Lack of good storyline.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I ranked this film very high for several reasons: 1. I enjoyed the acrobatics in the film of Burt Lancaster and his former circus partner,Nick Cravat. They bounce and swing as if on trampolines and parallel bars throughout the movie.2. I especially loved the scene where Lancaster and Cravat are chased by the soldiers: it is choreographed so amusingly.3. I would watch any film in which Eva Bartok appeared. She is beautiful and enchanting.4. How refreshing it is to watch a pirate movie where the sets are not so fake looking in appearance. And the quality of the cinematography is superb for 1952.5. Stellar cast. Besides Lancaster, Cravat, Bartok, add Torin Thatcher and Christopher Lee.6. It's fun: a comedy. It satirizes pirate films while retaining the action and romance of the genre.Add some popcorn and you have an evening's entertainment.

Burt Lancaster plays a 18th-century buccaneer called Capt. Vallo with a taste for action and acrobatics and pits his wits and brawn against the might of a villain nobleman ; as Vallo pretending to be a baron to infiltrate into a strongly-armed island and finding romance along the way . It starts when a ship of the king's Navy armed with thirty guns on a mission in the Caribbean late in the Eighteenth Century . There appears a famous pirate (Burt Lancaster who starred various swashbucklers and classic adventures) supported by bearded and short Ojo (Nick Cravat is mute because he had a thick East Coast accent and in actual life his previous circus partner) leading a band who involves himself in the goings on of a Caribbean revolution . As he saves the damsel (Eva Bartok as a hot-tempered woman who swoons over Vallo) in distress and , of course , seduces her ; furthermore he confronts a ruthless baron (Bradley) at an island . As Vallo poses as a Baron in order to penetrate a well-defended enemy stronghold .Agreeable pirate movie , plenty of action , thrills , bright cinematography and luxurious costumes . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic final confrontation between Burt Lancaster and Leslie Bradley . ¨The Crimson Pirate¨ results to be one of Lancaster's swashbuckling best and has achieved a classic status . This entertaining pirate movie is packed with noisy action , burlesque , poking fun , loads of ship battles , humor with tongue-in-cheek and impressive acrobatics adds interest to the ordinary swashbuckling . Considered by many to be one of the best pirate movies laced with comedy and enthusiastically paced . Interesting and enjoyable screenplay by Roland Kibbee ; however , the script started life as serious, nay solemn, but Robert Siodmak, the director, with all the sure touch of real tension behind him in "The Killers" and "The Spiral Staircase," took stock of the material in forty-eight hours and turned it into a comedy . Hight budgeted film , including expensive battles at sea , as it overruns ballooned the original $1.1 million dollar budget to $1.85 million . Burt Lancaster is a complete show including spectacular acrobatic in which Burt performing his own stunts . Lancaster played this pirate movie in the wake of his man-of-action epoch when he performed three magnificent adventure movies that included ¨His majesty O'Keefe¨ and ¨The Flame and the Arrow¨ . Because of cost overruns on "The Crimson Pirate" and "His Majesty O'Keefe," Warner Brothers insisted that future films from Hecht and Lancaster be limited to $900,000. Lancaster and Hecht's response was to strike a new deal with United Artists . Good support cast such as Torin Thatcher playing an astute pirate called Humble Bellows , James Hayter as Prof. Elihu Prudence and brief appearance of Christopher Lee who has a small character and gets to struggle with the main star .Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Otto Heller , being filmed on location in Bay of Naples, Naples, Campania, and Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy . Lively and jolly musical score composed by William Alwyn , well conducted by usual Muir Mathieson . The motion picture was splendidly directed by Robert Siodmak who realizes a skillful filmmaking . Robert had previously directed Burt Lancaster in two classic Noir films titled ¨The Killers¨ and ¨Criss Cross¨. The picture will appeal to Burt Lancaster fans . Burt plays at his best and he provides a lot of fun as his own acrobatic ability , ably assisted by little Nick Cravat . This is a real showcase for Lancaster and Cravat's acrobatic skills . Raing : Above average , 8 , very good good pirate movie , wonderful stuff . Essential and indispensable watching for swashbuckling enthusiasts .

Often these old pirate movies have some covert theme that's serious -- Errol Flynn fights genuine traitors at court or a hated king. This one doesn't even have a hemidemisemiquaver. There HAS to be a snarling and arrogant villain, of course, but he's fictitious and as much a cartoon figure as the handsome, radiantly fit Burt Lancaster. Oh, how I wanted to be Burt Lancaster when I was twelve years old, bare chested, wearing only candy striped leotards, swinging from mast to mast and shouting orders like, "Humble Bellow, man that jib and marry the pelican hooks!" Lancaster was much more than an ex acrobat who did most of his own stunts, not being particularly afraid of working at height, as I would have been. His earlier movies were echt-noir. Lancaster as the hapless dummy in the smoky atmosphere of "The Killers" and "Criss Cross." Later, he turned arty on us. There was the recovering alcoholic of "Come Back, Little Sheba" and the wrecked middle-class madman of "The Swimmer." But in the early 50s he turned out a number of extremely enjoyable and colorful action thrillers like this one and "His Majesty O'Keefe" and "South Sea Woman," and it was always thrilling to see Lancaster himself doing the dangerous stunts -- Lancaster, the protagonist who, had he broken a leg, would have left the production without its star. Actually, he did injure his knee in "The Train", an entirely sober film, but the director, John Frankenheimer, had the injury written into the script."The Crimson Pirate" is a lot of fun. The whole family will enjoy the corny jokes and the back-flipping bodies and the exquisitely choreographed fights, most of which end not with death but with unconsciousness. There are extravagantly anachronistic weapons deployed for the climax -- a kind of Gatling gun, a hot air balloon with no hot air, a flame thrower on wheels. And there is Lancaster and his buddy, Nick Cravat, in drag, their cheeks painted rose, with mile-wide grins, strewing flowers in front of the filthy Baron Gruber whom they are trying to deceive. "These peasant shapes are not to my taste," mutters the Baron.All of this takes place in the sunny Mediterranean of the Italian coast with real sailing ships and real wind ruffling everyone's hair. It's like sending your mind on a vacation. Freud called it regression in the service of the ego but the rest of us dummies can call it a lot of fun.

Captain Vallo, aka the Crimson Pirate, leads his band in a capture of a British ship headed to the Caribbean to capture a rebel, El Libre. Vallo says he will deliver the guns to the rebels, but plans to give them to El Libre to drive out the British from the island. Vallo, and his mute sidekick Ojo, are aided by El Libre's daughter Consuelo, but after Vallo and company rescue their target, they are betrayed by British representative Baron Gruda as well as Vallo's first mate Bellows. Vallo, Ojo, and traveler Professor Prudence are left adrift in a lifeboat while Gruda plans to marry Consuelo to the local governor to strengthen his rule, but Vallo plans to use the professor's scientific knowledge to win the final battle. A very rousing swashbuckler that ranks among the most entertaining of its genre. Lancaster and Cravat were some duo as you can see they did their own stunts and very well I might add. Alwyn's score is a plus in every place it is used with plenty of different tunes to go for all the scenes. The sound recording however is the big drawback of the film and all of the cartoonish sound effects during many of the action scenes left groans on my face. Excellent and action packed climax on the ship. Rating, 8.