The Princess And The Pirate
1944
The Cast
Now, this is how comedies should be made. If you want to make me laugh then this is a great place to start. One: A witty and well-written script (even though the concept might be a bit ridiculous). One-liners, sharp comebacks, and great punchlines. Situation comedy. Slapstick. Even facial ticks, playing to the camera and the audience - this is great as it breaks that fourth wall and brings the audience into the film and story more. Bob Hope is a master at making people feel comfortable, happy, and like one of his friends. Most people relate to him, if not to the character he's playing.
This is the story of Sylvester The Great (Hope). An actor who is about to pursue his greatest role to date... that of a hero... though an unwilling - and sometimes cowardly - one at that. Princess Margaret (Mayo) is eloping to marry her one true love and not the arranged one her father has in mind. Though her father doesn't know of her plans, Captain Barrett "The Hook" (McLaglen) does. Along with his band of pirates, he plans to kidnap the Princess for a King's ransom... except, he's not planned for Sylvester...
Bob Hope is brilliant, as usual, in the role of Sylvester and gives his customary top-notch performance. Though quite a few may say that his characters vary very little in his career, I would have to agree with them. However, he also gives a hundred percent in those roles. If you look at some comedians today, they do the same, but because their repertoire doesn't have as much scope they can become boring and tired pretty quickly. Whereas, Hope's joyful exuberance appears fresh with every film.
It also helps that the rest of the cast is also top-notch. Virginia Mayo is as sprite and bubbly as Hope in her role and helps to make them into a lovable duo. Though it's both McLaglen and Walter Slezak, who plays La Roche, that add the "Straight" roles for Hope and Mayo to play off of. Both of these actors are brilliant as the bad guy's. McLaglen has both the physique and the face to pull off the fearful Pirate, he's also not too bad at humour; the fake mirror sequence is brilliantly pulled off. Slezak, as usual, has the air of a cunning fox about him; a man you just wouldn't trust. These two characters add the depth to the story and make the shade to the light of Hope and Mayo.
Another great thing is the direction. Though there's nothing too original in differing camera shots, there are a couple of interesting angles. It's the pace of the movie which helps to keep the viewer's attention and build on their interest. The pace is as fast as the gags in the script. There was only one hiccup and that was in the Bucket of Blood Inn. The scene where Sylvester and the Princess do their routine is a little ineffective. I can understand why it's in the story, though in the context of the film this is the slowest section and feels awkward. Though I can forgive this because of the excellent beer swilling scene (who says we have a drinking problem today...). And even though the end punchline of a sight gag is telegraphed right at the start of the movie it's still funny... the secret of great comedy is...
I would recommend this film to everybody who wants a good laugh and is sick and tired of the puerile and immature comedy around today. This should brighten your day quite well.
I give this a Rip-Roaring Belly-Busting Swash And Buckle of 8 out of 10.
...Timing!!!
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