IMDb > Pirates (1986)
Pirates
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Pirates (1986) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

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Director:
Roman Polanski
Writers:
John Brownjohn (screenplay)
Gérard Brach (written by) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Pirates on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 July 1986 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Adventure | Comedy | Family See more »
Plot:
Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor... See more » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination See more »
NewsDesk:
New Accuser Alleges Sexual Abuse by Roman Polanski
 (From PEOPLE.com. 14 May 2010, 12:35 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Excellent dark pirate adventure/comedy See more (41 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
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Directed by
Roman Polanski 
 
Writing credits
John Brownjohn (screenplay collaboration)

Gérard Brach (written by) (as Gerard Brach) and
Roman Polanski (written by)

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 (photographer)
 
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)
Roberto Magagnini .... dressing foreman (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)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Cowell .... costume painter (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Billy Byers .... conductor (as Bill Byers)
William Flageollet .... music recording mixer
Orchestre de Paris .... orchestra
 
Other crew
Tarak Ben Ammar .... presenter
Dino De Laurentiis .... presenter
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)
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
121 min | Argentina:116 min | Sweden:118 min
Country:
France | Tunisia
Language:
English | French | Spanish
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
Certification:
UK:PG (original rating/video rating) | Iceland:14 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
MaltaSee more »
Company:
Carthago Films S.a.r.l.See more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Roman Polanski conceived this film several years before he actually made it. He had hoped to cast Jack Nicholson as Captain Red, and himself as The Frog.See more »
Quotes:
Don Alfonso de la Torré:I fear we have no vanilla.See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Clive James Meets Roman Polanski (1984) (TV)See more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
29 out of 32 people found the following review useful.
Excellent dark pirate adventure/comedy, 12 February 2003
Author: iqof20 from Indianapolis, IN

Pirate movies are few and far between. Its hard to get people to buy off on a script containing ~40 minutes of "Arrrr" and "Aye Matie".

However, Pirates is just a great fun romp through being a nasty, dirty, pirate. This is one of Walter Matthau's best roles. He literally becomes Captain Red. At no moment do you associate this man w/ any of this other roles.

Too many jokes and gags to list, but not a comedy in the traditional sense. It is an adventure first with humor thrown in.

Less of a comedy and more adventure than Yellowbeard. Darker, deeper, better, and less glitzy than Cutthroat Island. All around, a great classic pirate movie and virtually defines the genre.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Pirates (1986)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why is this film so hated by critics? sebastiaanros
Pirates on Blu Ray in France MrFist
Anyone know if this movie will come out on DVD (North America)? Byteknight
I was there when they made it runefromnorway
french edition ! jonlenine
Available in Australia Crystal_kitten16
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