Crimson Pirate, The (1952)

Two years after The Flame and the Arrow, Robert Siodmak’s The Crimson Pirate was another chance for Burt Lancaster and his acrobatic partner Nick Cravat to fly, leap and tumble across the screen and into the hearts of delighted audiences.

Set in the 1700s, Lancaster plays Captain Vallo, the titular bandit (with a nickname apparently derived from the colour of his tights!), who leads his swashbuckling band of cutthroats to commandeer one of His Majesty’s galleons in the Caribbean.

The galleon carries no gold but an even more valuable cargo – Baron Gruda (Leslie Bradley), the King’s emissary, and a shipment of guns to reinforce the Royalist troops in their battles against a rebellious populace.

Over the protests of his first mate, Humble Bellows (Torin Thatcher), Vallo frees Gruda. He plans to sell the guns to El Libre (Frederick Leister), the rebel leader, and then betray El Libre to Gruda, thus making a profit for both sides.

Vallo and his mute friend Ojo (Cravat) sail the captured ship into the harbour and row ashore at nightfall.

There, they learn that El Libre has been taken prisoner. Vallo promises to free him for a price, and on the condition that El Libre’s daughter Consuelo (Eva Bartok) will accompany him.

Masquerading as Gruda, the Crimson Pirate is given a right royal reception on the island where El Libre is imprisoned, and the rebel and his scientifically-minded companion, Professor Prudence (James Hayter) are duly delivered to him.

The party makes a hasty exit, but not before Vallo is recognised and has to fight his way back to the ship.

Aboard the galleon, it is plain to the pirates that their captain has fallen in love with Consuelo and, worse still, intends to give the guns to EL Libre.

Disgruntled at such behaviour, the crew mutiny. Consuelo and her father are handed over to Baron Gruda, and Vallo, Ojo and the scientist are chained to a boat to drift until they die.

But Professor Prudence applies one of his many scientific theories to the situation and finds it works.

The trio heads for shore, where Vallo learns that Gruda has taken the whole pirate crew captive and Consuelo is being forced to marry the elderly Governor of the island (Eliot Makeham).

Furious at this, Vallo rallies the rebel forces.

Professor Prudence invents a host of hitherto unknown weapons, and with explosives, guns, tanks and a giant hot air balloon, the people rout the Governor’s soldiers.

The plot is of minimal importance here, though, and the movie’s narrative is just an excuse to exhibit its hero’s ebullient, graceful athleticism at every possible opportunity.

Lavishly photographed in Technicolor – mostly on location in Italy – the film is full of silly jokes, funny slapstick and perilous stunts

Captain Vallo (“The Crimson Pirate”)
Burt Lancaster
Ojo
Nick Cravat
Consuelo
Eva Bartok
Humble Bellows
Torin Thatcher
Prof. Elihu Prudence
James Hayter
Baron José Gruda
Leslie Bradley
Bianca
Margot Grahame
Pablo Murphy
Noel Purcell
Sebastian (“El LIbre”)
Frederick Leister
Governor
Eliot Makeham
Colonel
Frank Pettingell
La Signorita
Dana Wynter (as Dagmar Wynter)
Joseph
Christopher Lee
Claw Paw
Ewan Roberts
Stub Ear
John Chandos
Patch Eye
Derek Tansley
Poison Paul
Charles Farrell
Captain Rodriguez
John Penrose

Director
Robert Siodmak