Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952)

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Load of rubbish!!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Hollywood turned out dozens of pirate adventures in its heyday, most, such as The Black Swan, The Spanish Main, Captain Kidd etc etc, were flat and routine swashbucklers that lacked the kind of acting presence, story, and edge that made MGM's 1934 version of Treasure Island, and Warner's Captain Blood from 1935 standards of the genre. The pirate movie throughout the 40's, much like the western, was in need of something fresh.In 1950, Robert Newton made a stalwart impression as Long John Silver in the British remake of Treasure Island, released through Disney. Though the film was not nearly as good as the '34 MGM version, Newton managed to surpass the performance of Wallace Beery's Silver, which was no easy feat as Beery was exceptional in that role.Coming off of that success, RKO paired Newton with hit and miss director Raoul Walsh to make Blackbeard the Pirate. Newton's performance in the title role was even better than his turn in Treasure Island - a definitive portrayal of the pirate captain that continues to predominate the genre. Not a single actor from Wallace Beery to Victor McLaglen to Charles Laughton to Peter Ustinov to Dustin Hoffman to even Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp have managed to usurp the pure overbearing sea scenery chewing double-dealing rapscallion that is Robert Newton as Blackbeard. His performance, as brutal as it is humorous, is a joy to behold, and elevates the film to a higher level.The film itself is not as routine as one might expect either. There is a plot going on here (albeit not exactly an airtight one), and some fine supporting performances from William Bendix (always watchable), Linda Darnell, and Keith Andes, a mostly forgotten actor who apparently could do it all in show business from sing and dance to swordfight. His cutlass battles in Blackbeard are of Flynn/Rathbone quality, but actually remind one more of the kind of swordfighting seen in Lester's The Three Musketeers 20 years later. For a film made in 1952, there is a surprising amount of gore in this as well.Not a great story, but a good one, and entertaining throughout. Everything you'd expect from a 50's adventure on the high seas is delivered here - action, romance, blood and treachery. One of the best pirate movies of all time.

I'd always wondered were Daniel Day-Lewis had found his weird accent for Gangs of New-York. Finally an explanation, the character of Will The Butcher is based on Robert Newton's superbly hammy Blackbeard (note: other IMDBers have suggested Bill Sykes, another Newton character).There are some drawn out scenes, such as where Newton swaps clothes with a look-alike to escape soldiers only to promptly shoot him in the back. The boat scenes are pretty well done though.Newton is the prototypical celluloid pirate with his outings in the definitive Treasure Island. Both films have memorable endings but are not up to the special effects of Pirates of the Caribbean.

This is not a movie of great measure. It's just a VERY good showcase for the ultimate pirate actor, Robert Newton, who fits the role so perfectly as to become THE pirate to be imitated in every pirate movie to follow. He is the centerpiece of this film, make no mistake about that. Every scene belongs to him and every word of dialogue he speaks is the learning base for future "pirates" of the silver screen.Not a Newton fan? Steer clear, then Matey, because this movie is his and his alone. Not even the beautiful Linda Darnell can distract from him in any scene they share. He is an overpowering and magnetic force when he plays his pirate to perfection.AWWWWWRRRRRRRRRR.Being a big fan of the man I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. I find his acting to be natural and amusing. This is his niche and here he rules.

Central character of the pirate Cap'n Teach is absolutely mesmerising (his end is especially so), a completely eccentric and idiosyncratic performance by Edward Newton. Sir 'Enry Morgan ('imself) is a second perfect double-dealing villain. All the pirate crew seem to have been expertly cast, each is amusing, grubby, ugly, dumb, violent, and filthy-minded, watch as they scale the ship each with cutlass in mouth! Film best seen in the colour version, so that we can see 'the Mansfield gal' (Linda Darnell) in all her lascivious purity tempting 'the sawbones' Edward Maynard. So we got romance, ye want fightin' ! - this is still the movie for you, grappling hooks, sabres, and redcoats are all there in mid-sea terror. Completely artificial yet glorious Hollywood bumf. The best swashbuckler of them all, by far the best film I watched as a child and still in my top ten. Wild horses wouldn't have dragged myself, my two brothers, and my sister away from this. Forget yer Gangs O' New York mateys, this be proper fare for ye table. And youm lads depressed by yer Bergman this be for ye also.