Released - September, 1952 

Directed By - Robert Siodmak

Starring - Burt Lancaster (Capt. Vallo), Nick Cravat (Ojo), Eva Bartok (Consuelo), Torin Thatcher (Humble Bellows), James Hayter (Prof. Prudence).

Description – The Crimson Pirate, Capt. Vallo, and his crew capture a ship carrying Baron Gruda a special envoy to the King who is on his way to crush a rebellion on the Island of Cobra.

It is the intention of Capt. Vallo to sell the Baron’s weapons to the rebels. The Baron has other ideas, and offers Vallo a great deal of money to help capture the rebel leader El Libre. Vallo accepts the deal and releases the Baron and his men.

Capt. Vallo’s opinion on the rebellion begins to change after meeting the beautiful Consuelo, a rebel leader, who is the daughter of El Libre. She tells Vallo that her father is already a prisoner on the island of San Pero.

The Crimson Pirate now agrees to help Consuelo rescue her father. Are his intentions to help the people sincere, or is Vallo just interested in double-crossing the Baron and selling the weapons to the rebel leader?

Notable: Burt Lancaster’s impressive acrobatic ability was learned early in his career while performing in the circus.

Actor Nick Cravat was the circus partner of Burt Lancaster.

Personal Note: In spite of a plot that may seem to some as a little silly, this is an enjoyable film suitable for the whole family that provides Burt Lancaster with a chance to display his acrobatic ability. Light-hearted with plenty of action and humor. 

The Crimson Pirate

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Released – July, 1952   

Directed By - Richard Thorpe

Starring – Robert Taylor (Ivanhoe), Elizabeth Taylor (Rebecca), Joan Fontaine (Rowena), George Sanders (de Bois-Guilbert).

Description – This film is based on the novel Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott. While returning from the Crusades, King Richard the Lionhearted vanishes. Ivanhoe, one of the kings knights, searches for him and finds that he is being help for ransom by Leopold of Austria.

The kings brother Prince John, aware of his brother’s captivity, wishes to do nothing except rule in his absense. Ivanhoe returns to England to see his love the Lady Rowena and appeals to his father Cedric for help in raising the ransom, but is refused as his father, being a Saxon, will not help a Norman king and orders his son to leave.

Exciting action and romance follow as Ivanhoe searches for a way to raise the ransom in order to save King Richard. Enjoy spectacular jousting, thrilling swordplay and find out how Richard is set free and who captures Ivanhoe’s heart!

NOTABLE: This motion picture was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Color, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

Ivanhoe was MGM’s highest-grossing film of 1952.

Elizabeth Taylor felt somewhat miscast in the role of Rebecca and, for awhile, there was some talk of replacing her with Deborah Kerr who has worked with Robert Taylor in 1951′s Quo Vadis.

Ivanhoe

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Released – June, 1952 

Directed By - George Sidney

Starring – Stewart Granger (Andre Moreau), Eleanor Parker (Lenore), Janet Leigh (Aline de Gavrillac de Bourbon), Mel Ferrer (Noel, Marquis de Maynes).

Description – Just before the start of the Frence Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette enlists the aid of her cousin Noel, Marquis de Maynes in finding out the identity of “Marcus Brutus” who is accused of inciting the people against the aristocracy.

Strictly by chance, de Maynes finds Marcus Brutus and provokes him into a duel. de Maynes is an expert swordsman while Brutus is very inexperienced. After toying with him, de Maynes kills Brutus.

Marcus Brutus, whos real name is Philippe de Valmorin, is a friend of Andre Moreau who witnesses the killing and in anger attacks de Maynes. However, with no sword skill of his own, he is easily humiliated, but not killed by de Maynes.

Moreau vows vengence and swears to kill de Maynes in the same way his friend was killed.

NOTABLE: This colorful remake of a silent film has, what may be, the longest swordfight ever captured on film.

Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner were originally considered for this film, but neither could due to other commitments.

Scaramouche

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Released - February, 1952 

Directed By - John Huston

Starring – Humphrey Bogart (Charlie Allnut), Katharine Hepburn (Rose Sayer), Robert Morley (Rev. Samuel Sayer), Peter Bull (Capt. of Louisa), Theodore Bikel (First Officer).

Description – It’s 1914 and World War I has begun. Brother and sister Samuel and Rose Sayer are missionaries in German East Africa. With the outbreak of war they are now on enemy soil.

Charlie Allnut is captain of the African Queen a small boat that brings mail and supplies to the mission. He warns the Sayers that they should leave the area, but they decline. They soon witness the burning of the mission and the village by the Germans. As Samuel tries to protest he is beaten by a German soldier. He later contacts a fever, becomes delirious and dies.

Charlie soon returns to see what has happened, helps Rose to bury her brother and takes her away on his boat. While deciding what to do next, Charlie tells Rose of a German gunboat, the Louisa, that patrols the area. This gives Rose an idea.

She comes up with a plan to turn the African Queen into a torpedo boat and to sink the Louisa. Charlie is reluctant knowing that to get into position to do this they would have to navigate a river that could be suicidal, successfully pass a German fort, and contend with some rough rapids.

Rose’s persistance eventually pursuades Charlie to go along with the plan leading to one of the most enjoyable adventure, love stories of all time.

NOTABLE: In 1994 this film was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress.

This motion picture won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Humphrey Bogart), and was also nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Katherine Hepburn), Best Director (John Huston), and Best Writing, Screenplay.

In 2007, the American Film Institute named this as #65 on the Greatest Movies of  All Time.

Some changes were made to the original script as the censors objected to two characters cohabiting without being married.

Most of the scenes take place on the African Queen. This filming was done on a large raft with a mockup of the boat on top.

This was Humphrey Bogart’s only Oscar of his career.

Katherine Hepburn was unhappy with the heavy drinking of both Bogart and director Huston during filming of this picture and herself drank only water. Result – she got dysentery.

It was reported that everyone in the cast and crew got sick during filming with the exception of Bogart and Huston. Regarding this, Bogart commented “All I ate was baked beans, canned asparagus, and Scotch whiskey. Whenever a fly bit Huston or me, it dropped dead.”

Actress Lauren Bacall accompanied husband Humphrey Bogart to Africa for the filming of the movie. It is here where her life-long friendship with Katherine Hepburn began.

Personal Note: This was one of the first Humphrey Bogart films that I was to see and will always remain one of my favorites. I have had the pleasure of collecting most of his work and never tire of viewing his motion pictures.

This is one of his best and is a very enjoyable film. 

The African Queen

The African Queen [Blu-ray]

Released – September, 1951 

Directed By - Raoul Walsh

Starring – Gregory Peck (Capt. Horatio Hornblower), Virginia Mayo (Lady Barbara Wellesley), Robert Beatty (First Lt. William Bush), Terence Morgan (Second Lt. Gerard).

Description – A faithful film adaptation based on three of C. S. Forestor’s Horatio Hornblower novels. The adventure begins with Captain Horatio Hornblower, commanding the 36 gun HMS Lydia, on a secret mission to deliver arms to aid a rebel against Spain, who at that time, was an ally of Great Britains’s enemy France.

The sea voyage is long and difficult, with Capt. Hornblower finding himself in the position of having to take on the much larger and powerful Spanish warship, the 50 gun Natividad. Surviving this encounter, Hornblower finds unexpectable complications that force him to change his plans and play the unwilling host to the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wellington.

Remarkable sea-battles and a touch of star-crossed romance highlight this very enjoyable adventure film.

Captain Horatio Hornblower

Literary Classics Collection (Madame Bovary (1949), Captain Horatio Hornblower, The Three Musketeers (1948), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions), Billy Budd)

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