Search - The Crimson Pirate on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 1952 DVD Release: 07/01/2003 Format: DVD - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 44 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 16 Genres: Adventure, Swashbuckler, Adventure Comedy, Costume Adventure

Half affectionate parody and half enthusiastic tribute to the swashbuckling pirate epics of the 1930's and 40's, The Crimson Pirate stars Burt Lancaster as Captain Vallo, the smiling leader of a pack of unscrupulous pirates. While on the high seas, Vallo and his men spy a well-stocked merchant ship, and waste no time in relieving it of its contents. One of the passengers on the cargo vessel, Baron Gruda (Leslie E. Bradley), informs Vallo that a political revolt is shaking a island nation in the Caribbean to its foundations. The pirates set their course to the island, hoping to sell the arms they've just stolen to rebel leader Sebastian (Frederick Leister), while planning to later double their profit by turning him in to the Government leaders who are offering a reward for his capture. Vallo's plans change when he meets Sebastian's daughter Consuelo (Eva Bartok) and falls in love, while she teaches the pirate the wisdom of her father's philosophies. Vallo and his faithful sidekick Ojo (Nick Cravat) soon join Sebastian's men, and fight with them in a valiant struggle for freedom. Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat were once partners in their early days as circus acrobats, and they got to put their skills to good use in this picture; keep an eye peeled for an early performance by future horror movie great Christopher Lee. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Burt Lancaster - Capt. Vallo, The Crimson Pirate
Eva Bartok - Consuelo
Nick Cravat - Ojo
Torin Thatcher - Humble Bellows
James Hayter - Prof. Prudence

Robert Siodmak's The Crimson Pirate (1952), starring and produced by Burt Lancaster, was one of a tiny group of Warner Bros. titles to appear as budget-priced laserdisc releases back in the late '80s. The DVD edition arrived in July 2003, looking better and costing still less. One of the most delightful movies in Burt Lancaster's entire output as an actor or producer, The Crimson Pirate has endured exceptionally well across 50 years by virtue of the fact that it is as good a pirate movie as it is a spoof of pirate movies -- in that regard, it's a lot like The Bride of Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, functioning on two levels (at least) in its appeal. On that basis alone, it's worth owning. As to the disc itself, it is a better product than the laserdisc was. Beyond the superiority of DVD playback, the digital video transfer has brought out the depth and richness of the gorgeous hues in this blazing costume romp, as well as all of the detail that there is to be derived from this late Technicolor release. The full-screen image (1.33:1) is of near demonstration quality, and there is a wealth of breathtaking detail to be discerned merely in the costumes of the players early on in the film, especially during the banquet scene. The focus can be slightly soft at times, but the brightness more than compensates for this small deficiency. The audio is somewhat more problematic -- the soundtrack has been mastered at a very low level, at least 50 percent softer than the volume one has come to expect from DVD releases of the early 2000s. Pumping up the volume reveals all of the nuances and richness of William Alwyn's score -- one of the most lighthearted pieces of music in the composer's entire output -- along with the many jokes woven into the script. The 26 chapter markers reflect a fair amount of attention paid to the production of the disc, and the makers have also included a short joint biography of Burt Lancaster and his longtime friend and co-star Nick Cravat, that is accessible in a three-layer menu. There are also French and Spanish subtitles and English captions available. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide