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starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott, Donald Crisp, Sam De Grassedirected by: Albert Parker
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0018619958452
Format: Color, NTSC
Label: Jef Films/Mvd
Manufacturer: Jef Films/Mvd
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Jef Films/Mvd
Release Date: July 15, 2003
Running Time: 88 minutes
Sales Rank: 102680
Studio: Jef Films/Mvd
Theatrical Release Date: March 08, 1926
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
The silent era's greatest swashbuckler, Douglas Fairbanks, took to the sea with cutlass in hand and gypsy earrings dangling for the first great pirate movie and a gorgeous example of early Technicolor. In a story that's become almost cliché in the intervening years, Fairbanks is the sole survivor of a pirate attack who infiltrates the high-seas criminals by posing as a master pirate. Defeating their leader in an acrobatic duel, Fairbanks proceeds to capture their next ship single-handedly in a sequence that has him swinging from mast to mast and, in the film's most memorable stunt, slicing the ship's sails with his knife as he slides down the sheet. Along with booty, however, the pirates discover a beautiful noblewoman (Billie Dove) and the Black Pirate must devise a plan to save the prisoners and himself in the face of a bloodthirsty band of brigands. Packed with every classic pirate device in the book, from saber duels to walking the plank, The Black Pirate shows off Fairbanks at his best, a jaunty, resourceful hero performing the most amazing acrobatic feats. The restoration shows the two-strip Technicolor classic at its best as well: a beautiful, delicately hued marvel, painstakingly restored and color-balanced from the original negative by film preservationist David Shepard. This edition also includes 19 minutes of rare black-and-white outtakes. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Fairbanks' Art Director: Only the Best Would Do
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. had the heart of an artist, and his choice for art director of The Black Pirate reflects that. Carl Oscar Borg - whose works today command multi-thousand dollar prices - was a famous artist even then. Perhaps best known for his magical paintings of the people and landscapes of the American Southwest, Borg found in Fairbanks a kindred soul. The artist and his wife made their home in Santa Barbara, California, but with the passing of his patroness Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother ... Read More
Rating: - Good film, very good extras
If this DVD had had just the film itself, I would have given it 4 stars, but the extras push it up to 5 stars for me. The film does move a bit slowly, begins kind of in media res, has a rather thin plot, and has some holes in what little narrative plot there is, but it's still packed with the great swashbuckling and action-adventure one expects in a Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., film. He's in top form here, be it in a fight with both swords and rapiers, swinging from ropes, swimming, or effortlessly sliding ... Read More
Rating:  - Classic Swashbuckler
I have been fortunate to see this film 3 times on the big screen and it is certainly the finest example of a Two-Strip Technicolor silent film still extant. The restored print is first rate and captures the subtle look that Fairbanks wanted. Fairbanks is at his finest and this film contains the famous stunt of plunging his knife into the mainsail and gracefully sliding to safety. However, it is fair to note that this film moves noticeably slower than the other Fairbanks swashbucklers of this era but it ... Read More
Rating: - THE MASTERPIECE
This adventure of a film has been described several times and what an adventure it is!
So how about the dvd? As usual the `KINO` badge is synonymous with the highest quality discs from the finest surviving 35mm material.
This is an awe inspiring transfer from the early beautiful two colour technicolor 35mm master. With the original score as played in theatres re-recorded in digital stereo, watching this film is a wonderous experience and the way `silent` films should be enjoyed. ... Read More
Rating: - Historic but not so much fun as other Fairbanks films
This is the oldest surviving three color film. That is film the stuff in the camera I am talking about. So the reason it gets published now is for historical interest in film methods. The story is OK, but the image quality is not so hot. This isn't Kino's fault - the film was in poor condition with many scratches. Finding a color print was very a coup, but that particular print was not in perfect condition.
As usual Fairbanks does nifty stunts, including an underwater attack on a ship, but ... Read More
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