The Pirate (VHS, 1990)

The Pirate, starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland in the second of their three films together, is one of my all-time favorite films. Plenty of critics have registered their complaints with The Pirate, and the film did badly at the box office. However, Kelly's and Garland's performances and Cole Porter's excellent songs give this picture such charm and appeal that I urge anyone who enjoys movie musicals to watch The Pirate.

Garland plays Manuela, a girl raised by her aunt and uncle in a small town in the Caribbean. She has been so sheltered that she's never even seen the sea, but she has read about Mack the Black Macoco, a pirate whose deeds are infamous, and fallen in love with the idea of him and his daring adventures. Manuela is disheartened to learn her aunt has arranged for her to be married to Don Pedro, the newly arrived, rich mayor, who vows never to leave home again. Determined to see the Caribbean Sea at least once in her life, Manuela travels to the port city of San Sabastien to pick up her trousseau from a ship which also brings with it a troupe of actors, led by Serafin the Great (Kelly).

Serafin is immediately taken by Manuela and pursues her, much to her distress. His attempts to woo the soon-to-be-wed Manuela seem doomed to fail until he discovers her love for the pirate Macoco. What's more, he also recognizes the black Macoco in the person of Don Pedro, who is desperate to keep his true identity secret. Serafin seizes the opportunity and convinces Manuela that he himself is Mack the Black, pirate of her dreams. Just when her love is all but guaranteed to Serafin, Don Pedro retaliates against the poser and has him dragged to the gallows as a dangerous criminal of the high seas. Only Serafin's quick thinking and Manuela's help can save him from being hanged and ensure punishment for the real pirate.

Kelly, Garland, and their supporting cast carry off the plot with aplomb. Garland's wardrobe is amazing, and, despite holding up production on account of her drug/health issues, Judy sings amazingly. Her "Mack the Black" number is among her best performances ever. The humor will have you smiling all the way through - Judy seeking revenge by hurling every item in the room at Gene's head is hilarious! Add to that Kelly's remarkable acrobatics, especially in the "Nina" sequence and the tightrope-walking scene, and the film is a must-see.

True, the soundstage is always at the fore and we are never once fooled into believing the film was shot anywhere near the Caribbean, but director Vincente Minnelli's insistence on these interior sets lends plenty of bright colors and a fairy-tale sort of nostalgia to the "island."

Another questionable decision was plastering a fake mustache on Kelly's lip. In an interview years later, Gene himself quipped that people didn't want to see him with a mustache.

I've seen many of Judy Garland's pictures and nearly every movie Gene Kelly made, and The Pirate remains among my favorites. I encourage everyone to watch this film. You won't be disappointed.