''The Pirates of Capri'' (), released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as ''The Masked Pirate'', is a 1949 American-Italian

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

swashbuckler film A swashbuckler film is characterised by swordfighting and adventurous heroic characters, known as swashbucklers. While morality is typically clear-cut, heroes and villains alike often, but not always, follow a code of honor. Some swashbuckle ...

directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring

Louis Hayward Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a South African-born, British-American actor. Biography Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Sch ...

. It was filmed on location in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Plot

In Naples in 1798, foppish nobleman Count Amalfi (Louis Hayward), adviser to the Queen (Binnie Barnes), is secretly the heroic pirate Captain Sirocco, who leads a band of rebels to overthrow the aristocratic regime, dominated by villainous Police Chief Von Holstein (Massimo Serato).

Cast

as Count Amalfi/Captain Sirocco *

Binnie Barnes Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known for as a leading lady in films such as ''The Private Life of He ...

as Queen Carolina * Alan Curtis as Commodore Van Diel *

Massimo Serato Massimo Serato (born Giuseppe Segato; 31 May 1917 – 22 December 1989) was an Italian film actor with a career spanning over 40 years. Biography Serato was born in Oderzo, Veneto, Italy and started appearing in films in 1938. He played leading ...

as Von Holstein *

Mariella Lotti Mariella Lotti (born Maria Camilla Pianotti; 17 November 1919 – 18 December 2004) was an Italian film actress. Lotti made her film debut in 1939, and played leading ladies in a number of Fascist era and post-war films. She was one of many act ...

as Countess Mercedes *

Mikhail Rasumny Mikhail Rasumny (May 13, 1884 – February 17, 1956) was a Soviet and American film actor. Biography Rasumny was born in Odessa, son of the famous cantor Ephraim Zalman (Solomon) Razumny, who was chief cantor of the choral synagogues in Kishine ...

as Pepino *

Virginia Belmont Virginia E. Belmont, also spelled Virginia Belmonte (September 20, 1921 – May 6, 2014), was an American film actress. Born in New York City, she moved to California as a child. She attended San Diego High School and San Diego State College ...

as Annette *

Franca Marzi Franca Marzi (18 August 1926 – 6 March 1989) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1943 and 1977. Life and career Born in Rome as Francesca Marsi, after working in the revue, Marzi made her film debut in her early ...

as Carla *

William Tubbs William Tubbs (May 10, 1907 – January 25, 1953) was an American stage and film actor.Bondanella p.156 He appeared in a number of European films in the years after the Second World War, including several by Roberto Rossellini. Biography Born ...

as Pignatelli

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote "the thundering noise, confusion and blood-letting of revolution comes too late to offset the pompous and dull make-believe that dominates," concluding that "Stuffy and obvious are the adjectives that best describe "The Pirates of Capri;" while more recently, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' gave the film 2/4 stars, and wrote "Great action scenes and clever direction by Ulmer pull this one out of the doldrums."

References

External links

* * 1949 films 1940s historical adventure films American black-and-white films American historical adventure films Italian historical adventure films Films set in the 18th century English-language Italian films American swashbuckler films Films directed by Edgar G. Ulmer Films scored by Nino Rota Films set in Italy Films shot in Italy 1940s American films 1940s Italian films {{1940s-adventure-film-stub