''The Pirate Movie'' is a 1982 Australian

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by

Ken Annakin Kenneth Cooper Annakin, OBE (10 August 1914 – 22 April 2009) was an English film director. His career spanned half a century, beginning in the early 1940s and ending in 2002, and in the 1960s he was noticed by critics with large-scale adventu ...

, and starring Christopher Atkins and

Kristy McNichol Christina Ann McNichol (born September 11, 1962) is an American former actress. She is known for such film roles as Angel in '' Little Darlings'', Polly in '' Only When I Laugh'', and Barbara Weston in the TV sitcom '' Empty Nest''. She won two Em ...

. Loosely based on

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

's 1879

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a n ...

'' The Pirates of Penzance'', the original music score is composed by Mike Brady and Peter Sullivan (no relation to ''Pirates of Penzance'' composer

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

). The film performed far below expectations in initial release and is generally reviewed very poorly, but fared far more positively with audiences. It has developed a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

following home media release and TV airings.

Plot

Mabel Stanley is an introverted and bookish teenage girl from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in a seaside community in Australia as an

exchange student A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but do ...

. She attends a local pirate festival featuring a swordplay demonstration led by a young curly-haired instructor and fellow American, who then invites her for a ride on his boat. She is duped by her exchange family sisters, Edith, Kate and Isabel, into missing the launch, so she rents a small sailboat to give chase. A sudden storm throws her overboard, and she washes up on a beach. She subsequently dreams an adventure that takes place a century before. In this fantasy sequence, the swordplay instructor is now named Frederic, a young apprentice of the ''Pirates of Penzance'', celebrating his 21st birthday on a pirate vessel. Frederic refuses an invitation from the Pirate King, his adoptive father, to become a full pirate, as his birth parents were murdered by their contemporaries. Frederic swears to avenge their deaths and is forced off of the ship on a small boat. Adrift, Frederic spies Mabel and her older sisters on a nearby island and swims to shore to greet them. In a reversal of roles, Mabel is a confident, assertive, and courageous young woman, while her sisters are prim, proper and conservative. Frederic quickly falls for Mabel and proposes marriage, but local custom requires the elder sisters to marry first. Soon, Frederic's old mates come ashore, also looking for women and kidnap Mabel's sisters. Major-General Stanley, Mabel's father, arrives and convinces the Pirate King to free his daughters and leave in peace. The pirates anchor their ship just outside the harbour instead of actually leaving. Mabel wants Frederic to gain favour with her father so they can marry, so she plots to recover the family treasure stolen years earlier by the pirates. Unfortunately, the treasure was lost at sea, but the location where it lies was tattooed as a map on the Pirate King's back. Mabel successfully tricks the Pirate King into revealing his tattoo while Frederic sketches a copy. After Mabel manages to escape from him, she and Frederic, who has sabotaged the pirate's ship, leap overboard and swim for safety. The pirates open fire on them, but the ship partially sinks, enabling them to escape. The next day, Mabel and Frederic recover the stolen treasure and present it to her father. The Major-General is underwhelmed as he believes the treasure will simply be stolen again once the pirates realise it is missing. Mabel dispatches Frederic to raise an army for protection, but the Pirate King interferes. The ship nurse, Ruth, convinces them to stop fighting, reminding the Pirate King of Frederic's apprenticeship contract. Frederic's birthday is 29 February, and he is dismayed to see that the contract specifies his twenty-first ''birthday'', rather than his twenty-first ''year''. As his birthday occurs every four years, Frederic has celebrated only five birthdays and is still bound by contract to remain with the pirates. That night, the pirates raid the Stanley estate, and the Pirate King orders their execution. Mabel demands a " happy ending" – admitting for the first time that she believes this all to be a dream. Everyone – even the pirates – cheers their approval, leaving the Pirate King disappointed and shocked. Mabel then confronts her father, but the Major-General is steadfast that the marriage custom remains in effect. Mabel quickly pairs each of her older sisters with a pirate, and she also pairs the Pirate King to Ruth. With Mabel and Frederic now free to marry, the fantasy sequence ends in song and dance. Mabel awakens back on the beach to discover that she is wearing the wedding ring that Frederic had given her in her dream. At that moment, the handsome swordplay instructor arrives and lifts her to her feet. He passionately kisses Mabel, who is still shaken by her dream. She asks if his name is Frederic. He assures her that he isn't who she imagines him to be, but then carries her off to marry her, thus giving Mabel her happy ending in reality as well.

Cast

* Christopher Atkins as Swordplay Instructor/Frederic *

as Mabel Stanley * Ted Hamilton as The Pirate King *

Bill Kerr William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian actor, comedian, and vaudevillian. Born in South Africa, he started his career as a child actor in Australia, before emigrating to Britain after the Second Wor ...

as Major-General Stanley * Maggie Kirkpatrick as Ruth, the ship nurse *

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

as Sergeant/Inspector * Chuck McKinney as Samuel * Kate Ferguson as Edith * Rhonda Burchmore as Kate * Catherine Lynch as Isabel

Production

Development

The film was the idea of actor Ted Hamilton, who became executive producer. Richard Franklin was first announced as director, but then

got the job,David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p194-195 and was rushed into production when

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a ...

announced that he was going to produce a film version of his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of ''The Pirates of Penzance''.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...

was shot at the ''Polly Woodside'' at the South Melbourne wharf, the Farm and Mansion at Werribee Park, and the ''Loch Ard'' on the Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, from November 1981 to January 1982. Secondary locations included various parts of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, namely

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

Cremorne (in the beginning sequences, after Fred invites Mabel and her friends on the boat),

Rushcutters Bay Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. The suburb of Rushcutters Bay ...

Marina (where Mabel obtains a small sailboat), and Palm Beach for some of the beach scenes.

Music

The musical numbers, primarily inspired by Gilbert & Sullivan, were written by Terry Britten,

Kit Hain Kit Hain (born 15 December 1956) is a British musician, songwriter and writer. She was a member of the rock duo Marshall Hain and had a solo career as a performer and songwriter. Musical career Hain met Julian Marshall while they were pupils ...

, Sue Shifrin and Brian Robertson. # "Victory" – The Pirates # "I Am a Pirate King" – The Pirates # "The Sisters' Song" – The Sisters # "First Love" – Frederic and Mabel # " The Modern Major General's Song" – Major General Stanley and Cast # "Pumpin' and Blowin'" – Mabel # "How Can I Live Without Her?" – Frederic # "Hold On" – Mabel # "Tarantara" – The Policemen # "We Are the Pirates" – The Pirates # "Come Friends, Who Plough the Sea" – The Pirates # "Happy Ending" – Cast

Soundtrack

''The Pirate Movie'' soundtrack album was released by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in August 1982 on vinyl and cassette. The album reached number 166 on the American ''Billboard'' 200, while the single "How Can I Live Without Her" peaked at number 71 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. : A1 – "Victory" – The Pirates (2:37) : A2 – "First Love" – Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins (4:13) : A3 – "How Can I Live Without Her" – Christopher Atkins (3:08) : A4 – "Hold On" – Kristy McNichol (3:14) : A5 – "We Are the Pirates" – Ian Mason (3:36) : B1 – "Pumpin' and Blowin'" – Kristy McNichol (3:05) : B2 – "Stand Up and Sing" –

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...

(4:32) (from '' Something Special'') : B3 – "Happy Ending" – The Peter Cupples Band (4:58) : B4 – "The Chase" – Peter Sullivan and The Orchestra (1:33) : B5 – "I Am a Pirate King" – Ted Hamilton and The Pirates (2:03) : C1 – "Happy Ending" – The Cast of The Pirate Movie (4:18) : C2 – "The Chinese Battle" – Peter Sullivan and The Orchestra (2:36) : C3 – "The Modern Major General's Song" – Bill Kerr and The Cast of ''The Pirate Movie'' (2:00) : C4 – "We Are the Pirates" – The Pirates (2:18) : C5 – "Medley" – Peter Sullivan and The Orchestra (4:03) : D1 – "Tarantara" – Gary McDonald and The Policemen (1:53) : D2 – "The Duel" – Peter Sullivan and The Orchestra (4:04) : D3 – "The Sisters' Song" – The Sisters (2:42) : D4 – "Pirates, Police and Pizza" – Peter Sullivan and The Orchestra (3:32) : D5 – "Come Friends Who Plough the Sea" – Ted Hamilton and The Pirates (2:00) ;Charts

Release

''The Pirate Movie'' was made soon after the 1980 New York City

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

and 1981 Broadway theatre production of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' produced by

, which re-popularized swashbuckling pirates as a theatrical genre.

Box office

The film earned A$1,013,000 at the Australian box office. In the United States, the film grossed $7,983,086.

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film has an approval rating of 9% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 2.23/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, it has a weighted average score of 19 out of 100, based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "Overwhelming dislike". ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' review called ''The Pirate Movie'' a "travesty" of the Gilbert and Sullivan original and said "with a philosophy of shove everything in regardless, it's nothing more than a waste of Miss McNichol's abilities, the audience's time and the incentives offered to make films in Australia." ''

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'' was a book-format collection of movie capsule reviews that began in 1969, was updated biannually after 1978, and then annually after 1986. The final edition was published in September 2014. It was originally calle ...

'' rated the film as a BOMB and stated: "Not only trashes the original, but also fails on its own paltry terms. It should have been called ''The Rip-off Movie''".''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' stated "Pop tunes are mixed in with some of the original G&S songs in a pirate period setting that grates on the nerves, as does the inane toilet humor that substitutes for wit. All the performers, especially McNichol, look as if they can't wait until the film is over, and one can hardly blame them."

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

and Harry Medved's book ''Son of Golden Turkey Awards'' includes ''The Pirate Movie's'' "First Love" on its list of "Worst Rock 'N Roll Lyrics in a Movie". Australian film critic Michael Adams later included ''The Pirate Movie'' on his list of the worst ever Australian films, along with '' Phantom Gold'', ''

The Glenrowan Affair ''The Glenrowan Affair'' is a 1951 movie about Ned Kelly from director Rupert Kathner. It was Kathner's final film and stars VFL star Bob Chitty as Kelly. It is considered one of the worst films ever made in Australia. Plot Artist Rupert Kat ...

'', ''

Houseboat Horror ''Houseboat Horror'' is a 1989 Australian slasher film that was shot on video, and then released to video in 1989. It is often described by critics and audiences as one of the worst Australian films ever made. Plot A film crew composed of m ...

'', ''

Welcome to Woop Woop ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel ''The Dead Heart'' by Douglas Kennedy. " Woop Woop" is an Australian colloqui ...

'', ''

Les Patterson Saves the World ''Les Patterson Saves the World'' is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage. Plot The uncouth Sir Les Patterson teams up with Dame Edna Everage (both played by Ba ...

'' and '' Pandemonium''.Michael Adams, ''Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies : a film critic's year-long quest to find the worst movie ever made''.New York : Itbooks, 2010. (p.144)

Accolades

The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book ''The Official Razzie Movie Guide'' as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.

References

External links

*
''The Pirate Movie''
at Oz Movies * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirate Movie, The 1982 films 1982 comedy films 1980s adventure films 1980s musical comedy films Australian musical comedy films Films directed by Ken Annakin Films based on works by Gilbert and Sullivan Films set in Australia Films shot in Melbourne Australian musical fantasy films Pirate films Rock musicals Romantic musical films Films set in the 1880s Golden Raspberry Award winning films 1980s English-language films