The Pirates of Blood River (1962)

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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.

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.

Christopher Lee has dozens of films attributed to him, so much so one is forced to acknowledge his superior talents. Among the many roles are characters who have but one eye. This movie " The Pirates of Blood River " is one in which Lee wears an eye patch. The story was originally written by John Hunter and directed by John Giling. It tells the story of a group of religious pilgrims called Huguenots who establish their community on an island to live in peace. Unfortunately, there is dissension among the followers due to it's unjust judgments, punishments and thereafter when a group of Pirates invade their commune. Kerwin Mathews stars as Jonathon Standing, who's own father is among those who condemned him. Glenn Corbett plays Henry his brother. The heavy is played to the hilt by Christopher Lee who plays Captain LaRoche, a French pirate, a scoundrel from the old school. Oliver Reed and Robert Shaw are among the faces in the movie. The film itself is sorry to say, uneventful despite the bullet flying, sword fighting, hangings and piranha fish attacks. The scenes were so edited, that what was left, proved milk-toast and amateurish, truly not Christopher Lee, caliber. Despite Kerwin Mathews best efforts, this movie remained a half hearted attempt at best. **

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.