Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952)

Raoul Walsh's direction is sloppy in this technicolor high seas adventure that never gets much wind in its sail outside of the outlandishly wonderful scenery chewing performance by Robert Newton as the title character. Newton who would go on to play more benign pirates (Long John Silver) is deliciously duplicitous from start to finish as he attempts to outfox all around him including his crew who hate but fear him more.Director Walsh who helmed some excellent adventure dramas in the past seems to settle for anything mixing haphazard seriousness with mawkish romance and some dark comedy that Newton drives home with gusto. There's a decent sea battle, Linda Darnel displaying cleavage and Irene "Granny" Ryan scoring a few laughs as her lady in waiting but the film remains a burlesque most of the way with Newton thankfully center stage going over the top throughout before receiving a fitting exit befitting the most dastardly of screen pirates.

Raoul Walsh's 1952 film "Blackbeard the Pirate" doesn't strive for any historical accuracy, but it's high in the entertainment category and one of the best of its kind. Robert Newton has literally a "field day" as Blackbeard and he set the standard for all future screen pirates. His famous "AAARRGGGG" is a crucial part of the dialog and Newton uses the expression for all its worth. Along for the ride are lovers Keith Andes and Linda Darnell; she's a captive and he's her rescuer. The rest of the plot revolves around Blackbeard and his men wreaking havoc in the Caribbean while kicking butt and taking names. But it's tough work with a woman like Ms. Darnell aboard ship. Lovely Linda displays plenty of cleavage and is so "top heavy" that it's a wonder she doesn't sink several frigates. Also in the cast is William Bendix ("The Life of Riley") as a pirate with a Brooklyn accent, but he fits right in with Blackbeard's motley crew. It's all done with flair and style under the guidance of Walsh who was one of Hollywood's best action directors. The final end to Blackbeard's reign of terror is befitting for the man and the movie. It's an image that will stay with viewers (particularly young ones) for a long time. Suffice to say that Blackbeard receives something a lot worse than "water-boarding."

Hollywood turned out dozens of pirate adventures in its heyday, most, such as The Black Swan, The Spanish Main, Captain Kidd etc etc, were flat and routine swashbucklers that lacked the kind of acting presence, story, and edge that made MGM's 1934 version of Treasure Island, and Warner's Captain Blood from 1935 standards of the genre. The pirate movie throughout the 40's, much like the western, was in need of something fresh.In 1950, Robert Newton made a stalwart impression as Long John Silver in the British remake of Treasure Island, released through Disney. Though the film was not nearly as good as the '34 MGM version, Newton managed to surpass the performance of Wallace Beery's Silver, which was no easy feat as Beery was exceptional in that role.Coming off of that success, RKO paired Newton with hit and miss director Raoul Walsh to make Blackbeard the Pirate. Newton's performance in the title role was even better than his turn in Treasure Island - a definitive portrayal of the pirate captain that continues to predominate the genre. Not a single actor from Wallace Beery to Victor McLaglen to Charles Laughton to Peter Ustinov to Dustin Hoffman to even Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp have managed to usurp the pure overbearing sea scenery chewing double-dealing rapscallion that is Robert Newton as Blackbeard. His performance, as brutal as it is humorous, is a joy to behold, and elevates the film to a higher level.The film itself is not as routine as one might expect either. There is a plot going on here (albeit not exactly an airtight one), and some fine supporting performances from William Bendix (always watchable), Linda Darnell, and Keith Andes, a mostly forgotten actor who apparently could do it all in show business from sing and dance to swordfight. His cutlass battles in Blackbeard are of Flynn/Rathbone quality, but actually remind one more of the kind of swordfighting seen in Lester's The Three Musketeers 20 years later. For a film made in 1952, there is a surprising amount of gore in this as well.Not a great story, but a good one, and entertaining throughout. Everything you'd expect from a 50's adventure on the high seas is delivered here - action, romance, blood and treachery. One of the best pirate movies of all time.

I am gratified that so many others have commented on Robert Newton's completely over-the-top performance in the title role. Unfortunately, it completely transcends the otherwise conventional Hollywood pirate movie that surrounds it. When he's on the screen, nothing else exists. Yes, it's ham-acting at its hammiest but it's virtuoso ham acting that hardly anyone could hope to match. He rolls his eyes, growls, orates...he simply takes over the movie and almost gives ham-acting a good name. The only performances of this kind that I can think of which come close to matching him are Orson Welles (in many things but especially in "Black Magic") and Ralph Richardson in "Things to Come."