Pirates of Monterey

''Pirates of Monterey'' is a 1947 American Technicolor Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker starring Maria Montez and Rod Cameron. It was the last movie she made for Universal.

Plot

It is 1840 and California is ruled by the Mexican government. Kent is transporting rifles from Mexico City to California to be used by soldiers there. Wealthy aristocrat Marguerita Novarro and her maid are rescued by Phillip Kent when their carriage breaks loose.

The women hide and ride with Kent's caravan to Santa Barbara. Although she is wealthy and can pay, Kent says he will forego any remuneration from Marguerita in exchange for the first dance at a festival. As love blossoms, they continue north to Monterey with the caravan, where Kent is reunited with an old friend, Lt. Carlos Ortega, only to learn that Ortega is engaged to be married to Marguerita.

An attack by Royalists leaves Ortega seriously injured. Manuel De Roja is taken prisoner by Kent and turned over to one of Ortega's men, but the officer in charge turns out to be Manuel's own brother, Major De Roja.

Now in love, Marguerita and Kent try to leave Monterey together but are captured by De Roja's men. A jealous Ortega searches and is also taken captive, but after an escape, Kent kills De Roja in a battle with swords. Mexico's soldiers rout the royalists, and a grateful Ortega gives his blessings to Marguerita and Kent.

Cast

* Maria Montez as Marguerita Novarro
* Rod Cameron as Phillip Kent
* Gilbert Roland as Major De Roja
* Gale Sondergaard as Senorita De Sola
* Philip Reed as Lt. Carlos Ortega
* Michael Raffetto as Sgt. Gomara

Production

Rod Cameron had impressed Universal with his performance opposite Yvonne De Carlo in '' Salome, Where She Danced'' and the studio wanted to put him in a similar technicolor film with Maria Montez. This was meant to be ''Frontier Gal'' but Montez refused to make the movie and went on suspension. De Carlo acted opposite Cameron instead.

Eventually Montez agreed to make this movie with Cameron, which was announced in April 1946. Erle C. Kenton was originally meant to direct.

Mikhail Rasumny was borrowed from Paramount to appear in the film.

Reception

The ''Chicago Tribune'' wrote that "With the exception of sprightly little Mikhail Rasumny, who contributes a bit of comedy occasionally, this film is dull business, peopled by elaborately costumed but expressionless characters."

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said the film "doesn't, by any stretch of the imagination, class as an "epic", but it is beautifully photographed in Technicolor and contains enough fightin', feudin', and fussin' to satisfy fans of shoot-'em-up cinema fare."

''The New York Times'' claimed "the script for this rawhide romance was obviously ground out mechanically by an old typewriter on the Universal lot, set for 200 pages, while the writers played gin or slept. And the gent who is credited as director—Alfred Werker, who also has been around—plainly fulfilled his assignment in the same tired, mechanical way."

''The Christian Science Monitor'' said "only the very young will be able to excite themselves about" the film.

Universal were reportedly so pleased with Philip Reed's performance they offered him a seven-year contract at one film a year.

References

External links

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*
Review of film
at ''Variety''
{{Alfred L. Werker

American historical adventure films
1947 films
1940s historical adventure films
Universal Pictures films
Films directed by Alfred L. Werker
Films set in the 1840s
Films set in California
American Western (genre) films
1947 Western (genre) films
1940s American films
1940s English-language films