Common Sense Note
Parents should know that there's not much to worry about here. Characters deceive each other. There are no role models, but there is, of course, a happy ending.
Families can talk about gender roles in the 1940s. How does Serafin treat women as he sings "Nina"? Based on what Manuela knows about the legendary pirate Macoco, why is she attracted to him? Stock portrayals of certain "types" can be the center of a discussion about gender, race, and beauty. Does Manuela dread marrying Don Pedro for any reason other than his looks? How do mob mentality and public opinion factor into the characters' fates?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathryn McGarr
If you don't mind a bit of the ridiculous in your MGM musicals (and do we have a choice?), then you, and especially your kids, will enjoy The Pirate. With songs by Cole Porter, this colorful Vincente Minnelli period piece is about Manuela (Judy Garland), whose status-seeking aunt arranges for her to marry a rich local in their small Caribbean town. This is a fate worse than death for the romantic "teenager."
She is starry-eyed for the infamous pirate "Mack the Black" Macoco, a brutal but reputedly dashing plunderer. Kids probably won't see this from a masochistic angle, but Manuela's romantic fascination with the cruel pirate does seem morbidly inappropriate at times.
When traveling actor Serafin (Gene Kelly) spots Manuela during one of his troupe's performances, he chooses her for a hypnosis demonstration. In the wonderful way of 1940s musicals, this prompts her to break into a show-stopping song. When she awakens to her embarrassment, she hurries home to dutifully accept her rum-pot of a fiancé.
Plans for the wedding go awry when Serafin follows Manuela back to her town and, in trying to woo her (and perhaps pick up some cash along the way by holding her hostage), poses as Mack the Black. Upon learning of Serafin's deception, the previously swooning Manuela attacks him in a comical scene of cartoonish violence. No vase is spared.
One dance number with Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers makes the film especially memorable. Some theater owners cut the scene when it was released in 1948 because it portrayed African Americans on equal footing -- at least in the fancy footwork sense -- with whites. Families may want to discuss depictions of non-whites in classic films and how stereotypes play out now.
The Pirate is charming but, given its all-star cast and crew, a little disappointing. Don't expect to get too invested in the characters' lives or see development. The costumes and sets look phony (though storybook-familiar to your kids) and, although this is a period piece, the colonial-era Caribbean is clearly an MGM sound stage. Moreover, the obligatory dream sequence in which Gene Kelly dances around flames in thigh-high cut-offs is dated, to say the least.
For a better polished but equally family friendly Kelly-Garland collaboration, check out Summer Stock.
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ViolenceSome cartoonish violence, throwing objects. |
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Social BehaviorTypical 1948 gender and race portrayals (i.e. not great). |
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