The Pirate Movie
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Movie Reviews of The Pirate Movie
Movie Review: "GIVE ME A HAPPY ENDING"
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one film that can truly be called a cult movie. It can also be called camp! I call it fun! Judging by the comments here at Amazon and at other sites I see that I'm not the only one that holds "The Pirate Movie" in high regard! A critical and box office disaster upon it's summer of 1982 theatrical release the film found it's audience on video and cable TV. I remember at the time of it's brief run in theaters I read many reviews blasting the filmmakers about being disrespectful to the creators of the original material. Leonard Maltin calls it "Appalling" and goes on to say "...not only trashes the original but fails on it's own paltry terms" Ouch, Len! Based upon Gilbert & Sullivan's play "Pirates Of Penzance" (which wasn't Shakespeare) itself a fun, silly musical romp! In my opinion, the filmmakers were true to the original source while making it accessible to a modern audience. "The Pirate Movie" holds up quite well even with all of it's 1980's sensibilities.
About the DVD: Anchor Bay has done it again! A beautiful DVD Widescreen presentation! The movie looks and sounds better than ever and the packaging includes the original movie poster art. The insert includes a 5x7 reproduction of the movie poster. (BTW- all Anchor Bay titles include a 5x7 movie poster reproduction insert.) The original theatrical trailer is also included. The other special feature is an audio commentary by the director of the film Ken Annakin and the Anchor Bay DVD producer is moderating the discussion. The commentary is rather disapointing to me because it's more of a chat about the career of Mr. Annakin than a scene specific commentary about the movie they're viewing. The commentary contains many interesting tid-bits of information and trivia just not all about "The Pirate Movie" There is a slight spoiler in the commentary track (during the end credits) about Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" so, be warned. Plus Mr. Annakin has an interesting theory about what really happend to Amelia Earhart. As I said, the commentary discussion is all over the place! The director has fond memories of the film as do the rest of us who have embraced this delightful musical romp! Perhaps inviting Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins to the recording session would have made for a more interesting and balanced commentary. It's not that I'm complaining! I'm happy to have the film on DVD, even if there were no commentary at all! The song in the finale says, "Give Me A Happy Ending" and now thanks to Anchor Bay and 20th Century Fox this film has the happy ending it deserves! The rest of us are happy to have this wonderful film beautifully preserved on DVD! Thanks AB! Now if only they'll release "Valley Of The Dolls" (1967) on DVD!
Movie Review: Beautiful DVD transfer from Anchor Bay
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this movie. It is kitschy, it is juvenile, it is everything as bad as the critics say it is, but hey, this isn't Bergman or Antonioni, or Fellini. If you want edification, look elsewhere. This movie has no pretensions, it is just good clean fun, and above all it is happy. Even the director himself, in his accompanying commentary, is befuddled by it's eventual success and he attributes it to it's happy storyline which seems so rare in our sad time. With all its adolescent antics and blatant sexual innuendo, it still retains a surprisingly innocent feel to it. It's a pleasure to watch it again after more than 20 years.
Thank goodness this movie was released by Anchor Bay and not some cheap fly-by-night company. The film is transfered in it's original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (enhanced for widescreen TV). I must admit that my heart sank when the opening credits rolled and the picture came out extremely dark, grainy and grimy. But that was apparently deliberate and the picture becomes immaculately clean as the camera draws away from the TV screen showing the stock footage of the opening pirate attack. I doubt if anyone has seen this movie in this pristine a condition since it was first released. The colors are rich, lush and brilliant with well rendered blacks and pure whites. In some scenes the brilliant reds and greens are so vibrant they look like they originated from old 3-strip technicolor reels. Picture detail is well nigh perfect, so much so that the tackiness of the cheap primitive matte shots stand out all the more.
The original dual channel stereo has also been remastered to 5.1 surround but I personally prefer the old stereo image. The new 5.1 sounds slightly artificial.
Kristy McNichol is adorable. It's sad to learn that this was her last major film. She burnt out far too soon.
Aside from the director's commentary and an old TV trailer, there are no other extras. But the beautiful transfer of this cult classic is alone worthy of the price.
Movie Review: Fabulous Fun Flick
Summary: 5 Stars
The Pirate Movie is an example of a movie that fared poorly at the box office that eventually reached a much bigger audience through such means as cable television, VHS and DVD. This is particularly true of HBO which repeatedly ran this flick over and over during the 1980's. As a result, later audiences were given a chance to appreciate The Pirate Movie as being the work of genius that it really is.
The Pirate Movie concerns the adventures of Mabel Stanley (Kristy McNichol) and her ex-pirate boyfriend Frederic (Christopher Atkins). Years ago, the Stanley family fortune was stolen by the evil Pirates of Penzance and Mabel enlists Frederic to retrieve it for her. Of course, Frederic insists that Mabel accompany him in his adventures against his former fellow pirates.
Along the way, Frederic and Mabel encounter a host of eccentric characters. Among these are Major-General (Bill Kerr), Sergeant-Inspector (Garry McDonald), Pencilstub (Marc Colombani), Aphrodite (Linda Nagle) and the fearsome Pirate King (Ted Hamilton). In the course of these adventures, Frederic comes to realize that he must choose between the true state of love that he enjoys with Mabel on the one hand and both duty and honor on the other hand.
The Pirate Movie is silly, funny, hopelessly romantic and definitely original. It is a model example of a goof ball flick. It was killed when it was originally released in 1982 due to mundane movie critics who could not comprehend its true originality as a comedy. All the critics could see was a parody of the play "The Pirates of Penzance." It was that, but it was also so much more. The fact that there are a number of sugary sweet pop songs in this movie makes it all the more wonderful. The Pirate Movie also features a great deal of slapstick silliness.
The bottom line is that The Pirate Movie is a load of fun.
Movie Review: This Movie is Just So Cute!
Summary: 5 Stars
The first time I watched The Pirate Movie was on TV and than on vhs. After my first time of watching the movie I was completely hooked and have been a fan ever since! This movie is cheesy but it's not a bad movie at all and is a very fun movie to watch. I recently got the DVD and though the widescreen transfer is nothing to brag about as it really doesn't look all that different from the fullscreen tape the quality of the film seems very nice and the colors look great! I still very much enjoyed watching this movie and I still liked the acting by Kristy Mcnichol and Christopher Atkins as Mabel and Fredric and by Ted Hamilton as the Pirate King and the songs, and jokes and spoofs of movies are also still good and I would recommend this movie to anyone who can enjoy a silly movie and I now wish they would reissue the movies soundtrack on CD. I have the soundtrack but it's an old two album vinyl record set and well, not only is it a little worn out but I can't play it anymore because the stylus on my record player turntable is broken so now that the movie has finally been put on DVD I hope the soundtrack will soon be put on CD! One complaint I have about the DVD is that it's a bare bones DVD and has hardly any extra features except the original theatrical trailer and commentary with the director. I would have liked them to have gotten Kristy Mcnichol, Christopher Atkins and Ted Hamilton to have provided commentary and/or interviews and deleted scenes and bloopers would have been nice too! At the end of the movie during the closing credits there is included an amusing blooper in which Kristy had been chewing on some gum and she is in the scene where Mabel is in the suit of armor and they just start filming the scene and Kristy realizes that she has forgotten to take the gum out of her mouth and it would have been good to see more outtakes like that!Movie Review: Fun stuff with great locations and sunshine and music
Summary: 5 Stars
Do not apologize for liking this. It is a romp. Pure and simple. It has some of what there is about Australian wildness and sunshine that is missing too often from puritanical prudish USA. I own opera and Gilbert and Sullivan (I love the UK television series complete collection - Clive Revill in the Mikado and in the Sorcerer is just perfect! and fun like this movie is (try the movie "Avanti! from the 60's). Given that I studied too hard and worked on ships too much in the 80s to see much of this stuff, I am catching up. I remember but do not own any music from this era. Just bought "Grease" which is fun in a similar silly way. I have an unlimited Masters (ship Captains license now expired) and own most nautical movies, including pirate movies. Why pirate movies? I had enough trouble with drunken sailors on ships to last a lifetime. It is the fun! The freedom. It is not real (who wants to be around murderers and rapists), but who does not want to revel in the sun and sea and be a bit tipsy and love and be loved. Well, movies are not for moral instruction they are for enjoyment While certainly silly and certainly tongue in cheek, and cheeky, this IS fun. The locations are wonderful in Australia on in Victoria in mid-summer with blue skies and heat, with beaches, cliffs, gardens and pretty gals and handsome (for you ladies or men inclined so). Common on! Us Yanks ought to loosen up a bit (I would rather spend time in this little uneven crazy world of sun and fun than in 99 percent of the television and movies that are on today! I own all 3 "Pirates of the Caribbean movies" , but "The Pirate Movie" out shines all three hands down (at least the ocean and the coasts are real and the music is not a loop).