Blackbeard's Ghost
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Movie Reviews of Blackbeard's Ghost
Movie Review: Fun Disney Pirate Tale Starring Peter Ustinov As The Loveable Blackbeard
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always had a warm nostalgic place in my heart for this 1968 Disney comedy that I remember being so excited going to see as a child. A recent viewing confirmed in my mind it's enjoyable family story, pleasing performances, and colourful lead character. "Blackbeard's Ghost", is without doubt most memorable for the great performance by the late great Peter Ustinov as the terror of the seven seas, Blackbeard the Pirate. In this Disney tale however he comes across more as a likeable pussy cat than a deadly cut throat and with the big success of the movie Blackbeard was yet another addition to Ustinov's steadily growing portfolio of memorable and slightly eccentric movie characters. In this role of Blackbeard he has a field day mugging and stealing every scene he is in and he has great fun teaming up with resident Disney leading man Dean Jones. Not your typical movie pirate in the mold of Errol Flynn or Trone Power, Ustinov makes his Blackbeard a wonderful Disney character that gives this film a funny and memorable quality that ensured it became one of the Disney Studios most loved comedies from the 1960's.
Basedon the novel by Ben Stahl, "Blackbeard's Ghost", opens with an atmospheric prologue of a storm tossed pirate ship that relates to us the history of the dreaded Captain Edward Teach or "Blackbeard", (Peter Ustinov),as he was known, a notorious 18th Century pirate who was the scourge of the seven seas and who supposedly died in a bloody sea battle just off the American coast. The story then jumps to the present (1968) where we see Steve Walker (Dean Jones), arriving for his new appointment at the local college. Forced to find a room on thl ocal island in a very strange hotel run by an eccentric group of old ladies who call themselves the "Daughter's of the Buccaneers", Steve ends up wit hmore than he bargained for when he finds himself sharing a room with none other than the ghost of Blackbeard the pirate who Steve unknowingly cunjured up after reading a spell on a scrap of paper found in the handle of an old bed warmer. Blackbeard it turns out had a curse placed on him by his vengeful 10th wife to walk the spirit world in limbo until he performs a good deed after which he can finally enjoy his eternal rest. Blackbeard has the supposedly great idea of helping his new "mate", Steve in his role as coach of the college's very underachieving track team . Steve however finds Blackbeard more of a frustration than anything else in particular since no one but Steve can see Blackbeard. He just wants to get Blackbeard out of his life and after he spends his first night in town in the local jail as a result of Blackbeard's interference while he was driving. Everyone in town from Dean Wheaton (Richard Deacon), to Steve's new romantic interest Jo Anne Baker (SuzannePleshette), begin to think Steve is crazy after seeing him supposedly talking to thin air however when Steve locks horns with local thug and casino owner Silky Seymour (Joby Baker), who is trying to drive the "daughter's of the Buccaners" out of their home in order to build a larger casino, Blackbeard begins to prove himself to be very useful. During a very amusing run in with Silky Blackbeard manages to outwit and destroy Silky's whole team of trained thugs and when Steve's track team finally have to appear in the local competition he manages with some selected "assistance", to make sure Steve's college, long known for it's dud track and field team, wins the event. Having also helped retrieve the money that the old ladies had saved to pay out the mortgage on their home to preserve it forever Blackbeard finally "earns his wings", so to speak and with the old ladies happily back in their historic pirate home and Steve and Jo Anne working out their differences, Blackbeard is able to happily sail away to his eternal rest finally free of the curse that had kept him in limbo for 200 years.
A delightful family comedy is the best way to describe "Blackbeard's Ghost", and it is a worthy product of the historic Walt Disney Studios despite it being released roughly a year after the death of the legendary Walt Disney. Getting a celebrated Academy Award winning actor such as Peter Ustinov to play the lead was a major plus and he makes Blackbeard a memorable character right up there with his other celebrated creations such as his Emperor Nero in "Quo Vadis?", and Hercule Piorot in the Agatha Christie mysteries. He certainly looks the part of a pirate to a tee and he has an expecially good chemistry with a very different type of performer in Dean Jones. Jones by this time was becoming the Disney Studios most valuable leading men and his innocent good looks suited the studio's family oriented pictures perfectly. He enjoyed a very profitable working relationship with long time director Robert Stevenson whose work stretched back to the 1930's and who during the 1960's and 70's became Disney's number one director helming the classic "Mary Poppins", in 1964 and reteaming with Dean Jones again the next year following their success in "Blackbeard's Ghost", in the mega hit "The Love Bug". Supporting performances are fine given their limitations due to the spot light being deservedly on the colourful lead character however Suzanne Pleshette makes a most beautiful leading lady and works well in the comedy scenes with Dean Jones and Joby Baker as the resident villian Silky Seymour is enjoyable playing a character who really appears quite tame by your average standards of what a villian should be like. A point of major casting interest is provided in with presense of veteran actress Elsa Lanchester as Emily Stowecroft the main old lady who with her friends refers to herself as a "daughter of the Buccaneers". Most fondly remembered for playign "The Bride of Frankenstein", back in the early 1930's here she plays an equally eccentric character to good comic effect. Being a tale of pirates and old curses the screenplay is full of "old salt" humour and the set design and cinematography are first rate in creating just the right atmosphere and look to the story. Special mention must also be made of the at times excellent special effects employed in "Blackbeard's Ghost", which for the period they were created in are of a superb standard.
The 1960's was a rich time in the history of Walt Disney Studios and they really had their creative sights perfectly in line with current tastes for family entertainment. "Blackbeard's Ghost", combined with their major effort the following year with "The Love Bug", are some of their best and most fondly remembered efforts. While of course not in the same league as the studio's legendary classic "Mary Poppins", from four years previously "Blackbeard's Ghost", has much that is appealing about it even today in our present cynical times. While innocent humour such as this really is no longer much in evidence on our movie screens I always enjoy this trip back to simpler and some how nicer times with Peter Ustinov camping it up as the notoriously lovable pirate Blackbeard, try to check it out with your family some time soon.
Movie Review: Ghosts! Witches! Pirates! All around Halloween fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
Disney comedy staple Dean Jones stars as Steve Walker, the well-grounded and highly principled new track coach for little Godolphin college, located all too unfortunately near the resting place of Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard the Pirate! Coach Walker arrives in the quaint harbor town, coincidentally enough, on the same night as a charity auction for the "Daughters of the Buccaneers" is being held to save their historic home from being turned into an upscale casino by local shady businessman Silky Seymour. In an attempt to capture the favor of fellow faculty member Jo Anne Baker (Suzanne Pleshette) and defy the threat-making Silky, Coach Walker soon finds himself the owner of an antique bed warmer, formerly the property of one of Blackbeard's wives, a vengeful witch who cast a spell over the old cutthroat to suspend his ghost in limbo until some shred of human decency could be found in his soul. When Steve discovers the witch's spell book and invokes the spirit of Edward Teach, he quickly learns that finding decency in the rascally pirate will be no easy task, but the pair concoct a scheme to use the college's struggling track team and the local gambling establishment to save the "little old ladies" and their mortgage, and in turn, save the soul of "Blackbeard's Ghost!"
"Blackbeard's Ghost" is one of those fantastic family laugh-fests from the heyday of Disney comedies. Dean Jones is in top form, as usual, and his chemistry with Suzanne Pleshette is so strong that there's no wonder why Disney paired the two so often, always with fantastic results! Of course, the real star of this film is the legendary Peter Ustinov, whose mischievous, teddy bear take on the bloodthirsty Captain Blackbeard makes this a comedy that can be watched over and over again! Though the high ideals of Jones' character seem to get left in the lurch in a film that saves the day through gambling, and cheating at that, it's all in good fun and only the bad guys get taken for a ride! Joby Baker, Elsa Lanchester, and Richard Deacon round out the cast with terrific character performances. For fans of old-school Disney comedy, this is a five star affair. This DVD edition, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired, bringing the over all score down at least one notch. There are no extras to be found, and the film is presented in a disappointing full-screen with plenty of picture flaws. Nevertheless, the image is as watchable as it ever was on the Disney Channel, and the movie itself is a necessity for any Disney fanatic's film library. You could wait for a better edition to come out in the future, but I wouldn't hold my breath. At the affordable price this film has recently dropped down too, I recommend picking up a copy now. Who knows when a definitive version will be released. Besides, with a ghost, a witch's spell, and pirate antics galore, "Blackbeard's Ghost" is a must for annual Halloween season viewing at the very least!
Movie Review: Funny Ghost Story
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie has its problems, not the least of which is that this version of the DVD is in full screen and the movie was originally filmed in widescreen. This movie could also do with some restoration. However, those are details and have little to do with the movie itself, which has always been one of my favorites. Peter Ustinov is funny as Edward Teach, and the chemistry between Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette works well.
Steve Walker (Jones) is the new track coach. Jones is unfortunately booked into an inn that was produced from parts of ships used by Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Walker finds an old parchment and reads the words on it. The words release Blackbeard's ghost from the limbo he was trapped in, but his ghost is visible only to Jones.
The hilarity of this movie plays on the more humorous parts of movies about invisible people. Blackbeard can move objects but no one can harm him. Blackbeard decides to try and do a good dead in order to move on to the next life, and the victim of his attempts at good deeds is Steve Walker. Blackbeard's mayhem follows Steve wherever he goes, much to the amusement of the audience. Virtually every scene that Peter Ustinov appears in is funny. Indeed, Ustinov probably could have made the movie without his co-stars, but having Dean Jones as a victim of Blackbeard's good deeds likely made the script easier to write.
Blackbeard is a caricature of a carousing pirate, which means that he drinks and speaks of moderately uncouth things. I wondered whether parents should exclude small children from watching this film. I think that the cartoonish nature of Blackbeard and the fun he has are more charming than threatening and parents can always explain that ghostly pirates can do the things Blackbeard does, but not real people. Thus, I think even small children will find some humor in Blackbeard.
This movie is less than perfect, but I keep watching it. Jones has appeared in many Disney movies, but this one is one of his better appearances. Jones and Pleshette have also appeared together in several Disney films, and the chemistry between the two was at its best in this film. I am unable to say enough positive things about Peter Ustinov. Ustinov is a brilliant and natural actor who hams it up in a way that makes Blackbeard's ghost his own. Fans of pirate movies, Peter Ustinov, Suzanne Pleshette, Disney Movies, Dean Jones, and Elsa Lanchester should have this movie in their collection.
Enjoy!
Movie Review: They don't make them like this any more
Summary: 4 Stars
Steve Walker (Dean Jones) is the new track coach. Looks like track is a joke. However, Steve is determined to change that but only in an above board effort. Seems that Blackbeard's decedents including Emily Stowecroft (Elsa Lanchester) are about to lose their heritage to an unscrupulous gangster. Steve would like to help them also, again in an honorable fashion. Steve whom is full of high morals accidently conjures Blackbeard's Ghost (Peter Ustinov). The ghost has a different take on life. Yet he needs to change his wicked ways if he is ever to get out of limbo.
The fun part of the movie is watching the interaction between Steve and Captain Blackbeard. What is funnier is that only Steve can see Blackbird so what could be a love interest between Steve and School psychiatrist Jo Anne Baker (Suzanne Pleshette) may be in jeopardy.
This looks like a direct transferee form a video. It is in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and fuzzy around the edges. However, the film is so much fun you will not care.
John Goldfarb Please Come Home (1965)~ Peter Ustinov
The Shaggy D.A.
Movie Review: Just Plain Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
As usual for a Disney release, there are no extras and the print quality leaves something to be desired. Also, the plot, about the ghost of the famous pirate being brought back from purgatory to perform a good deed, is a bit coy and silly. But Peter Ustinov, full of side-wise wit and under-handed sexiness, plays Bluebeard, and that makes it worth the ride. And truth be told, he has a very good foil in the under-rated Dean Jones, whose exasperation at the supernatural intrusion into his already-hectic life is almost as funny as Ustinov's, er, intruding. Alas, Suzanne Pleshette, she of the sexy growl and the sultry eyes, is given little to do in the movie, even as Jones' love interest (it would have been a lot more fun to see her paired up with Ustinov--kiss your "G" rating goodbye).
There's also the usual covey of accomplished character actors on display, particularly Elsa Lanchester as Jones' landlady, who's trying to defend her property from gangsters trying to turn it into an off-coast casino, and the script and direction, by several of the folks involved with MARY POPPINS, ensure that the pace is brisk and the amusing banter is plentiful. Basically just a time-waster, but all time-wasters should be so amusing . . .