Pirates (1986)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach (writer)
John Brownjohn (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

18 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Pirate | Galleon | Governor | Mutiny

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Cris Campion	...	The Frog - Jean-Baptiste
Damien Thomas	...	Don Alfonso de la Torré
Olu Jacobs	...	Boomako
Ferdy Mayne	...	Captain Linares
David Kelly	...	Surgeon
Tony Peck	...	Spanish Officer (as Anthony Peck)
Anthony Dawson	...	Spanish Officer
Richard Dieux	...	Spanish Officer
Jacques Maury	...	Spanish Officer
José Santamaría	...	Master at Arms (as Jose Santamaría)
Robert Dorning	...	Commander of Marines
Luc Jamati	...	Pepito Gonzalez
Emilio Fernandez	...	Angelito (as Emilio Fernandez)
Wladyslaw Komar	...	Jesus (also as Wladislaw Komar)
Georges Trillat	...	Pockmarked Sailor
Richard Pearson	...	Padre
Charlotte Lewis	...	María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde
Georges Montillier	...	Duenna
John Gill	...	Carpenter
David Foxxe	...	Cook
Brian Maxine	...	Boatswain
Raouf Ben Amor	...	Armoury Guard
Eugeniusz Priwieziencew	...	Hunchback
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Moonhead
Ian Dury	...	Meat Hook
Bill Stewart	...	Ginge
Sydney Bromley	...	Diddler
Cardew Robinson	...	Lawyer
Roy Kinnear	...	Dutch
Daniel Emilfork	...	Hendrik
Carole Fredericks	...	Surprise
Allen Hoist	...	Fiddler
Denis Fontayne	...	Sailor
Michael Elphick	...	Sentry
Angelo Casadei	...	Sentry
Bill Fraser	...	Governor
Antonio Spoletini	...	Palace Guard
Bill MacCabe	...	Jailer
Smilja Mihailovitch	...	New Duenna
Bernard Musson	...	Passenger
Josine Comellas	...	Passengers Wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gina Calabrese	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Roman Polanski

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gérard Brach		writer (as Gerard Brach)
John Brownjohn		screenplay collaboration
Roman Polanski		writer

Produced by
Tarak Ben Ammar	....	producer
Mark Lombardo	....	co-executive producer
Thom Mount	....	executive producer
Umberto Sambuco	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Philippe Sarde

Cinematography by
Witold Sobocinski

Film Editing by
Hervé de Luze
William Reynolds

Casting by
Dominique Besnehard
Mary Selway
Maude Spector

Production Design by
Pierre Guffroy

Set Decoration by
Bruno Cesari		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Anthony Powell

Makeup Department
Jean-Pierre Eychenne	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Pino Butti	....	production manager (uncredited)
Vittorio Noia	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Lvoff	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Taieb Jallouli	....	set dresser: Tunisia (uncredited)
Domenico Mancino	....	blacksmith (uncredited)
Miki Zachar	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jean-Pierre Ruh	....	sound
Ray Gillon	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (uncredited)
Laurent Quaglio	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Laurent Quaglio	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Antonio Corridori	....	special effects (uncredited)
Franco Ragusa	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Frederic Moreau	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Ryszard Janikowski	....	stunts
Richard Graydon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Zbigniew Modej	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jürgen Vollmer	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Billy Byers	....	conductor (as Bill Byers)
William Flageollet	....	music recording mixer
Orchestre de Paris	....	orchestra

Other crew
William Hobbs	....	fight stager
Albert Galea	....	location manager: Malta (uncredited)
Franco Penna	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Roberto Penna	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Lonnie Ramati	....	production business affairs (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Carthago Films S.a.r.l. (as Carthago Films Paris)
• Accent Films (as Accent-Cominco)
• Cominco (as Accent-Cominco)

Distributors

• Cannon Film Distributors (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• TF1 Vidéo (2009) (France) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Finnkino (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (1986) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1986) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Avid Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (1987) (West Germany) (VHS)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1987) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• VTI Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Studio Philippe Sarde  music recording studio

Runtime:

121 min | Argentina:116 min | Sweden:118 min

Country:

France | Tunisia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:PG (original rating/video rating) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Carthago Films S.a.r.l.

Trivia:

As of 2002 the ship "Neptune" from the movie is anchored in the harbor of the Italian city of Genoa (near the "Molo Vecchio"). It has been made a museum and can be visited.

Quotes:

Padre: Confess your sins, my son, and receive forgiveness before the Almighty.
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red: Well, Padre. I once had a mind to eat the Frog.
Padre: God placed the beasts upon the Earth for man's sustenance, my son. Come now; what else besides?
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red: Beggin' your pardon, but that's the Frog standing alongside.
[Nods toward his French shipmate]
Padre: Well, now. That is another matter entirely...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in W klatce (1988)

Apparently savaged, for inexplicable reasons, by critics who should know better

This enjoyably foolish romp was apparently a flop, and mauled by the critics. Why? Good question. I speculate three reasons: lack of an obviously American lead and presence, an opening set-up that pays off in the long run but doesn't provide a beginning with a bang, and an anarchic, politically incorrect, almost amoral tone that was not digestible to Disneyfied mainstream audiences. These, and the length of the piece, would have been strengths if this had been released as a children's book, and I further speculate that it would have been well received in such a format, as a homage to old stories like Treasure Island. It could then have been adapted into a hit movie (with more explosions and an ethically impeccable American hero who does get the girl in the end).

As it is, there is much to admire, delight and entertain, with legitimate criticisms being some of the dodgy casting and (lack of)linguistics (especially as regards the Spanish characters) - Walther Matthau's gloriously over-the-top performance honourably excepted - some lapses of logic in the plot (why doesn't the Frog just swim after the rowboat and bring it back when they get stuck on the chain?), and the fact that it is slightly too long.

Ripe for a sequel, if, like me, you ever wondered what happened to Cap'n Red and his beloved throne, and The Frog and his beloved Dolores.