''The Pirates of Capri'' ( it, I pirati di Capri), released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

as ''The Masked Pirate'', is a 1949 Italian/American

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companies ...

swashbuckler film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring

Louis Hayward Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor. Biography Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Scho ...

. It was filmed on location in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Plot

In Naples in 1798, foppish nobleman Count Amalfi (Louis Hayward), adviser to the Queen (Binnie Barnes), is secretly the heroic pirate Captain Sirocco, who leads a band of rebels to overthrow the aristocratic regime, dominated by villainous Police Chief Von Holstein (Massimo Serato).

Cast

as Count Amalfi/Captain Sirocco *

Binnie Barnes Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. Early life Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Eno ...

as Queen Carolina * Alan Curtis as Commodore Van Diel *

Massimo Serato Massimo Serato, born Giuseppe Segato, (31 May 1916 – 22 December 1989) was an Italian film actor with a career spanning over 40 years. Serato was born in Oderzo, Veneto, Italy and started appearing in films in 1938. He played leading roles in ...

as Von Holstein *

Mariella Lotti Maria Camilla Pianotti (17 November 1919 – 18 December 2004), known by the stage name Mariella Lotti, was an Italian film actress. Lotti made her film debut in 1939, and played leading ladies in a number of Fascist era and post-war films. She ...

as Countess Mercedes *

Mikhail Rasumny Mikhail Rasumny (May 13, 1884, in Odessa, Russian empire – February 17, 1956, in United States) was a Soviet and American film actor. Biography Rasumny was born in Odessa, son of the famous cantor Ephraim Zalman (Solomon) Razumny, who was chief ...

as Pepino * Virginia Belmont as Annette *

Franca Marzi Franca Marzi (18 August 1926 – 6 March 1989) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1943 and 1977. Life and career Born in Rome as Francesca Marsi, after working in the revue, Marzi made her film debut in her early ...

as Carla *

William Tubbs William Tubbs (May 10, 1907 – January 25, 1953) was an American stage and film actor.Bondanella p.156 He appeared in a number of European films in the years after the Second World War, including several by Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gaston ...

as Pignatelli

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote "the thundering noise, confusion and blood-letting of revolution comes too late to offset the pompous and dull make-believe that dominates," concluding that "Stuffy and obvious are the adjectives that best describe "The Pirates of Capri;" while more recently, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' gave the film 2/4 stars, and wrote "Great action scenes and clever direction by Ulmer pull this one out of the doldrums."

References

External links

* * * 1949 films 1940s historical adventure films American black-and-white films American historical adventure films Italian historical adventure films Films set in the 18th century English-language Italian films American swashbuckler films Films directed by Edgar G. Ulmer Films scored by Nino Rota Films set in Italy Films shot in Italy 1940s American films 1940s Italian films {{adventure-film-stub