classicsoncall I generally have some reservations about tuning in to a silent film, but once I do, they usually turn out pretty well. "The Black Pirate" was no exception, my first encounter with the legendary silent action-adventure hero Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.). His swashbuckling feats of dynamic swordplay and athletic scaling of ship's rigging were genuine sit up and take notice moments, especially since he was doing all of his own stunt work. It wouldn't be too far off to say he does it all here, including the obligatory 'walk the plank' as a result of trying to help a captive Princess escape her pirate captors.One downside of my experience of this film based on other reviewers - the print I saw was in black and white. Even so, there was enough going on to maintain one's interest, not the least of which was all the cutthroat pirate chicanery. I was surprised how the film intimated how a poor crewman was slit open to retrieve a ring he swallowed to prevent it's becoming booty. That was a nasty piece of business.The one scene that played out amazingly well both visually and the way it was choreographed was the underwater swim by the seamen who arrived by longboat to help Fairbanks' character defeat the pirates. One thing though, once on board the Merchantman, didn't it seem like there was a whole lot more of them than could have arrived in the first place? One curiosity, the pirate crew liked the idea of holding the Merchantman ransom for fifty thousand pieces-of-eight, suggested by Fairbanks' character. However if you freeze the frame on the first part of the ransom note to the Governor, the amount demanded in Roman numerals is XXVII (assuming that what looks like a 'C' is actually a parenthesis). That would only represent twenty seven, as the word 'thousand' is written out.As much fun as the film is, if you're really paying attention, a couple of plot points just don't make much sense. After Fairbanks defeats the Pirate Captain (Anders Randolf) in a sword fight challenge, the Captain falls on a sword and dies. Just like that, the rest of the pirate crew have no trouble accepting Fairbanks as part of their crew. So much for loyalty! Another occurs at the end of the film when Fairbanks and The Princess (Billie Dove) declare their love and announce their wedding. MacTavish (Donald Crisp) suggests digging up the earlier buried treasure for a wedding gift. I don't think so.But let's not get too critical. This is a neatly done sea tale with a lot of well paced action and drama. A surprise in reviewing the cast list reveals Mary Pickford as a stand-in for Billie Dove in the 'final embrace' scene at the end of the story. There really doesn't seem to be any reason for that, other than a chance for Mr. Fairbanks to get Mrs. Fairbanks into the picture. Trivia fans take note.

Cyke 015: The Black Pirate (1926) - released 3/8/1926, viewed 8/10/05 Scotch Tape is invented. Gosden and Correll begin broadcasting their radio show Sam 'n' Henry, a precursor to Amos 'n' Andy. John Logie Baird demonstrates a mechanical television system. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon burns down.BIRTHS: Margaret Thatcher, Angela Lansbury, Johnny Carson, Jonathan Winters, Robert Kennedy, Sammy Davis Jr., Dick Van Dyke, George Martin, Patricia Neal, Haskell Wexler, Leslie Neilsen, John Schlesinger, Alan Greenspan.KEVIN: It was interesting to see the early two-strip Technicolor process used in this film. There are so very few silent color films. One of the effects of the color is it makes the occasional violence a little more chilling, as the blood is actually red. The best part is definitely when he takes the ship single-handed. We listened to a bit of Rudy Behlmer's commentary, where he mentioned how Fairbanks worked really hard to stay in shape all the time, unlike Errol Flynn, who endeavored to have alcohol in his body at all times. Watching this film, I feel like we should have watched Fairbanks' earlier stuff, like Mark of Zorro, and we'll probably go back and watch that stuff later on. This movie was plenty exciting, with all the crazy swordfight action. I thought it was kind of weird when he swims ashore and comes back with a whole boatload of longboat rowing soldiers out of nowhere. I could buy the conjured army in Thief of Bagdad because it was a fantasy, but here it's a little more difficult. I couldn't stop thinking, "Where'd he dig up all these guys?" DOUG: Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin may have ruled the world of silent comedies, but Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was the king of the silent action/adventure movie. This film is notable for using an early two-strip version of Technicolor (which we just saw in Phantom). It is an excellent example of a Douglas Fairbanks movie, showing off his usual bravado. It seems like every Fairbanks movie ends with our hero summoning an army out of nowhere just when he needs it. I mean, where did that longboat come from? And he also makes fighting off a horde of swordsmen look easy. We listened to a bit of Rudy Behlmer's commentary, which mentions that Fairbanks always went to great lengths to stay physically fit (unlike, say, Errol Flynn, who would smuggle alcohol onto the set in hidden flasks and injected oranges), and did many of his own daring stunts. Behlmer also mentions that Fairbanks' wife Mary Pickford was filming her movie, Sparrows, at the same time, on the very same lot. Hey, we're watching that next! Last film viewed: Phantom of the Opera (1925). Last film chronologically: Battleship Potemkin (1925). Next film viewed: Sparrows (1926). Next film chronologically: For Heaven's Sake (1926).The Movie Odyssey is an exhaustive, chronological project where we watch as many milestone films as possible, starting with D.W. Griffith's Intolerance in 1916 and working our way through, year by year, one film at a time. We also write a short review for each film before we watch the next, never reading the other's review before we finish our own. In this project, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the time period, the films of the era, and each film in context, while at the same time just watching a lot of great movies, most of which we never would have watched otherwise.

MartinHafer This was an excellent pirate movie and was better than many sound pirate films. However, it's really hard to rate the movie---compared to other silent pirate films, it might just be the best. But, compared to THE SEA HAWK, CAPTAIN BLOOD or THE BLACK SWAN (all wonderful sound pirate films from the 30s and 40s), it isn't as good a film.So what does the movie do that worked so well for me? First, being a Douglas Fairbanks film, it had wonderful stunts and impeccable production values--something he was known for in his silent films. Second, this film had excellent sets and was the best film money could buy in its day. In fact, it was such a lavish production that it was supposedly the first full-length film made in 2-color Technicolor--an early and somewhat crude way of producing a color movie. Because the film was dyed with green-blue and orange-red dyes, the film mostly looks reddish-green--definitely NOT true color. But, it doesn't look that bad--certainly much better than the horrid colorized films destroyed in the 1980s. Plus, if it hadn't been for films like this, the infinitely better 3-color system might never have been developed by Technicolor. And, finally, the plot is pretty good for a silent film--not the most complex when compared to later films, it's not nearly as simplistic as most other silents.This video was produced by KINO FILMS. Some of their silent films in the past were less than wonderful (especially some of their Buster Keaton videotapes), but this videotape is top quality and has nice extras at the end of the tape. Some cheaper prints apparently are only black and white, not color. Nice job for the restoration, KINO! However, despite what the video box said, it was apparently NOT the first full-length two-color Technicolor film. I recently saw a restored print from TOLL OF THE SEA (1922) and it was in fact made using this process four years earlier than THE BLACK PIRATE.

tedg Many folks believe in the archetype, the notion that deep in the structure of the universe — deeper than we can reach — are certain pure models. There are few of them; they are crisp if not fully definable. And we spend our lives moving fey copies of them around in the patterns they allow.I don't buy that. At least so far as humans, we make our models and since about the time of this movie, movies are where most of them are made. But they stick, some of them, as if God made it so. Because this is something of an exemplar, it is required viewing I suppose.The demure princess (redheaded). The privileged young duke who assumes the role of pirate to seek revenge. Amazing exploits through cunning and some of the most impressive physical stunts on film.Color when it mattered. Romantic love, not invented here, but here first successfully placed in the heroic context of piracy. Rarely can you place your finger on a node of archetypal history and say here, here is where that was born.In keeping with a tradition of recommended pairings, I suggest you see this coupled with Geena Davis in "Cutthroat Island."Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.