Morgan, the Pirate (1960)

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Steve Reeves wasn't as fitted to the swashbuckler genre as he was to the epic, and certainly not this historical character (who even has two females, Governor's daughter Valerie Lagrange and peasant-girl Chelo Alonso, sparring for his attention) - unforgettably incarnated on the screen by Laird Cregar in the exhilarating classic THE BLACK SWAN (1942)! This alone dropped its credibility factor by a few notches; taken on its own merits, it's not too bad - though still nothing more than an ordinary costumer (in spite of De Toth's involvement) with plenty of action but little real excitement (since the plot is streamlined to serve its low-brow nature and the meager budget). That said, it's handsome enough (particularly in the French print I watched) and Franco Mannino's score is quite good as well.

I saw this in 1962 when I was 7 years old at a kids matinee in our local crummy cinema THE EMPIRE in the suburb of BOTANY in SYDNEY AUSTRALIA. It made me the man I am today, with a completely mesmerising afficianado for old cinemas and the use of colour in old films.Years later it was re run with hilarous voice overs at late shows but the film still was such good fun and quite well made that even making fun of it didn't detract. It is actually quite good.

This is a good pirate film for kids.I don't think anybody,including Reeves,thought that he was a great artist,but it's a fun picture.Vaguely inspired by "Captain Blood",this has very little to do with the real Henry Morgan.It also has aspects of "The Adventures of Robin Hood "as well.Chelo Alonso,straight from her adventures in the Follies Bergere is simply exquisite.A funny sequence has Reeves strip to the waist for a duel with the paunchy Armand Mestral,who,when viewing his rivals superb physique,shrugs in chagrin.Ripping good fun.

It is a shame that "Morgan the Pirate" is not shown or recognized more by action fans. It is very hard to find this film on any tv station - including cable or video stores. Steve Reeves gives his very best acting job in this venerable pirate tale.....also, an oddity is that Steve has to pursue the lovely Dona Inez, the daughter of the governor of Panama, throughout the film.....she makes Reeves work very hard to make a conquest of her. In other Reeves tales the women begin swooning over him very early. Morgan the Pirate has great action scenes, with good closeups of some beautifully reconstructed pirate ships. The costumes are quite historical, with Reeves decked out in a slew of pirate regalia as the film progresses. The music sets off this swashbuckler to a great extent. Best music score around for this pirate tale. Reeves survives a mini mutiny among his own pirate group, spearheaded by a jealous cohort captain who Steve outduels in an excellent action sequence early in the film as Reeves establishes his authority as the overall leader of the pirates. Some lovely women to look at in this film, and Reeves does not appear overly muscular for the role.Plenty of pirate fighting and a good romantic ending for Captain Morgan.