Filmmaker Edgar Ulmer worked under the German expressionist directors, F.W. Murnau and Max Reihardt, and finally got to ply his own directing skills in one of his earliest and best films, 1933’s THE BLACK CAT (starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff). Despite the success of this film, Ulmer was relegated to the realm of B-pictures. But Ulmer wouldn’t have it any other way—he loved the freedom of low-budget filmmaking, because big studio pressures usually squashed the flames of creativity. Ulmer came to Hollywood from Europe before WW2 to escape the rise of fascism, but returned there after the war to direct films in Italy, Spain, and Germany. The ambitious PIRATES OF CAPRI was an American/Italian co-production that Ulmer helmed along with his Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Maria Scortese. THE PIRATES OF CAPRI was filmed in Italian and dubbed in English for North American distribution. All Day Entertainment, a company known for restoring films that fells through the cracks, really rescued a lost treasure with their DVD release of this overlooked 1949 pirate film.

The film takes place in Italy during the year 1798. Commodore Van Diel (Alan Curtis) leads Queen Carolina’s Royal Navy, and he personally commands the biggest warship in the fleet. The Commodore is assigned to transport the beautiful Countess Mercedes De Lopez (Marielle Lotti) to the Queen’s castle where this woman of high breeding is to marry Count Amalfi, one of the Queen’s close associates. But the mission is interrupted by the swashbuckling Captain Cirocco (Louis Hayward) and his pirate band, who attack and overpower the crew. Commodore Van Diel is captured and Captain Cirocco usurps control of the ship. Countess Lopez confronts Captain Cirocco that he is intruding into the affairs of the Queen. He has some fun with her when she reveals that she is to be married to Count Amalfi, a man she’s never met. Captain Cirocco and his men gather the weapons from the ship and return to their nearby island of Capri, along with the Commodore in toe. After they interrogate the Commodore, he provides the information that the pirates are looking for. But you see, Captain Cirocco and his followers are not really pirates—they are revolutionaries.

The Queen (Binnie Barnes) rules in fear of her people, because her sister, Marie Antoinette was beheaded by her rebelling subjects. Now the Queen is afraid of her people. Her unscrupulous suitor, Baron Von Holsten (Rudolph Serrato) takes advantage of her fears. While she stays holed up in her castle surrounded by elitist company like Count Amalfi (Louis Hayward), Baron Von Holsten lords it up like a tyrant over the peasants. The people are mad—they want to end the Queen’s reign in a bloody revolution. With the weapons that Captain Cirocco provided for them, they have a good chance of success. Also Captain Cirocco also blames Baron Von Holsten for the death of his brother four year earlier. But Captain Cirocco also gains the Queen’s confidence in his guise as the prissy poet Count Amalfi. She has arranged for his marriage to the lovely Countess Lopez. When she meets the prissy Count Amalfi, she doesn’t know what to think of him. She keeps thinking back to the previous day on the boat when she met the masked Captain Cirocco. The would-be pirate returns to Capri to plan the revolution along with his countrymen.

Baron Von Holsten captures one of female subjects of Capri, who is tortured until she gives away the location of the revolutionaries. The Baron gathers up a massive strike force and sends them to the island to destroy the rebels. But the men and weapons are not there—they have gone to the mainland to participate in the revolution. But the women and children of the rebels make easy targets for Baron Von Holsten’s soldiers. Meanwhile, Countess Lopez stays at the Queen’s Villa, and Captain Cirocoo pays another visit to her, and this time he goes so far as to ask for a kiss. But their short time together is cut short by the arrival of Baron Von Holsten’s soldiers, who force the revolutionaries to flee. Captain Cirocoo takes up his identity of Count Amalfi to get close to the Queen. Baron Von Holsten comes up with a plot to demoralize the revolution—he tells everyone that he has captured the renegade pirate. The news of this ploy travels fast, and Countess Lopez begs Count Amalfi to get the Queen to release Captain Cirocoo from her dungeons--Count Amalfi just laughs. He stages a recital for the benefit of the Queen and her elitist snobs, which signals the beginning of the revolution. But Commodore Van Diel returns to the castle and informs Baron Von Holsten of Captain Cirocoo’s true identity…

Edgar Ulmer had a reputation for making low budget productions have a big-budget look. THE PIRATES OF CAPRI certainly proves this true. The movie has impressive period visuals, with detailed production design and costuming. Ulmer serves it all up with a neo-visualist style and lighting. Production-wise, THE PIRATES OF CAPRI is superior to swashbucklers like CAPTAIN KIDD. Of course, the acting is not quite the caliber of that pirate film. Seeing as how THE PIRATES OF CAPRI is English dubbed, the performances lose their luster and cannot compare to CAPTAIN KIDD (which features performances from Hollywood heavyweights like Charles Laughton, John Carradine, and Randolph Scott). But THE PIRATES OF CAPRI is a far better paced and scripted film than CAPTAIN KIDD (with a lot more action, too). Louis (SON OF DR. JEKYLL) Hayward is excellent in the dual role of Count Amalfi/ Captain Cirocoo. As the pirate, he is a heroic, swashbuckling presence. When he is the Count Amalfi, he overplays the character perfectly—delivering his lines with an effeminate inflection while exhibiting similar physical traits. He enjoys catching Countess Lopez off guard, and amusingly plays up the fact that she cannot tell his two identities apart. The beautiful Mariella Lotti is one of the most beautiful and graceful women we’ve seen from this era. Yet, she gives her character intelligence and wisdom. Only Rudolph Serato is wooden as the evil Baron Von Holsten.

Besides being a Zorro-styled swashbuckler on the surface, underneath exists an examination of political subtext. THE PIRATES OF CAPRI explores the themes of monarchy and revolution. The narrative focuses on the clash between the upper and lower classes, and ponders why can’t we all just get along? The Queen’s biggest enemy is herself—she cannot communicate with her subjects because she fears she will end up like her sister, Marie Antoinette. She hides behind the tyrannical behavior of Baron Von Holsten, unaware that he is the sole reason for the revolution. The Baron schemes and schemes to keep his political power, until it is too late. Coincidentally, the protagonist Cirocoo/Amalfi is just as big a schemer as his enemy. He crafts two identities for himself, one a heroic masked figure to lend credence to the revolution, and give the people a leader that they can believe in. His other identity is tailor made to obtain favor with the Queen and her court. He dresses and talks like a spoiled rich person, and claims to be a patron of the arts. All the while he gains favor with the Queen, he tries to warn her about the threat of Baron Von Holsten. But, she believes Count Amalfi to be an artisan, and refuses to take military advice from him. The way Cirocco/Amalfi plays with both sides of the class struggle is amusing. Of course it is even more delicious to see him use the same tactics on his fiance—and she can’t tell them apart, either!

- Darren Collette

BACK TO REVIEW INDEX