The Pirate
A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
Critics Sentiment
Serafin performs Be a Clown with the Nicholas Brothers before his hanging
Serafin begs Manuela to flee on her wedding day, Don Pedro interrupts
The film swings from its weakest stretch around the wedding-day confrontation (score 5.8) to the beloved vase-throwing comedy sequence (score 8.2), a jump of 2.4 points driven by Garland and Kelly's physical comedy finally clicking into high gear.
The Pirate opens with stylish but theatrically overwrought world-building that divides audiences, settles into a thin and tension-free middle act that most reviewers found padded and unconvincing, then surges in its final third when Garland's physical comedy, Kelly's dancing, and the Be a Clown number deliver the exuberant spectacle the film promised. The overall arc is one of a slow burn that rewards patient viewers but frustrates those expecting consistent swashbuckling energy throughout.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 52
Judy Garland
Manuela Alva
Gene Kelly
Serafin
Walter Slezak
Don Pedro Vargas
Gladys Cooper
Aunt Inez
Reginald Owen
The Advocate
George Zucco
The Viceroy
Fayard Nicholas
Performer
Harold Nicholas
Performer
Lester Allen
Uncle Capucho
Lola Albright
Isabella
Ellen Ross
Mercedes
Mary Jo Ellis
Lizarda
Jean Dean
Casilda
Marion Murray
Eloise
Ben Lessy
Gumbo
Jerry Bergen
Bolo
Val Setz
Juggler
Cully Richards
Trillo
Oliver Blake
Official (uncredited)
Marie Windsor
Madame Lucia (uncredited)
Crew
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