Liana Orfei and Ricardo Montalban in RAGE OF THE BUCCANEERS (1961)
Unlike his previous movies made in Italy, this one has Ricardo's distinctive voice, which is always a plus. Ricardo started to look old by the time he made this or maybe he was too much in the sun. Or maybe it's the terrible wig he had. Regardless, he's in top form and he clearly had fun doing the movie but at 41, his days as an action star were almost over. The story has Gordon, aka the Black Pirate, battling the slave trade. It's quite a serious topic but the movie never delves deeply in the consequences of slavery. Liana appeared in a couple of PEPLUM movies with big US stars, such as Victor Mature, Guy Williams, Orson Welles, etc. Even though the two spend a lot of screen time together, she's not Gordon's love interest. A fun movie with excellent production and cast. Released as GORDON THE BLACK PIRATE for the home video market. Minerva Pictures International, the movie's rightful distributor, has it under that title. A German-Italian co-production.
2 comments:
And don't forget co-star Vincent Price in one of his two European costume films, the other being Queen of the Nile also with Liana Orfei
A most enjoyable pirate flick. It is available for streaming (free) on Amazon Prime as GORDON THE BLACK PIRATE.
My observations are as follows:
-- Ricardo Montalban's suntanned and wrinkled face was fully appropriate for a pirate captain. Such men led very harsh lives.
-- The female leads were all quite cute.
-- Ships in Italian pirate films are always ridiculous.
-- Like most pirate movies the plot is not to be taken seriously.
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