A rip-roaring piratical romp with Robert Newton, after playing Long John Silver for Disney's "Treasure Island" cashing in this time as Blackbeard a.k.a. Ned Teach leading his very motley crew into dangerous adventure on the high seas.
Also on board are the statuesque Linda Darnell as the resident damsel in distress and her protector and lover Maynard (called Mainyard throughout by old Blackbeard) played by while the main protagonist of all and sundry appears to be the gentleman pirate captain Morgan, pillar of society by day and treacherous plunderer by night.
Director Raoul Walsh ushers the action along in his typical no-nonsense style, with the ship battle scenes and hand to hand fighting among the pirate hordes especially memorable, give or take the odd jarring juxtaposition of ship models, back projections and less than bloody sword-fights.
Newton completely dominates the cast. He ooh - ahhrs for all he's worth generally lending to proceedings the necessary bluster, heartlessness despite and cunning. He carries the picture and is in most scenes until his demise at the end which will serve as a warning to anyone who's ever let themselves be buried up to their neck in sand on the beach. Despite wearing a less than terrifying set of little red flags on his beard, Newton revels in the Teach part, knowing that no one trusts him and everybody fears him.
I was confused for a time by the appearance of Richard Egan (later to captain his own boat into danger in "Jason and the Argonauts" some years later) as Maynard's friend as both men look so like one another. Darnell's similarly kidnapped old lady-in-waiting gets a humorous performance by as the rum-loving nursey although she disappears out of the film after about halfway but Walter Slezak seems as confused about his characters,
Perhaps it goes on a bit and lacks a reasonable ending, but when I hear the older generation talk about going to the cinema as children to see an exciting matinee performance, this is the kind of film I imagine they're talking about.
Also on board are the statuesque Linda Darnell as the resident damsel in distress and her protector and lover Maynard (called Mainyard throughout by old Blackbeard) played by while the main protagonist of all and sundry appears to be the gentleman pirate captain Morgan, pillar of society by day and treacherous plunderer by night.
Director Raoul Walsh ushers the action along in his typical no-nonsense style, with the ship battle scenes and hand to hand fighting among the pirate hordes especially memorable, give or take the odd jarring juxtaposition of ship models, back projections and less than bloody sword-fights.
Newton completely dominates the cast. He ooh - ahhrs for all he's worth generally lending to proceedings the necessary bluster, heartlessness despite and cunning. He carries the picture and is in most scenes until his demise at the end which will serve as a warning to anyone who's ever let themselves be buried up to their neck in sand on the beach. Despite wearing a less than terrifying set of little red flags on his beard, Newton revels in the Teach part, knowing that no one trusts him and everybody fears him.
I was confused for a time by the appearance of Richard Egan (later to captain his own boat into danger in "Jason and the Argonauts" some years later) as Maynard's friend as both men look so like one another. Darnell's similarly kidnapped old lady-in-waiting gets a humorous performance by as the rum-loving nursey although she disappears out of the film after about halfway but Walter Slezak seems as confused about his characters,
Perhaps it goes on a bit and lacks a reasonable ending, but when I hear the older generation talk about going to the cinema as children to see an exciting matinee performance, this is the kind of film I imagine they're talking about.