IMDb > Pirates (1986)
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Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   2,885 votes
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Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Roman Polanski
Writers:
Gérard Brach (writer)
John Brownjohn (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Pirates on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 July 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Comedy more
Plot:
Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
The best pirate film more (36 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Walter Matthau ... Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Cris Campion ... The Frog - Jean-Baptiste
Damien Thomas ... Don Alfonso de la Torré
Olu Jacobs ... Boomako
Ferdy Mayne ... Captain Linares

David Kelly ... Surgeon
Tony Peck ... Spanish Officer (as Anthony Peck)
Anthony Dawson ... Spanish Officer
Richard Dieux ... Spanish Officer
Jacques Maury ... Spanish Officer
José Santamaría ... Master at Arms (as Jose Santamaría)
Robert Dorning ... Commander of Marines
Luc Jamati ... Pepito Gonzalez
Emilio Fernandez ... Angelito (as Emilio Fernandez)
Wladyslaw Komar ... Jesus (also as Wladislaw Komar)
Georges Trillat ... Pockmarked Sailor
Richard Pearson ... Padre
Charlotte Lewis ... María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde
Georges Montillier ... Duenna
John Gill ... Carpenter
David Foxxe ... Cook
Brian Maxine ... Boatswain
Raouf Ben Amor ... Armoury Guard
Eugeniusz Priwieziencew ... Hunchback

Roger Ashton-Griffiths ... Moonhead
Ian Dury ... Meat Hook
Bill Stewart ... Ginge
Sydney Bromley ... Diddler
Cardew Robinson ... Lawyer
Roy Kinnear ... Dutch
Daniel Emilfork ... Hendrik
Carole Fredericks ... Surprise
Allen Hoist ... Fiddler
Denis Fontayne ... Sailor
Michael Elphick ... Sentry
Angelo Casadei ... Sentry
Bill Fraser ... Governor
Antonio Spoletini ... Palace Guard
Bill MacCabe ... Jailer
Smilja Mihailovitch ... New Duenna
Bernard Musson ... Passenger
Josine Comellas ... Passengers Wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gina Calabrese ... (uncredited)
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Directed by
Roman Polanski 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Gérard Brach  writer (as Gerard Brach)
John Brownjohn  screenplay collaboration
Roman Polanski  writer

Produced by
Tarak Ben Ammar .... producer
Mark Lombardo .... co-executive producer
Thom Mount .... executive producer
Umberto Sambuco .... co-executive producer
 
Original Music by
Philippe Sarde 
 
Cinematography by
Witold Sobocinski 
 
Film Editing by
Hervé de Luze 
William Reynolds 
 
Casting by
Dominique Besnehard 
Mary Selway 
Maude Spector 
 
Production Design by
Pierre Guffroy 
 
Set Decoration by
Bruno Cesari (uncredited)
 
Costume Design by
Anthony Powell 
 
Makeup Department
Jean-Pierre Eychenne .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Pino Butti .... production manager (uncredited)
Vittorio Noia .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Lvoff .... second assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Taieb Jallouli .... set dresser: Tunisia (uncredited)
Domenico Mancino .... blacksmith (uncredited)
Miki Zachar .... assistant art director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Jean-Pierre Ruh .... sound
Ray Gillon .... stereo sound consultant: Dolby (uncredited)
Laurent Quaglio .... sound editor (uncredited)
Laurent Quaglio .... sound (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Antonio Corridori .... special effects (uncredited)
Franco Ragusa .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Ryszard Janikowski .... stunts
Richard Graydon .... stunts (uncredited)
Zbigniew Modej .... stunt double (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jürgen Vollmer .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Billy Byers .... conductor (as Bill Byers)
William Flageollet .... music recording mixer
Orchestre de Paris .... orchestra
 
Other crew
William Hobbs .... fight stager
Albert Galea .... location manager: Malta (uncredited)
Franco Penna .... production accountant (uncredited)
Roberto Penna .... production accountant (uncredited)
Lonnie Ramati .... production business affairs (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
121 min | Argentina:116 min | Sweden:118 min
Country:
France | Tunisia
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
Certification:
UK:PG (original rating/video rating) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Malta more
Company:
Carthago Films S.a.r.l. more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Timothy Dalton was to play the part of Don Alfonso de la Torre before definitively backing out to make himself more available for the next James Bond film. more
Quotes:
Captain Linares: Why are there never answers to the question's that truly matter. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Clive James Meets Roman Polanski (1984) (TV) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
The best pirate film, 7 March 2004
Author: daneelo from Budapest, Hungary

This film is one of Polanski's masterpieces. He did to pirate movies what Sergio Leone did to western: showing the opposite of the usual sancticised glamorous movie portrayal of an era, yet achieving an epic effect, and images you want to see again and again.

But a difference to Leone, beyond a high dose of irony and situation comic, is the bittersweet ingredient of the Central-Eastern-European experience, of lack of success and constant failure, constantly hitting all of our heroes in the film.

Memories of living under communism might have also played a role in the (for me) most memorable part of the movie, the failed mutiny followed by the successful mutiny aboard the Spanish ship: the way the aristocrats have power over the people, and make Captain Red and The Frog eat the rat. And then, hilarious juxtaposing, the mutiny is like a parody of a communist revolution.

But the best thing about the film are the actors. Walter Matthau is at his best as the grumpy old liar Captain Red, Damien Thomas is terrific as Don Alfonso the hyper-arrogant Spanish aristocrat who'll never loses his superiority, Roy Kinnear the embodiment of ugliness as the Dutch, and also the young no-names Cris Campion (playing The Frog, the naive young Frenchman at Captain Red's side) and Charlotte Lewis (playing the even more naive daughter of the governor).

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Pirates on Blu Ray in France MrFist
Anyone know if this movie will come out on DVD (North America)? Byteknight
I was there when they made it runefromnorway
Why is this film so hated by critics? sebastiaanros
french edition ! jonlenine
Available in Australia Crystal_kitten16
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