One of Douglas Fairbanks best known roles is The Black Pirate in which he's not so blackhearted after all, but instead the son of a duke who was treacherously killed by the pirates Fairbanks joins and upon whom he plans to wreak vengeance.
Along the way Doug meets and falls for a genuine princess as well in the person of Billie Dove. She too has fallen into their hands, but a quick thinking Doug persuades his new companions that they could do far better holding her for a nice ransom.
The Black Pirate is primarily known for the spectacular stunts that Doug was still doing as his fans expected him. He was 43 when he made The Black Pirate, but was a man who kept himself in remarkably good shape even at that age. After the coming of sound, middle age would descend on Fairbanks rapidly. The most famous stunt of all was repeated several times in the film with Fairbanks descending down a length of sail by sticking his cutlass in it and going down like an elevator. Errol Flynn tried the same thing in Against All Flags and broke an ankle in the process.
Fans might recognize Donald Crisp who was also directing the film originally as one of the pirates. The screenplay was written by Fairbanks himself under a pseudonym. Some artistic differences got Crisp replaced, but still in the film as an actor.
The film holds up remarkably well as do all of Douglas Fairbanks silent films, the action is infectious and engrossing as is the larger than life personality of Douglas Fairbanks.
Along the way Doug meets and falls for a genuine princess as well in the person of Billie Dove. She too has fallen into their hands, but a quick thinking Doug persuades his new companions that they could do far better holding her for a nice ransom.
The Black Pirate is primarily known for the spectacular stunts that Doug was still doing as his fans expected him. He was 43 when he made The Black Pirate, but was a man who kept himself in remarkably good shape even at that age. After the coming of sound, middle age would descend on Fairbanks rapidly. The most famous stunt of all was repeated several times in the film with Fairbanks descending down a length of sail by sticking his cutlass in it and going down like an elevator. Errol Flynn tried the same thing in Against All Flags and broke an ankle in the process.
Fans might recognize Donald Crisp who was also directing the film originally as one of the pirates. The screenplay was written by Fairbanks himself under a pseudonym. Some artistic differences got Crisp replaced, but still in the film as an actor.
The film holds up remarkably well as do all of Douglas Fairbanks silent films, the action is infectious and engrossing as is the larger than life personality of Douglas Fairbanks.