The Pirate

The Pirate ( Original title: The Pirate ) is an American musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli from 1948, based on a play by SN Behrman. The first performance in the U.S. took place on 20 May 1948.

Action

On a Caribbean island Manuela lives in the town of Calvados, dreams of being kidnapped by the legendary pirate Mack Macoco. However, according to the will of her aunt and uncle she is the mayor Don Pedro marry a fat tyrant. Shortly before her marriage visited Manuela neighboring town of Port Sebastian. A traveling circus performances there, being the leader of the troupe, Serafin, flirting with all the women. He caresses Manuela. He praises her beauty and begs her not to marry Don Pedro. The Angry Manuela then leaves the city. In the following night she could not sleep, and she sneaks secretly Serafin to visit his performance again.

During the performance of Manuela Serafin is hypnotized. He believes they have fallen in love with him. However, in her trance, she confesses her infatuation with the pirates Macoco. Serafin awakens Manuela with a kiss, causing it to flee in panic. The next day, the wedding day, reached the circus Calvados. Serafin examined for Manuela and asks her to come to his troops. Don Pedro hears noises in Manuela's room, enters and asks Manuela to go on to teach Serafin a lesson. Serafin recognizes Don Pedro the pirate Macoco, who once seized on a ship on which Serafin was a passenger. Now Macoco has become as Don Pedro retired and corpulent. Serafin blackmailed Don Pedro, by threatening him to reveal his true identity to Manuela and other citizens, if he does not allow it, that the circus should give a performance.

Serafin decides to get his turn impersonate Macoco to win Manuela for themselves. He reveals himself before the whole town and asks Manuela if she wanted to go with him. But Manuela refuses. As she watches from her window a dance of Serafin, she begins to dream. The next day, " Macoco " threatens to burn down the city, Manuela should not go. Manuela agrees now a happy.

Accidentally Manuela is alerted to Serafin's fraud of a troop member. She pretends to want to seduce Serafin, but she confronts him and throws angry things at him. When she meets him by accident and he goes to the ground unconscious, she realizes that she loves him.

Meanwhile, Don Pedro convinces the viceroy of that Serafin is really Macoco and should hang for his actions. In Serafins equipment car he can place a bangle. An army patrol found the bracelet and arrested Serafin. The evening before Serafin execution Manuela sees the false evidence, and recognizes that the bracelet has the same design as the wedding ring that you gave Don Pedro. It concludes that Pedro is the true Macoco.

As a last wish Serafin is granted a performance of his show. The highlight of the presentation Don Pedro to be hypnotized. He uses a mirror as hypnosis means, but is broken by Manuela's mother. Manuela pretends to be hypnotized by Serafin and confesses in front of everyone her love for Macoco. Pedro is jealous and pretends to be Macoco to detect. He seizes Manuela, but is attacked by the circus troupe with juggling balls and cream cakes. Last Serafin and Manuela find together again.

Reviews

" Judy Garland's charm, Gene Kelly and Vincente Minnelli's desire to dance tasteful Directed make the rather unassuming script template an amusing Hollywood musical. "

" Vincente Minnelli staged a peppy musical, Kelly co-designed his impressive dance numbers as co- choreographer in the genes. In addition to the opulent stage scenes impress even the most sharp-tongued word duels between Kelly and Garland, which provides as boyish tomboy for attention. "

" " The Pirate " is a fantasy in vibrant colors, so theatrically as possible, sparkling like a pirouette ," Minnelli said of his last film with his then-wife Judy Garland. With the extravagant choreography by Gene Kelly and Robert Alton, and the exquisite songs of Cole Porter, the simple story became a musical highlight, which was unfortunately only moderately appreciated by the former cinema audience. "

Background

  • This production of MGM was a major flop cinema; with a budget of 3.7 million U.S. dollars, the film grossed a worldwide less than three million.
  • The film was made entirely in the MGM Studios in Culver City.
  • Dance scenes of the Nicholas Brothers, a tap dancer duo, which had been engaged to Kelly's request, were cut during the first performances of the film in Memphis and other cities in the American South from the film, because the two dancers of African-American origin were.
  • Cole Porter wrote music and lyrics for all five musical numbers in this movie musical ( Niña, Mack The Black, You Can Do No Wrong, Be A Clown and Love Of My Life) and composed the instrumental number Pirate Ballet along with Roger Edens and Conrad Salinger, during the curiously not mentioned in credits Lennie Hayton was responsible for the orchestration of film music. For some of the vocal numbers Salinger contributed the arrangements.
  • Cole Porter wrote three more songs for this movie musical: Manuela and Martinique were not considered; Voodoo was recorded by Judy Garland, but not used at the instigation of Louis B. Mayer for the film.
  • Producer Freed ( Oscars 1952, 1959) could be used for the production win the following award-winning staff: Cameraman Stradling (Oscar in 1946, another in 1965 ), art director Cedric Gibbons ( Oscars 1930, 1935, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, after the film in 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957), Set Decorator Edwin B. Willis ( Oscars 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, after the movie 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957) and sound engineer Douglas Shearer ( Oscars 1930, 1936, 1937, 1941, 1945, after the movie 1952 to honor and special Oscars in 1936, 1937, twice in 1938, 1942, 1960, 1964).
  • In later years, the following employees were honored with prizes: Actress Judy Garland ( Golden Globe 1955), director Minnelli (Oscar and Golden Globe 1959), arranger and orchestra leader Hayton ( Oscars 1950, 1970), art director Jack Martin Smith ( Oscars 1964 1967, 1970), art director Arthur Krams (Oscar 1956), cinematographer Sam Leavitt (Oscar 1959) - here as unnamed camera technician - and costume designer Barbara Karinska (Oscar 1949).

Awards

1949: Academy Award nomination in the category Best Music ( Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture) - Lennie Hayton

1948 in film Screenplay Albert Hackett Frances Goodrich Arthur Freed Film score Harry Stradling Blanche Sewell Memphis (Tennessee) Academy Award for Best Original Score Undercurrent (1946 film) Father of the Bride (1950 film) Father's Little Dividend The Bad and the Beautiful Brigadoon (Film) Tea and Sympathy (film) Gigi (1958 film) Home from the Hill (film) Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film)
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