The Pirate

The Pirate is a 1948 swashbuckler drama-musical film starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Walter Slezak. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, produced by Arthur Freed, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
== Plot ==
Manuela, who is obsessed with a notorious pirate called Mack "The Black" Macoco, lives in a small town in the Caribbean, Calvados. She is planning to get married to the brutal and mean city mayor, Don Pedro. Just before the wedding, however, Manuela travels to nearby Port Sebastien and meets Serafin, a witty and humorous entertainer who tries to woo Manuela. Manuela, disgusted, leaves, but that night, she is unable to stop thinking about Serafin. She winds up attending his concert. There, Serafin hypnotizes Manuela into a trance; he terminates this trance by kissing her, which causes a horrified Manuela to abruptly leave Port Sebastien for home. However, Serafin tracks her down and begs Manuela to proclaim her love for him and join his act. Just then, Don Pedro appears and tells Manuela to leave, intending to get even with Serafin. However, Serafin discovers that Don Pedro is actually Macoco, and uses this information to keep him silent. Serafin then addresses himself as Macoco, intending to win Manuela over. On the next day, Manuela prepares to leave the town with Serafin, still disguised as Macoco, but unfortunately, one of his actors accidentally reveals the plan to Manuela. Manuela, furious, throws numerous objects at Serafin until one of the pictures she threw knocks him unconscious. She then discovers that she truly loves Serafin. Meanwhile, the real Macoco (Don Pedro) convinces the city council that Serafin is the real Macoco and ought to be executed. When Serafin opens his trunk to prove that he is not a pirate, he gets a big shock, for Don Pedro had secretly planted jewels into the trunk. On the day of Serafin's hanging, he asks to give one last performance, "Be a Clown," with the talented Nicholas Brothers. He then attempts to hypnotize Don Pedro, but Manuela's aunt breaks it. A panicked Manuela somehow pretends to be hypnotized and sings a love song, "Love of My Life," declaring eternal devotion to "Mack the Black." Don Pedro, jealous, proclaims his real identity and is seized. The film ends with Manuela and Serafin singing a reprise of "Be a Clown."
== Cast ==
* Judy Garland as Manuela
*Gene Kelly as Serafin
* Walter Slezak as Mack "the Black" Macoco, better known as Mayor Don Pedro Vargas
* Gladys Cooper as Inez, Manuela's aunt
* Reginald Owen as The Advocate
* George Zucco as The Viceroy
* Lester Allen as Capucho
* Joan Dean as Casilda
* Lola Albright as Isabel
* Mary Jo Ellis as Lizarda
* Marion Murray as Eloise
* Ben Lessy as Gumbo
* Ellen Ross as Mercedes
* Jerry Bergen as Bolo
P. S. The Nicholas Brothers appeared as guest dancers in the first rendition of "Be a Clown," near the end of the film.
== Release and reception ==
The New York Times wrote, "The Pirate, which came yesterday to the Radio City Music Hall, is a dazzling, spectacular extravaganza, shot through with all the colors of the rainbow and then some that Technicolor patented. It takes this mammoth show some time to generate a full head of steam, but when it gets rolling it's thoroughly delightful."
The Chicago Tribune offered, "Certainly no effort was spared; the cast is star-studded, and the settings and costumes are strikingly handsome. Yet The Pirate is disappointing, especially in regards to its music. The film has its moments, especially those in which Kelly dominates the screen. Judy Garland handles a song as well as ever and has several excellent comedy scenes."
The New York Herald Tribune quoted, "At the Music Hall there is more dancing than script; more production pomp than sensible staging. But with Gene Kelly hoofing like a dervish, Judy Garland character was to show it was bouncing and how beautiful was."
The film opened on 20 May 1948 and earned $1,874,000 in America and $782,000 in Canada and other places. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lost almost $2.3 million as a result.
== External links ==
* The Pirate on IMDb
* The Pirate at the Turner Classic Movies Database
* The Pirate on AllMovie
* The Pirate at the American Film Institute Catalog
* The Pirate on Box Office Mojo