The Pirates of Blood River (1962)

A group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.

Director:

John Gilling

Writers:

John Hunter (screenplay), John Gilling (screenplay)

Stars:

Kerwin Mathews, Glenn Corbett, Christopher Lee

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kerwin Mathews	...	Jonathon Standing
Glenn Corbett	...	Henry
Christopher Lee	...	Capt. LaRoche
Peter Arne	...	Hench - a Pirate
Marla Landi	...	Bess Standing
Oliver Reed	...	Brocaire - a Pirate
Andrew Keir	...	Jason Standing
Michael Ripper	...	Mack - a Pirate
David Lodge	...	Smith
Dennis Waterman	...	Timothy Blackthorne
Jack Stewart	...	Godfrey Mason
Lorraine Clewes	...	Martha Blackthorne
Jerold Wells	...	Penal Colony Master

Storyline

In a village of Huguenot refugees, Jonathon Standing is exiled by his father to a nearby penal colony for his improper relationship with a married woman. This penal colony is then invaded by pirates who force Jonathan to lead them back to his village, convinced that it contains a great treasure.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | penal colony | pirate | 17th century | church | 

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Taglines:

Ransacking a lost tropic island... for a fabulous idol of gold!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aima sto kokkino potami

Filming Locations:

Black Park Lake, Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Sir Christopher Lee, the pond fording at Black Park was a horrible experience. The water was polluted and the bottom consisted of three or four feet of mud, sludge, broken trees and branches, stench, and general filth that the stuntmen refused to do it. Michael Ripper nearly drowned, Oliver Reed contracted an eye and ear infection, and Lee claims he couldn't walk upstairs for nearly six months because of the after-effects.

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Goofs

When escaping to the swamp, Jonathan is shot in the back, yet after left for dead and continuing to escape further into the swamp, he has no wounds on his back but his left shoulder appears to be wounded on the front side.

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Quotes

Jonathon Standing: This was going to e a peaceful mission!
Captain LaRoche: Indeed, it was. Unfortunately, human nature is apt to determine where peace ends and strife begins.

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Connections

Referenced in Matinee (1993)

User Reviews

An oddity -- a pirate movie set on land!

You won't find here any 18th-century ships in full sail photographed against a Caribbean seascape of azure blue skies. Instead, all of the action takes place on a mundane-looking island which offers little in the way of beaches or coves. (The geography of this made-in-England movie is disturbingly vague.) The result is somewhat drab and claustrophobic and makes one wish for the colorful sweep of "Anne of the Indies" or "The Crimson Pirate."

Partially making up for this weakness is an interesting cast which includes not only bound-for-better-things Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed but also a curiously-cast Glenn Corbett. Dennis Waterman pops up as a boy who's sent on horseback to warn of the pirates' attack.

Kerwin Matthews qualifies as an adequate hero. However, while the movie's poster shows him bound bare-chested to a ship's wheel, such a scene never appears in the print under discussion.