The Crimson Pirate (1952)

Directed by Robert Siodmak. Starring Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, Leslie Bradley, Torin Thatcher, James Hayter, Frederick Leister, Noel Purcell, Margot Grahame.

Extravagant and exuberant pirate picture is goofy, good-natured fun, set in the Caribbean with the scenic island of Ischia and Gulf of Naples as stand-in, full of bright Technicolor swashbuckling and slapstick. Lancaster and his crew get embroiled in opposing schemes from rebel Leister and royal envoy Bradley while lovely Bartok falls for the bold rogue. A fine showcase for the athleticism and charisma of star Lancaster (as the vivacious pirate captain) and Lancaster’s frequent screen co-hort Cravat (as his mute sidekick). A classic adventure in the guise of tongue-in-cheek comedy—some sequences feel like they belong in a Looney Tunes short!—it may fall short on originality, tension, and story logic, but rank this one up there with the best of the “indispensable disposables” of cinematic follies. Eagle-eyed viewers can spot a cruise ship against the horizon in one shot late in the film.

75/100