moonspinner55 Review of Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler (1976)

Swordplay, cannon fire, white sails in the sunset...and banana peels

[5/10 · 11 March 2017]

Captain "Red" Ned Lynch and Nick Debrett, white and black pirate cohorts in 1718 Jamaica, oppose the evil Lord Durant, who has imprisoned the Lord High Justice and banished the judge's daughter; she enlists the pirates' help for 10,000 doubloons to kill Durant and rescue her father. Critically-drubbed pirate-package from producer Jennings Lang, who must have known Errol Flynn movies were no longer in vogue in 1976 and so adds an odd dollop of kink and a threat of castration to update the scenario. Lang has assembled a strong cast for the picture, including Robert Shaw (fresh off his triumph in "Jaws") as Lynch, Peter Boyle as the preening villain and Genevieve Bujold as the fencing damsel (who has a memorable swimming scene), and director James Goldstone doesn't go in for campy laughs, except for a horse cart full of bananas. Still, "Swashbuckler" failed to resurrect the genre as "The Three Musketeers" resurrected Dumas in 1973. Philip Lathrop's cinematography (particularly his outdoor aerial shots) is a major asset, but the old-fashioned spirit is sorely missing. ** from ****