Pirates (film)
Encyclopedia
Pirates is a 1986 adventure-comedy film written by Gérard Brach
, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski
and directed by Polanski. It was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival
.
for a swashbuckling adventure film called Pirates. Originally, Polański intended for Jack Nicholson
to play the central role of Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red, a grizzled old pirate, but complications arose partially due to the enormous fees Nicholson was demanding (according to Polanski, when Nicholson was asked what exactly he wanted, he replied, "I want more.") Following this, the production was delayed for a number of years when Polanski was arrested in California
on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, which caused him to flee the United States to avoid sentencing. Production restarted later in Paris, this time with a different production company, Cathargo Films, and a new producer, Tarak Ben Ammar
. The role of Captain Red went to Walter Matthau
and the film finally came out in 1986, 12 years after it was first conceived.
The film's original estimated budget, while Polański was aligned with Paramount
on the picture, was $15 million, but the final budget is estimated to have cost US$40 million. The reported gross box office revenues in the United States was $1.65 million. Despite the film's financial disasters, it was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Costume Design.
A full scale galleon
was built for the film in a shipyard in the village of Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia
, adjacent to the Tarak Ben Ammar Studios, which had been constructed exclusively for this production. An accurate replica above the waterline, but sporting a steel hull and a 400 HP auxiliary engine, the "Neptune" was and still is entered into the Tunisian naval register and is currently a tourist attraction in the port of Genoa
, where its interior can be visited for a 5 euro
entry fee.
) stranded aboard a raft at sea with his first mate, Frog (Cris Campion), both of whom are presumably close to death from dehydration
. After Red, cracking under the starvation, tries to kill and eat Frog, the duo is picked up by a Spanish Galleon
and are forced into slavery
before instigating a shipwide mutiny
with the other prisoners and taking control of the vessel. Frog falls in love with María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde (Charlotte Lewis
), the niece of the governor
of a Spanish colony. Red covets the golden throne
that the Spanish have taken from an Aztec
king. Large amounts of explosion
s and gunfights occur as they recruit a crew of cutthroats to win over the gold (with Frog trying to romance the girl as well) throughout the remainder of the film. Ironically, the film ends in a Pyrrhic victory
for the heroes, with Captain Red and Frog again stranded on a raft, Red sitting on the golden throne urging Frog to eat and "fatten up" (hinting at a possible relapse in his cannibalistic urges).
and her attorney Gloria Allred
accused director Roman Polanski of predatory sexual conduct against the actress when she was 16 years old on the set of Pirates.
Gérard Brach
Gérard Brach was a French screenwriter best known for his collaborations with the film directors Roman Polanski and Jean-Jacques Annaud...
, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
and directed by Polanski. It was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival
1986 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Sydney Pollack*Alexandre Mnouchkine*Alexandre Trauner*Charles Aznavour*Danièle Thompson*István Szabó*Lino Brocka*Philip French*Sonia Braga*Tonino Delli Colli-Feature film competition:* After Hours by Martin Scorsese...
.
Production
Riding on the success of the highly acclaimed Chinatown, Roman Polanski began to write a screenplayScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for a swashbuckling adventure film called Pirates. Originally, Polański intended for Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
to play the central role of Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red, a grizzled old pirate, but complications arose partially due to the enormous fees Nicholson was demanding (according to Polanski, when Nicholson was asked what exactly he wanted, he replied, "I want more.") Following this, the production was delayed for a number of years when Polanski was arrested in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, which caused him to flee the United States to avoid sentencing. Production restarted later in Paris, this time with a different production company, Cathargo Films, and a new producer, Tarak Ben Ammar
Tarak Ben Ammar
Tarak Ben Ammar is an international movie producer and distributor, He is famous for his interest in artistic movies, especially when they are related to Mediterranean culture or require North African locations...
. The role of Captain Red went to Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
and the film finally came out in 1986, 12 years after it was first conceived.
The film's original estimated budget, while Polański was aligned with Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
on the picture, was $15 million, but the final budget is estimated to have cost US$40 million. The reported gross box office revenues in the United States was $1.65 million. Despite the film's financial disasters, it was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Costume Design.
A full scale galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
was built for the film in a shipyard in the village of Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, adjacent to the Tarak Ben Ammar Studios, which had been constructed exclusively for this production. An accurate replica above the waterline, but sporting a steel hull and a 400 HP auxiliary engine, the "Neptune" was and still is entered into the Tunisian naval register and is currently a tourist attraction in the port of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, where its interior can be visited for a 5 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
entry fee.
Plot summary
The film begins with Captain Red (Walter MatthauWalter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
) stranded aboard a raft at sea with his first mate, Frog (Cris Campion), both of whom are presumably close to death from dehydration
Dehydration
In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
. After Red, cracking under the starvation, tries to kill and eat Frog, the duo is picked up by a Spanish Galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
and are forced into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
before instigating a shipwide mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
with the other prisoners and taking control of the vessel. Frog falls in love with María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde (Charlotte Lewis
Charlotte Lewis
Charlotte Lewis is an English actress.-Career:Charlotte Lewis made her film debut as a teenager in the 1986 Roman Polanski film Pirates. She followed it that same year with the female lead in The Golden Child alongside Eddie Murphy. Later appearances include the film Tripwire and Storyville...
), the niece of the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of a Spanish colony. Red covets the golden throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
that the Spanish have taken from an Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
king. Large amounts of explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
s and gunfights occur as they recruit a crew of cutthroats to win over the gold (with Frog trying to romance the girl as well) throughout the remainder of the film. Ironically, the film ends in a Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
for the heroes, with Captain Red and Frog again stranded on a raft, Red sitting on the golden throne urging Frog to eat and "fatten up" (hinting at a possible relapse in his cannibalistic urges).
Accusations against Roman Polanski
On May 14, 2010 Charlotte LewisCharlotte Lewis
Charlotte Lewis is an English actress.-Career:Charlotte Lewis made her film debut as a teenager in the 1986 Roman Polanski film Pirates. She followed it that same year with the female lead in The Golden Child alongside Eddie Murphy. Later appearances include the film Tripwire and Storyville...
and her attorney Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred
Gloria Rachel Allred is an American lawyer noted for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particulary those involving the protection of women's rights.-Early life:...
accused director Roman Polanski of predatory sexual conduct against the actress when she was 16 years old on the set of Pirates.
Cast
- Walter MatthauWalter MatthauWalter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
- Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red - Cris Campion - The Frog - Jean-Baptiste
- Damien ThomasDamien ThomasDamien Thomas is a British actor noted for his roles in British films and television, such as his role as Richard Mason in the 1983 BBC production of Jane Eyre....
- Don Alfonso de Salamanca de la Torre - Olu JacobsOlu JacobsOludotun Jacobs , is a Nigerian actor. He has starred in several British television series and international films. In 2007 he won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.- Career :...
- Boomako - Roger Ashton-GriffithsRoger Ashton-GriffithsRoger Ashton-Griffiths is a British character actor, screenwriter and film director.He graduated from Lancaster University and the University of East London , and began his career as a singer with English National Opera at the London Coliseum.He has appeared in numerous high-profile films,...
- Moonhead - Ferdy MayneFerdy Mayne-Early life:He was born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel, in Mainz, Germany. His German father was the Judge of Mayence, and his half-English mother gave singing lessons. Because his family was Jewish, he was sent to England to protect him from the Nazis, and he stayed with his aunt, the photographer...
- Captain Linares - David KellyDavid Kelly (actor)David Kelly is an Irish actor, who has been in regular film and television work since the 1950s.-Acting career:Playing everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, he has appeared in Theatre, TV and film constantly since 1959...
- Surgeon - Tony PeckTony PeckTony Peck is the drummer for Peoria, Illinois based band, The Forecast. He was raised in Pleasant Hill, Illinois and is a 2002 graduate of Pleasant Hill High School where he was active in the school's music programs and was a 2002 recipient of the Arion Award...
- Spanish Officer (as Anthony Peck) - Anthony DawsonAnthony DawsonAnthony Dawson was a Scottish-born actor, best known for his supporting roles in British films.Born in Edinburgh, he made his film debut in 1943's They Met in the Dark, going on to appear in such classic British films as The Way to the Stars , The Queen of Spades , and The Wooden Horse , before...
- Spanish Officer - Richard Dieux - Spanish Officer
- Jacques Maury - Spanish Officer
- José SantamaríaJosé SantamariaJosé Emilio Santamaría Iglesias is an Spanish-Uruguayan former football player and coach. He is regarded by many as one of the all-time greatest central defenders...
- Master at Arms (as Jose Santamaría) - Robert DorningRobert DorningRobert Dorning was a musician, dance band vocalist, ballet dancer, and actor. He is known to have performed in at least seventy-seven television and film productions between 1940 and 1988....
- Commander of Marines - Luc Jamati - Pepito Gonzalez
- Emilio FernándezEmilio FernándezEmilio "El Indio" Fernández was an actor, screenwriter and director of the cinema of Mexico. He is best known for his work as director of the film Maria Candelaria which won the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Early life:Fernández was born in Mineral del Hondo, Coahuila...
- Angelito (as Emilio Fernández) - Wladyslaw KomarWladyslaw KomarWładysław Komar was a Polish shot put champion, who was born in Kaunas. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won the gold medal at Munich in 1972....
- Jesus (also as Wladislaw Komar)
External links
- Neptune - photo of the galleon built for the film Pirates, now in Genoa.