The Black Pirate (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #18 extract: The Black Pirate (1926)

A spectacular adventure and a story of heroism unique to the silent era and Douglas Fairbanks. Rife with iconic imagery - the descent down a sail with a knife, swashbuckling of various kinds, the mass movement of bodies across the brilliant sets, the special effects swimming sequence and the wonderful shot of Fairbanks being raised up the levels of the ship by his men - The Black Pirate is sequence after sequence of classic spectacle cinema. Imbued into all of this is a tremendous sense of romantic fantasy, which seals this narrative as not just archetypal, but genuinely captivating. And, of course, the two-colour Technicolor, as Fairbanks designed this narrative around, adds further aesthetic wonder to the spectacle of this narrative. 

Having had a great time with this iconic film, I was only left wishing the score on the version I watched was a little better. As more an adventurous thrill-ride, less a profound piece of art, I highly recommended The Black Pirate - especially if you can find a good score.