The Crimson Pirate (1952)

Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings on of a revolution in the Caribbean in the late 1700s. A light hearted adventure ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writer:

Roland Kibbee

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Lancaster	...	Capt. Vallo (The Crimson Pirate)
Nick Cravat	...	Ojo
Eva Bartok	...	Consuelo
Torin Thatcher	...	Humble Bellows
James Hayter	...	Prof. Elihu Prudence
Leslie Bradley	...	Baron José 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 - Military Attaché
Ewan Roberts	...	Claw Paw
John Chandos	...	Stub Ear

Storyline

Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings on of a revolution in the Caribbean in the late 1700s. A light hearted adventure involving prison breaks, an oddball Scientist, sailing ships, naval fights, and tons of swordplay.

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Plot Keywords:

pirate | caribbean | prison | scientist | gun | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der rote Korsar

Filming Locations:

Bay of Naples, Naples, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$1,850,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hecht-Lancaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

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 (1946) and The Spiral Staircase (1945), took stock of the material in forty-eight hours and turned it into a comedy."

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Goofs

When Bertha shouts at the party, "It's the Crimson Pirate!" her voice and her mouth movements clearly don't match.

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Quotes

rebel: You killed Baron Gruda?
Vallo: If I did a thing like that, you wouldn't need the guns I want to sell you. I'm a pirate, mate, not a dog killer!

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Connections

Referenced in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

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Soundtracks

What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?
(uncredited)
Traditional sea shanty

User Reviews

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.