''Queen of the Seas'' ( it, Le avventure di Mary Read) is a 1961

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...

and starring

Lisa Gastoni Lisa Gastoni (born 28 July 1935) is an Italian film actress. Gastoni was named "Best Italian Actress of the Year, 1966" as she received both the Nastro D'Argento Award and the Golden Globe Award from Italy's Foreign Press Association.} Biograp ...

and

Jerome Courtland Jerome Courtland (December 27, 1926 – March 1, 2012) was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical '' ...

Plot

Cast

as Mary Read *

as Peter Goodwin * Walter Barnes as Captain Poof *

Agostino Salvietti Agostino Salvietti (28 August 1882 - 2 December 1967) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than forty films from 1924 to 1964. Filmography References External links * 1882 births 1967 deaths Italian male film actors {{It ...

as Mangiatrippa *

Germano Longo Germano Longo (24 May 1933 – 14 July 2022) was an Italian actor and voice actor. He was sometimes credited as Herman Lang or Grant Laramy. Life and career Born in Poggiardo, Longo attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, ...

as Ivan *

Gianni Solaro Gianni Solaro (born Gianni Lorenzon, 11 August 1926 – 12 August 2006) was an Italian film and television actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Solaro was a character actor in the Italian film industry for about twenty years, between the late 19 ...

as Governor of Florida *

Tullio Altamura Tullio Altamura (born 18 July 1924) is an Italian actor, best known for his roles in Spaghetti Western, spaghetti westerns and action films in the 1960s. Life and career Born in Bologna, the son of a career officer in the Kingdom of Italy, It ...

as Don Pedro Alvarez * Gisella Arden as The French Dancer *

Dina De Santis Dina De Santis (born 21 December 1943) is an Italian former actress. Life and career Born Carlotta Provin in Vicenza, as a child De Santis won a beauty contest and at young age she started working for the advertising industry and on stage. ...

as Peter's Lover *

Ignazio Balsamo Ignazio Balsamo (25 October 1912 – 7 August 1994) was an Italian film and stage actor. Life and career Born in Catania, Balsamo began his career on stage, being part of several Sicilian language theatrical companies. Discovered by Pietr ...

as Captain of the Guards *

Anna Arena Anna Arena (June 21, 1919 – August 19, 1974) was an Italian film actress.Smith p.116 Selected filmography * ''Jealousy'' (1942) * '' Vacation with a Gangster'' (1951) * ''The Piano Tuner Has Arrived'' (1952) * '' Beauties in Capri'' (1952) * ' ...

as Lady in the Diligence *

Giulio Battiferri Giulio Battiferri (15 July 1893 – 22 January 1973) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1939 to 1972. He was married to the actress Pina Piovani. Life and career Born in Rome, Battiferri started his career ...

as Prison Guard *

Edoardo Toniolo Edoardo Toniolo (22 November 1907 - 31 December 1986) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Turin, the son of the stage actors Antonio and Rosa Rosaz, at young age Toniolo debuted on stage in supporting roles. He late ...

as Lord Goodwin *

Piero Pastore Pietro Mario Pastore, also known as Piero Pastore (3 April 1908, in Padua – 8 January 1968, in Rome) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a striker; he later became an actor. Football career Pastore was the youngest ever playe ...

as Master of Protocol *

Loris Gizzi Loris Gizzi (16 August 1899 – 6 October 1986) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Rome, after his university studies Gizzi attended a school of dance and singing. He abandoned the courses when he became an employee ...

as The Director of the Prison *

Bruno Scipioni Bruno Scipioni (29 July 1934 – 5 December 2019) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Rome, Scipioni graduated in accountancy and then, in 1958, he attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He started his film caree ...

as Lord Stewart

Release

''Queen of the Seas'' was released theatrically in Italy on December 1, 1961. It was released in the United States in 1964. It has received a home video release by Something Weird.

Reception

In a contemporary review, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' reviewed a 62 minute dubbed version under the title ''Hell Below Deck''. The review described the film as a "spiritless pirate melodrama" and noted "poorly photographed settings" and the swordplay, intrigues, and love scenes are "all equally uninteresting."

References

Sources

External links

* 1960s historical adventure films French historical adventure films Italian historical adventure films Pirate films Films directed by Umberto Lenzi Cultural depictions of Mary Read Films with screenplays by Ernesto Gastaldi Films with screenplays by Luciano Martino 1960s Italian films 1960s French films {{adventure-film-stub