Mark Turner Hammer Studios was well known for the Gothic styled horror films. But they made forays into other genres as well including film noir, comedy and this gem, an actual pirate film. While the time period might be the same as those Gothic films this movie is far from those with the exception of a few actors who seemed to be in all their movies. What matters is the fact that it ends up being an enjoyable one to watch.On a small island in the Caribbean called Devon a group of Huguenots has made a home for themselves. While the group sought religious freedom here things have changed with men in power abusing their positions. The man in charge is Jason Standing (Andrew Keir), a religious zealot who finds himself forced to condemn his son Jonathan (Kerwin Matthews) to 15 years in a labor camp. Jonathan was having an affair with the wife of one of the town leaders, a woman who we watch eaten by piranhas as she fleas capture from Jason and his men.Jonathan is taken away to the work camp but eventually escapes months later only to fall into the hands of a band of cutthroat pirates led by Capt. LaRoche (Christopher Lee). Decked out in all black with a lame arm and the perfect pirate eyepatch, LaRoche decides to put Jonathan to good use. He wants him to escort him back to the settlement with two goals in mind. One is to use the settlement as a safe haven to rest in and the other is that he believes there is a treasure hidden there.The settlers and the pirates come into conflict with one another, a battle follows and eventually the pirates take over the town. Demanding to know where the treasure is Jason tells them there is none. Unwilling to accept that LaRoche tells him he will hang two people per day until he reveals where it is.An escaped Jonathan frees several of the men in town and gets help from his sister's boyfriend Henry (Glenn Corbett). Is there a secret treasure on the island? Does Jason know where it is? And will the pirates kill everyone on the island to find a treasure no one is certain exist? The movie offers plenty of action, plenty of swordplay and enough pirate clichés to fill several movies. What is most amazing is the fact that this pirate movie never goes to sea or involves their ship! One scene shows the ship in the harbor and one segment takes place in the Capt. LaRoche's quarters. Other than that it's all on land! Made in 1962 these movies were still a staple at the time, a genre which demanded little reality and plenty of action. This film did the genre well. The pirates are indeed scurvy dogs dress in tattered clothing, drinking to excess and on the prowl for any women they can find. The crew turns out to be a potentially mutinous group and LaRoche has his hands full with them as well as the settlers.All involved do a great job in the acting department. It was nice to see Lee play something other than Dracula and his LaRoche comes with the aforementioned accoutrements of a pirate along with a decent French accent. Matthews was still making sword play films at the time and this is just another in the notch on his belt. Corbett is wasted here but makes the most of his time on screen. In a small role and just 6 years before his breakout performance in OLIVER as Bill Sykes is Oliver Reed playing woman hungry Brocaire. My favorite though is Michael Ripper as one of the most vocal of the pirates. Ripper was a regular in nearly all Hammer movies that I can recall growing up.Having never seen the film or even heard of it I found it to be a treat. Twilight Time is presenting it in a beautiful presentation with the cleanest possible widescreen offering found for the film. Extras include an isolated music and effects track, an audio commentary track with writer Jimmy Sangster, art director Don Mingaye and film historian Marcus Hearn and the original theatrical trailer. As with all Twilight Time releases this one is limited to just 3,000 copies so if interested order yours today.

Uriah43 Fleeing religious persecution a group of Huguenots settle on the Isle of Devon and establish a village where they can live and worship in peace. Unfortunately, many years later the leadership of the village is taken over by greedy and self-serving men who begin to enforce a type of religious tyranny on the residents. In one particular case a man by the name of "Jonathon Standing" (Kewin Matthews) has fallen in love with a woman named "Maggie Mason" (Marie Devereux) who is the wife of one of the leaders. Although neither have actually committed adultery when they are found in each other's embrace the decision is made to punish both all the same. In fear Maggie tries to escape by swimming to the other side of a river but is attacked and killed by piranhas. Meanwhile Jonathon is caught and then tried for adultery with Maggie's husband as one of the jurors. Although he protests his innocence he is sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a penal colony. A couple of months later he attempts to escape but is captured by a band of pirates and taken to their leader, "Captain LaRoche" (Christopher Lee) who decides to march to the village and loot it. Now, rather than detail any more of the film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this turned out to be a decent pirate movie despite the fact that almost all of the scenes happened on dry land. I especially liked the performance of Christopher Lee who I thought played the part quite superbly. In any case, I recommend this movie to all of those who think they might enjoy a film of this type and rate it as slightly above average.

Leofwine_draca THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER, a 1962 swashbuckler from Hammer Studios, is one of their lesser outings. You can put this down to Jimmy Sangster's lacklustre story and the lack of a decent budget, which substitutes British locations for the tropics and doesn't even include a pirate ship (apart from in an opening stock shot).Of course, those of us who enjoy B-movie fare will no doubt enjoy the spectacle of some nondescript British woodland standing in for a more exotic locale - adding a single fern leaf into the shot and a couple of pot plants isn't doing much to fool the viewer! At least it helps take the viewer's mind off the plot, which after a decent first half hour soon descends into repetitive inanity.Kerwin Matthews (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) stars as the youthful, romantic hero figure who's sent to a penal colony after falling foul of his puritan elders. He escapes just in time to help his villagers defend themselves from the clutches of a group of dastardly pirates looking for treasure.One of the problems with the production is the lack of a sense of menace. The pirates just don't seem to be particularly villainous and the script resorts to them fighting between themselves to supply the action. It doesn't help any when all the best actors play the pirates either: Christopher Lee, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne and Oliver Reed are all having a ball, supplying endless energy, while the villagers (including Dennis Waterman as a kid and an extra-dour Andrew Keir) are a bore.Still, it's as colourful as ever for a Hammer romp, and I'm predisposed towards this genre so that it held my attention from beginning to end. But with a little more imagination, it could have been a whole lot better and more like the above-average DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES that Hammer made a couple of years later.

Woodyanders Dashing young Jonathan Standing (a solid and likable performance by the handsome Kerwin Mathews) is exiled to a nearby penal colony for his relationship with a married woman. Jonathan manages to escape from said colony, but runs afoul of a gang of pirates led by the cunning, ruthless, and formidable Captain La Roche (the always excellent Christopher Lee). La Roche forces Jonathan to take him and his men back to his village in order to find a great treasure that's rumored to be hidden there. Ably directed by John Gilling, with a constant brisk pace, an absorbing script by John Hunter and Jimmy Sangster, a flavorsome evocation of the period, crisp widescreen cinematography by Arthur Grant (the occasional use of artful dissolves is especially striking and impressive), a serious tone, some rough'n'ready fisticuffs, a jaunty and stirring score by Gary Hughes, plenty of thrilling action (a fierce sword fight between two blindfolded men over a fair damsel rates as a definite tense and gripping highlight), beautifully verdant rural countryside scenery, and a colorful bunch of rowdy, scruffy, and deadly pirates, this movie makes the grade as one hugely entertaining and satisfying romp. Further kudos are also in order for the capable acting from the sound cast, with stand-out contributions by Andrew Kier as devout and resolute town elder Jason Standing, Michael Ripper as the hearty Mack, Marla Landi as Jonathan's loyal sister Bess, Oliver Reed as surly, ill-tempered brute Brocaire, and Peter Arne as hard-nosed first mate Hench. An immensely fun film.