down-on-his-luck pirate adrift on a raft with his first mate, the Frog. Vulgar, crude, greedy, and scheming, Captain Redd is a walking clich? who shows us why the clich? became a clich? in the first place, capable of shouting such catchphrases as "me hearties" and "by thunder" with ease and gusto. Rescued by the Spanish Galleon, Neptune, Redd and Frog soon grow weary of the ill-treatment they're forced to endure at the hands of the ship's First Officer, Don Alfonso. A pompous peacock of a man, Don Alfonso soon suffers a humiliating defeat when Captain Redd convinces the crew to mutiny and turn to a life of piracy. Control of the ship then changes hands a few more times throughout the Caribbean as Captain Redd and Don Alfonso repeatedly butt heads and take it in turns to reseize the Neptune and, more importanly, its precious cargo of a golden Aztec throne.

And that pretty much sums it up. While it may not sound like much of a plot, it's not the journey that's important here, it's the ride. The action is wonderful, the dialogue a joy. Overflowing with wit, adventure, and daring, this isn't so much a movie as a slice in the life of two pirates, and a juicy slice at that. It ends virtually as it began, and in the middle Captain Redd and the Frog try to survive and get rich. Anything further would merely serve as clutter and detract from an absolutely fantastic pirate film.

Thanks to Bilgemunky.com

A CANNON GROUP INC PRESENTATION

A TARAK BEN AMMAR PRODUCTION

PIRATES

STARRING

WALTER MATTHAU

CRIS CAMPION

DAMIEN THOMAS

MUSIC BY

PHILIPPE SARDE

CINEMATOGRAPHY BY

WITOLD SOBOCINSKI

FILM EDITING BY

WILLIAM REYNOLDS

PRODUCTION DESIGN BY

PIERRE GUFFROY

COSTUME DESIGN BY

ANTHONY POWELL

PRODUCED BY

TARAK BEN AMMAR

MARK LOMBARDO

THOM MOUNT

WRITTEN BY

GÉRARD BRACH AND ROMAN POLANSKI

DIRECTED BY

ROMAN POLANSKI

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