The Italy was the ground of Peplum and Sandals pictures, in early sixties they also exploit other genre as Swashbuckler Pirate features, Le Avventure of Mary Deary is an Italian-French production over the legendary British pirate Mary Ready, it's a freely adaptation over this famous female pirate, they invited the newbie director in second entry technically speaking, an upcoming prolific & iconic director fare well in this movie without scratches, even due the smallest flaws are easily noticed.
The story takes place in the dawn of 18th century at England when redhead Mary Read (Lisa Gastoni) is a pickpocket aid by the old harmless partner Mangiatrippa (Agostino Salviette), she was arrest in the trip disguised as a man in a fancy chariot which Mary pick a couple of pieces of jewelry of an old lady, sending into a jail where he (she) shares the same cell with a flamboyant Casanova Peter Goodwin (Jerome Courtland) who perceived that such inmate is a gorgeous women, flirting her at once, Mary stays enchanted with so dashing aristocratic,he gives a medallion to Mary as signal of love,he leaves the jail by his powerful father the clever Mary Read using a trickery got run away from there, looking around Peter's palace aftermaths, however she see him surround by some many eye-candy applicants that she gives back his medallion also slapping him before leave for good.
She meets once more his sidekick Mangiatrippa in a harbor town, both entering in a ship of Captain Poof (Walter Barnes) actually a pirate who gets her envisaging a sexy trip with so gorgeous woman which Poof will shares his private cabin, suddenly a Spanish ship appears at sight toward his vessel thus the bothered Captain has to postpone his dating with the reluctant Mary aiming for fend off the Spanish, sadly the Captain Poof comes to die at battle, then Mary takes over his place as if was his wife, henceforth she becomes Captain under Poof's name, soon she will fight the already Captain Peter Goldwyn on English fleet at America.
Colorful pirate adventure with strong humor oriented by the craftsman director Lenzy, supported by fine screenplay and mainly by the movie stealer Agostine Salviette in a stunning performance, it has a smallest flaws on those full-sized Galleons where there aren't any wind on countless steady sails, also the still waters around the ships whereof the audience perceived that it was shot at large stage pool, perhaps they must shot a closest surround by strong blowers and some raining stage could be had better results on those almost standing still sequences, but overall a good movie far away to be bad as some implied!!
Resume:
First watch: 1979 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.
