A girl is engaged to the local rich man, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
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Title: The Pirate (1948)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Judy Garland | ... | Manuela | |
| Gene Kelly | ... | Serafin | |
| Walter Slezak | ... | Don Pedro Vargas | |
| Gladys Cooper | ... | Aunt Inez | |
| Reginald Owen | ... | The Advocate | |
| George Zucco | ... | The Viceroy | |
| Fayard Nicholas | ... | Specialty Dancer | |
| Harold Nicholas | ... | Specialty Dancer | |
| Lester Allen | ... | Uncle Capucho | |
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Lola Deem | ... | Isabella |
| Ellen Ross | ... | Mercedes | |
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Mary Jo Ellis | ... | Lizarda |
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Jean Dean | ... | Casilda |
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Marion Murray | ... | Eloise |
| Ben Lessy | ... | Gumbo | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
It is the year 1830. In the Spanish Main, local beauty Manuela Alva, is living on the island of Calvados and dreams of falling in-love with the legendary Caribbean pirate Macoco. However, her guardians, her aunt and uncle, aiming to get rich, insist she marries Don Pedro, the town mayor, a fat and bullying man. Manuela resigns herself to her fate but before the wedding day, in the nearby Port Sebastian, she meets by chance a troupe of traveling circus actors, led by the handsome Serafin. They both are attracted to one another but, while Serafin wants to woo Manuela, she refuses his advances claiming to be promised in marriage to Don Pedro. At the circus show, during a hypnosis act, Serafin learns that Manuela is secretly in-love with Macoco the pirate. This revelation persuades Serafin to resort to a trick in order to woo her. He pretends to be the famous pirate Macoco and he plays the part well, assisted by the complicity of his troupe. His performance is so well executed that it ... Written by nufs68
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M-G-M's Big Beautiful Color by TECHNICOLOR Musical! See more »Parents Guide:
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Manuela: The history of the pirate, Mack the Black Macoco... Macoco the dazzling, Macoco the tabulous, The hawk of the sea, the prince of pirates, whose spirit of legends will live on through the ages, praise a mortal thieves. As here and after set forth.
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(uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Sung by Judy Garland
Danced by Gene Kelly
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The torrid romance enacted by Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in the song-and-dance number "Voodoo" so enraged MGM chief Louis B. Mayer that he demanded the negative be burned. See more »Goofs
During the the scene where Judy is pummelling Gene with objects her gold braid comes off you can see it dangling, in the next scene it's back in place. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Manuela: The history of the pirate, Mack the Black Macoco... Macoco the dazzling, Macoco the tabulous, The hawk of the sea, the prince of pirates, whose spirit of legends will live on through the ages, praise a mortal thieves. As here and after set forth.
See more »
Soundtracks
Mack the Black(uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Sung by Judy Garland
Danced by Gene Kelly
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 June 1948 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Pirate See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$3,700,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
They certainly don't make movies like this one anymore! "The Pirate" shows how MGM dominated the musical genre with stars of the magnitude of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland under Vincente Minnelli's direction, and music by Cole Porter.
The story is just a pretext to present the stars doing what they did best. The film is totally dominated by Gene Kelly, who makes a wonderful contribution to the film as Serafin, an itinerant entertainer who happens to be in Calvados, the Caribbean, a fictional island where the beautiful Manuela is about to get married to a powerful man, Don Pedro Vargas.
After being pursued by Serafin, Manuela's resolve to marry the much older, fatter, and uglier, Don Pedro, is reduced to seeing the would be husband by what he really is, a bully and a man who she will never bring herself to love. The revelations at the end and the happy conclusion gives the film a great finale.
Gene Kelly and Judy Garland were at the peak of their careers. Ms. Garland looks so beautiful in the film and she makes an adorable Manuela. Mr. Kelly gives an excellent performance as the song and dance man who can put people in a trance as he hypnotizes them. The musical numbers in which Mr. Kelly dances are superbly staged.
The supporting players are a delight. Gladys Cooper, makes a great Aunt Inez. Walter Slezak is perfect as Don Pedro, a man who hides deeply rooted secrets. Reginald Owen and George Zucco are also seen. Best of all are the Nicholas Brothers who were amazing in their number.
The glorious Technicolor utilized in the film has kept its luster as it has aged gloriously.