It takes very high winds in Jamaica to have English ranchers Nigel Hawthorne and Isabel Dean to decide to send their children back to England. This hurricane literally rips their ranch apart, and mother Dean is upset by the presence of voodoo in the native servants attempts to stop the storm from increasing. But what the parents don't know is that pirates, disguised as women from a supposedly capsized ship, have taken over, and this puts their children into an uncertain danger, but the pirates become their caretakers, showing that even members of the jolly Roger can have a soft spot. In fact, the pirates seem more civilized than the original crew of the ship who tried to get a monkey drunk so they could cut off his tail. With a cast lead by Anthony Quinn and James Coburn as the pirate leaders, this is an exciting adventure from start to finish, beginning with a really scary hurricane. Lila Kedrova is reunited with her "Zorba the Greek" co-star, but her role is really a cameo, playing a saloon keeper where the children witness a cock fight. This doesn't have the silliness of "The Pirates of Penzance" or exaggerated special effects like "The Pirates of the Caribbean" series. It's just a very direct adventure, filled with fun for the whole family, a great musical score, fantastic photography and very detailed attention on everything going on. The tale turns dark at the end when the older girl is attacked and ends up on trial. The opening segment of the hurricane is visually horrific as the father struggles to get one daughter (stupidly chasing a frightened cat) back in the house, then their descent into an underground shelter where the voodoo spells are already in progress. Quinn and Coburn make a fantastic team. It's a shame that they only worked in one other movie together, a forgotten 1981 film called "High Risk".

Anthony Quinn is the captain of a pirate ship in the middle 1600s. The ship and its crew loot a British passenger ship. Half a dozen young kids, mostly British, board the victim ship accidentally sail away aboard the pirate ship. Quinn, a drunken and pediculous lout, comes eventually to care about the children in his own crude way, before a British Naval steamship capture him and his superstitious crew and rescue the kids, who are by this time wearing tattered clothing and are filthy.The two central roles are those of Anthony Quinn and Deborah Baxter as one of the children. Quinn does his usual reliable number -- Zorba the Greek with edginess. He's dashing around the deck in his bare feet shouting orders in Spanish, slapping impertinent seamen about the head.But Deborah Baxter's role is important. And she's magnetic. It's worth speculating why this should be so, but the answer isn't too flattering to the gentlemen in the audience. She was nine years old when this film was released. She's not striking beautiful -- no porcelain doll like Brooke Shields in "Pretty Baby." There is nevertheless something extremely appealing about her appearance and demeanor. Please, I'm no pedophile. I find older women more likable, for all the reasons given by Benjamin Franklin.But Deborah Baxter, prepubescent though she may be, combines her juvenile vulnerability with a clearly seductive quality, which Quinn's character, the writers, and director Alexander MacKendrick all recognize and put to use in the story. It mocks our sensibilities to deny it. Jenny Agutter was about fourteen when she made "Walkabout" and Sue Lyon fourteen when she was Kubrick's "Lolita." Not that Quinn's pirate captain necessarily realizes what's up. He's clearly embarrassed at one point, at which he finds himself having to pin Baxter down to the deck, hovering above her, the crew chuckling because the position is suggestive. It's also clear that by the end, Quinn's desire to help and protect her has eclipsed any sexual feelings he might have felt.She's a decent actress too, for a young girl. Her confusion at the climactic trial puts a definite period at the end of Quinn's career. And she turned quite beautiful in the next few years. That's why she was cast as Teddy Roosevelt's daughter in "The Wind and the Lion." Her character in that film, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, was a no-nonsense woman who lived into a candid late old age and died just one or two decades ago. You know the song, "Alice Blue Gown"? She's the "Alice." I loved Quinn. People accuse him of overacting, yet it fits the part of a self-indulgent, not-too-bright pirate captain, huffing and puffing, always on the edge of hysteria. It's not really Zorba we see on the screen. It's Zampano from Fellini's "La Strada." A brute, but one who comes to have civilized feelings after all.

Very good adventure , a pure entertainment movie based on a novel written by Richard Hughes , shot in Jamaica and Pinewood studios. In the late XIX , during Victorian time , a hurricane destroys the house of family Thorton and the children are sent England . But their ship is attacked by a pirate galleon captained by Chavez (Anthony Quinn) and the second in command (James Coburn) and they are taken aboard . But the children reveal their basic natures aboard of the vessel and the problems emerge , discovering the innocent savageries of childhood.This enjoyable pirate movie contains sensible moments , wonderful seafare exteriors and thought-provoking theme with psychological studio of childhood . It packs comedy, adventure, drama and tragedy , all of them are ironically balanced by an intelligent screenplay written by Stanley Mann and Ronald Harwood . Excellent main cast as an exceptional Anthony Quinn and James Coburn as good pirates . Good supporting cast as Nigel Davenport , Lila Kedrova , Dennis Price , and brief role for Gert Frobe . Nice musical score directed by Philip Martell and composed by virtuoso harmonica Larry Adler, including some catching songs. Colorful cinematography by Douglas Slocombe in widescreen who reflects splendidly the Caribbean outdoors. The motion picture is stunningly directed by Alexander Mackendrick who directed ¨Sammy going South¨ also about childhood issue . Rating : Well worth watching , better than average . The picture will appeal to Anthony Quinn and James Coburn fans.

I believe I read the book and I'd seen this film when it came out; then two weeks ago I found the DVD was available so I snapped it up. I'd forgotten the ending, more than likely because everyone doesn't live happy after conclusions would never see light of day today. In fact I can't imagine a child of 2006 watching this all the way through. I am not sure if it is because of the window scene in Tampico, or the children's reaction later on the ship to their brother's tragic death. This assumes the kids did not leave earlier when the drunken pirate crew comes to have the governess.Because of videos and DVDs, children of today want to see the cartoon violence Kevin inflicts on Pesci and Stern, to the sound of "YESSSS" rather than the unplanned mayhem visited on the pirate crew by the Thornton gang. And they would never accept Chavez' fate, done in by Emily's non-intervention and by the stupidity of his crew. Worse yet in today's storytelling, there are no villains, even among the crew. They are not bad men, just superstitious.I'd forgotten how much of the dialog is in Spanish, as it should be. The film is definitely not dumbed down; it is beautifully shot but do see if in widescreen, else some of the magic is lost.