The Buccaneer (1958)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Anthony Quinn

Writers:

Harold Lamb (1938 screenplays)
C. Gardner Sullivan (1938 screenplays)

Release Date:

1 December 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

Piercing Drama of La Fitte - Man or Devil ?

Plot:

During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New...

Plot Keywords:

War Of 1812 | U.S. President | Pirate | Remake | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Yul Brynner	...	Jean Lafitte
Claire Bloom	...	Bonnie Brown
Charles Boyer	...	Dominique You
Inger Stevens	...	Annette Claiborne
Henry Hull	...	Ezra Peavey
E.G. Marshall	...	Gov. William Claiborne
Charlton Heston	...	Gen. Andrew Jackson
Lorne Greene	...	Mercier
Ted de Corsia	...	Capt. Rumbo
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Collector of the Port
Robert F. Simon	...	Capt. Brown
Sir Lancelot	...	Scipio
Fran Jeffries	...	Cariba - Mawbee Girl
John Dierkes	...	Deacon
Ken Miller	...	Young Sentry

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18880) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

New Iberia, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

There was a "Dominic Yu" in Lafitte's band of pirates, but modern research suggests "Yu" was actually an alias for Alexandre Lafitte, Jean's older brother, from whom he learned the buccaneer's trade.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) (V)

Watch the film and make up your own mind

If you're at all interested in pirates, pirate movies, New Orleans/early 19th century American history, or Yul Brynner, see this film for yourself and make up your own mind about it. Don't be put off by various lacklustre reviews. My reaction to it was that it is entertaining, well acted (for the most part), has some very witty dialogue, and that it does an excellent job of portraying the charm, appeal and legendary fascination of the privateer Jean Lafitte. While not all the events in the film are historically accurate (can you show me any historical film that succeeds in this?), I feel the film is accurate in its treatment of the role Lafitte played in New Orleans' history, and the love-hate relationship between the "respectable" citizens of New Orleans and this outlaw who was one of the city's favorite sons. Don't worry about what the film doesn't do, but watch it for what it does do, i.e., for its study of one of New Orleans', and America's, most intriguing historical figures.