Wordiezett So much average

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

weezeralfalfa 1948 was Gene Kelly's banner year for swashbuckling roles. Not only did he here play a combination of an itinerant gymnastic carnival actor and pirate imposter, he also starred in the non-musical "The 3 Musketeers". .....Having missed the opportunity to costar with Judy in "Easter Parade" that year, due to an injury, this was their second pairing, but the first photographed in color, and what color! It was also the first of 3 films starring Kelly that was directed by Judy's husband at the time: Vincente Minnelli. The second, 2 years later, was the Oscar-winning "An American in Paris", also a very colorful experience. Reportedly, Judy became increasing mentally unstable, missing many days, or being late, which put a strain on their marriage.......The screenplay is scripted to occur in Calvado: a town on a small Caribbean island, with it's many colorful people and costumes. Judy is cast as the unmarried Manuela, who lives with her aunt and uncle. Arrangements have been made for her to marry the plump middle-aged Don Pedro(well played by Walter Slezak), who is the new town mayor. But Manuela yearns for her imagined hero: the infamous pirate Macoco. She first encounters the athletic performer Serafin(Kelly) and his troupe at the wharf, as they arrive. He takes an immediate fancy to her. Upon learning of her infatuation with her imagined Mococo, Serafin decides to masquerade as the pirate: quite believable to Manuela. Later, we will meet the real Mococo, presently masquerading as one of the town folk. I will stop my introduction here......The tacked on finale centers on the tumbling, slapstick and singing associated with Cole Porter's new song : "Be a Clown". It's certainly the most memorable of Porter's scores composed for this film. It was done twice, with a brief interlude. First, Kelly teamed with the African American Nicholas Brothers: who specialized in gymnastic dancing and stunts. They were incorporated into several musicals in the '40s, but never before in an act that included a Caucasian. Although their version was cut out in copies sent to The South, many people found that combination unacceptable. Hence, they relocated to Europe until the Civil Rights revolution brought them back. The second version included Judy, with Kelly. This was more oriented toward slapstick rather than tumbling, and is the version seen in all copies. It was a great way to finish the story, with Manuela reinventing herself.......Four years later , the tune of "Be a Clown" was resurrected for "Singing in the Rain", with new lyrics by Arthur Freed. The result was the much remembered "Make 'Em Laugh" production, starring Donald O'Connor. Strangely, at the IMDB site for the present film, Nacio Brown is listed as the tune composer and Arthur Freed as the lyricist, published in 1948, rather than 1952! I don't imagine MGM cared much who got the credit for composing the tune, as they presumably owned the copyrights for both.

evanston_dad I don't expect a lot from my 1940s MGM musicals. I just want some color, both in the decor and the personalities, some catchy tunes, and a sense of humor. I don't need deep thoughts.So why does "The Pirate" fail so miserably? On paper, it's all of the above. Because, though I don't need complicated plots, I need SOME plot, and some characters to care about. I adore Judy Garland and she's adorable in this, but this is a wisp of a movie, barely able to justify the use of the film stock on which it was captured. Gene Kelly is exceedingly irritating; he mugs for the camera and overacts to the point where I can barely tolerate him. Cole Porter, who wrote the songs for this one, was phoning it in. For all of Kelly's manic prancing around, this film has no energy. Maybe it's unfair to compare a film like "The Pirate" to other classics from MGM's musical golden years, like "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Singin' in the Rain," or "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." But then I think, why is it unfair? The creators of this film had access to all the same talent, and in many cases WERE the same talent. No, this one is just a dud.Lennie Hayton received an Oscar nomination for scoring of a musical picture.Grade: C-

bigverybadtom Yes, this is another old MGM musical with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, which is more an excuse for singing and dancing rather than plot. Problem is, the singing and dancing (especially by Gene Kelly) is good, but too sparse compared to the rest of the movie's running time, and worse yet, the musical scenes are almost peripheral to the movie's story line itself.The plot actually had potential. Judy Garland is a young adult raised by her aunt, who has arranged for her to marry her small town's wealthy, but fat and seemingly dull mayor. The marriage is for financial reasons, and Garland isn't impressed by her fiancé. In fact, Garland has her mind in a fantasy world, dreaming of leaving her sheltered existence and travailing the world, even being taken away by the legendary pirate Macoco. Gene Kelly is the head of a group of strolling entertainers who learns about Garland's fantasies and wants Garland for himself. But then comes a shocking plot twist which, if the producers had properly developed it, could have added real tension and depth to the movie. Instead, the movie ends up drifting toward an unsatisfactory conclusion.You might enjoy this if all you want to see is Gene Kelly singing and dancing. But there are far better musicals out there that you can see instead.

MartinHafer "The Pirate" was a troubled production. Not only was Judy Garland at her lowest due to her health and her addiction, but the film was considered a mess by the studio when they previewed it. So, they re-tooled various parts of the film and released it--to less than stellar reactions from the public. Despite having Gene Kelly and Garland and the full MGM glossy treatment, the film didn't connect with folks and it lost money...a lot according to IMDb. Plus it didn't help that the film was originally meant as a comedy and songs were slapped into the script (sloppily).The film's basic plot is rather clever. Judy Garland plays a nice young lady who has been betrothed to the Mayor (Walter Slezak)--a seemingly boring old man. She's accepted her fate, though a traveling actor (Kelly) sees this as a waste--as he wants her himself. He tries to court her and is rather unsuccessful until he hypnotizes her and discovers she is a bad girl at heart and wants a blood-thirsty pirate as a lover. So, he does what any guy would do--announces that HE is the dreaded pirate Macoco! The problem is someone in town really IS Macoco but has assumed a respected guise. What's to come of all this? See the film...or not! My advice is NOT! I must admit that although I have probably seen more musicals than most anyone you'd ever meet, I am not a huge fan of the genre. This is mostly because too often the songs and plot aren't integrated well. Too often, folks break into song for no reason whatsoever. In "The Pirate", for example, Judy bursts into song when she thinks the man she loves is dead. Huh?!? Also the songs themselves often don't fit the story at all (such as "Be a Clown" at the end of the film--where they obviously gave up on the plot and was integrated well into "Singing in the Rain"). But worst of all, despite Cole Porter being the writer, it's obviously NOT his best. Too many of the songs are either dull or have lyrics that made my brain hurt. The worst was the opening song "Niña" which uses words like 'neuresthenia' and 'schizophrenia' (terms that weren't even known at the time the film was set). Finally, some of the production numbers are just insane. This is supposed to be set on a Caribbean Island--yet they have the most ridiculous song and dance number where Kelly performs on a set that only could be on a sound stage. Overall, despite being a nice looking film, "The Pirate" is among the worst MGM made in this era.