The Pirate

Manuela lives in a Caribbean town and is to be married to Don Pedro, the wealthy older man who is mayor. She dreams instead of the legendary pirate Macoco; she has read stories about a man she has never seen and is waiting for him. A travelling theatre comes to town. Serafin is an actor, and on seeing Manuela finds the only way to reach her: he presents himself as Macoco. The lie grows. Meanwhile it comes out who the real Macoco is, and he is in the town too. Vincente Minnelli directs. Judy Garland plays Manuela and Gene Kelly plays Serafin. The songs are by Cole Porter. The film failed commercially on release and the studio lost money; it was reassessed in later years. Its best known piece is the song at the close; Kelly and Garland sing it together and the scene is the most cited part of the musical. The dance with the Nicholas Brothers is considered a separate example; that scene was cut from screenings in the southern states of America at the time. Minnelli's use of colour is extravagant and deliberately artificial; the narrative does not try to be realistic. The subject is imagination meeting reality, and in the end the film does not take the side of the dream. Judy Garland had health problems during shooting and the production ran long. Who it is for: viewers who like classic musicals and Minnelli. Who it is not for: the plot is weak, the register extravagant, and some sections run long.