Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove and Anders Randolf
Produced by Elton Corporation
It's a time when cannons and cutlasses reign supreme, when pirates ruled the seas and sailors shivered at the sight of the Jolly Roger.
In the midst of this, a nobleman marooned on a remote island vows revenge upon the buccaneers who murdered his father. Opportunity rears its head when pirates arrive to bury their treasure.
Our nobleman decides to pretend to be a pirate, join the crew and destroy it from the inside. He wins a duel against the crew's best fighter, then singlehandedly captures a merchant ship. The impressed pirates take on the mysterious Black Pirate as their leader.
The cutthroats aboard the pirate ship want to scuttle the captured vessel, kill its crew and make off with the loot. The Black Pirate convinces them to ransom the ship and it's crew instead. This is of course a ruse and he sends a note to the governor with one of the captives asking to send troops, not ransom money.
Complicating the Black Pirate's schemes are a damsel in distress who has been promised to one of the lead pirates. That pirate wants not only the girl, but the Black Pirate's job as boss. Can our hero navigate through the murky waters of piracy? Or will he be found out and forced to walk the plank?
Here we have The Black Pirate, the great grandfather of every pirate movie since. You can see the DNA of Jack Sparrow in Douglas Fairbanks' performance. Everything you know and love is here: peg legs, the skull and crossbones, buried treasure, walking the plank, sword fights, all of it here.
However, more than that, The Black Pirate has some jaw-dropping set pieces. The standout moment is Fairbanks' singlehanded, bloodless assault on the merchant ship. The guile and skill of the character is on full display and you actually believe he could have pulled the feat off.
There is also a visually beautiful climax that includes an intentionally sunk longboat and a platoon of troops swimming underwater. It's a legitimate "how'd they do that?" moment.
Less successful is an opening sword fight between Fairbanks and one of the pirates. It's good, but overlong and not much really happens during it. The finale of the duel is clever and allows are hero to win and not dirty his hands too much.
Another notable thing about the film? Color! Yes, the film was actually made in color. The technique adds a depth and character through it's muted tones. As someone who has been feasting on a parade of black and white, the change was both shocking and effective.
As with most Fairbanks' films though, the film has some significant problems. The actor is wonderful in the physical sequences, but awful at acting. He emotes in a way that makes him seem like he is screaming every line. And his gestures made me wonder if he was making a point or having a seizure.
There are plot elements that make no sense. The villains meet the hero on the beach and almost immediately offer, not just to bring him onto the crew, but to anoint him leader. I would not think pirates to be such a trusting lot.
There is also a pirate who helps Fairbanks throughout. Even when it becomes apparent the hero is not on the up-and-up. Why? Who knows?
But really the plot is a series of contrivances to shuttle our lead from set piece to set piece. And on that level it succeeds. The Black Pirate is not a great movie, but it's fun enough for a watch and critical to an understanding of the pirate movie family tree.
*** out of *****
Note: Fairbanks' wife Mary Pickford prohibited her husband from kissing other actresses, even in character. So, we get an awkward moment in the middle of the film where Fairbanks just hugs his damsel for a while. When they finally kiss the girl's back is to the camera with her face hidden. Why? Because Pickford stepped into the role to perform the smooch.
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