THE CRIMSON PIRATE is quite unconvincing pirate adventure, but the film is extremely entertaining (perhaps on the verge of taste) and full of action. The story is set in the Caribbean and shows how the captain of a pirate ship seeks to exploit the conflict colonial authorities with the revolutionaries working for both sides, as long as he does not fall in love with the beautiful daughter of the leader of resistance. This movie does not offer some exciting duels, but offers quite interesting acrobatics. Pirate at sea. The thief on the mainland. Probably, because of this fact the main protagonists look like circus artists. The scenario has its faults, and pretty large "holes", hence the emphasis on humor and action.Love and woman changed pirate character and plan. It is very nice to see no matter what is quite unconvincing. Burt Lancaster as Captain Vallo is powerful, agile and smiling pirate captain. Now, there is a lack of passion for the pirate robbery and for romance. Good, solid performance. Very handsome man jumping from ship to ship or from balcony to balcony. Nick Cravat as Ojo is the captain's right hand. The game with pantomime is always interesting and fun if you do not overdo it with her.

Technicolor swashbuckler with ample doses of humor. I wasn't expecting much from this film. The only classic swashbucklers I've ever really enjoyed were the Errol Flynn ones. This one always seemed very "kiddy" to me and in some ways it is. It does have an all ages appeal to it. But I tried it out because it has a great reputation and was directed by one of the premiere directors of the 1940's, Robert Siodmak. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed.The star of the film is Burt Lancaster but he's helped throughout by his real-life friend and former circus partner Nick Cravat. The two do many of their own stunts and it's very enjoyable to watch. Unusual opening where Lancaster talks to the camera seems like something that might have been shot for a trailer but then left in the movie. Rousing score and upbeat tempo throughout. Just a fun movie I would recommend to anybody who isn't a snob about the genre.

I can watch this movie over and over and never get tired of it. Once you have seen this movie you understand where a lot of the later pirate movies got some of their stuff from.The plot is classic movie writing at it's best with just the right amount of everything. One of the other reviewer's mentioned that if they showed this on TV it would probably appeal to all ages and in fact it does. I had loaned my copy to a friend with young children (about 5 years old) and his children loved it.It has all the elements that make movie going worth going. I hope that one day they remake this one but it would be really hard to fill Bert Lancaster's shoes. He was the perfect pirate.With his team of new found allies he sets out on a mission to get what he really wants. The girl! It's an adventure and a love story. What could be better, right?

An early, light-hearted attempt to poke fun at the pirate genre from within. Burt Lancaster plays the title character, a typical charming scoundrel pirate named Vallo, who decides to try his hand at business when he agrees to exchange a freedom fighter, El Libre, for guns, but his plan goes horribly awry when he falls in love with El Libre's beautiful daughter (Eva Bartok). Before long, Vallo's up to his neck in trouble when his own crew turns against him, save for his loyal sidekick/first mate Ojo (Lancaster's real life friend Nick Cravat, playing it mute because of his accent), exile him with an up and coming scientist, with the daughter in danger of being married off to an evil tyrant. And it's up to Vallo to rescue his lady love in conjunction with saving his crew... and wearing red & white striped pants while doing it.Funny, flamboyant flick with Lancaster having fun - or at least pretending to be having fun - as the rascal pirate.The scene with Lancaster and his cronies walking on the ocean floor with the row boat over their heads would later be referenced in 2003's summer block buster "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl".