The Crimson Pirate (1952)

Set in the late 18th century Caribbean, a pirate (Burt Lancaster) makes a deal with an envoy to the King (Leslie Bradley) to capture the leader (Frederick Leister) of a rebellion against authorities. However, when he meets the daughter (Eva Bartok) of the rebel leader, he begins to have second thoughts. Directed by Robert Siodmak (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE), this affectionate tongue in cheek homage to the swashbuckler is great fun. Siodmak specialized in the darker noir genre but he seems right at home in this fast moving adventure. Reputedly, it was Siodmak's idea to turn a serious script into a comedy adventure. Lancaster started out as a circus acrobat but after his film debut in Siodmak's THE KILLERS (1946), he rarely had a chance to fully show his acrobatic skills but they're on display here and he looks like he's having a ball! Even if you're not a fan of pirate movies, this one is hard to resist. With Dana Wynter, Nick Cravat, Christopher Lee, Torin Thatcher, Margot Grahame and James Hayter.