September 19 is the infamous “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” The holiday began as a lark by three guys who found the idea humorous. They decided it would be worth the chance to send an email to humorist Dave Barry, asking him to support their idea. Not only did Barry support the idea, but he wrote a column about it that appeared in newspapers across the country. The holiday idea took off like wildfire.
In honor of “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” here is a look at some of the best pirate movies of all-time.
“Pirates of the Caribbean” (2003) – The first movie in the Johnny Depp trilogy is not only one of the best pirate movies ever made, but one of the most entertaining adventure movies of recent memory as well. In “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow, a notorious pirate who ends up helping a blacksmith save the woman he loves from the men who stole Jack’s precious ship, The Black Pearl.
“The Pirates: Band of Misfits” (2012) – The masterminds behind the “Wallace and Gromit” franchise returned to stop motion animation in 2012 for the animated movie, “The Pirates: Band of Misfits.” In the movie, The Pirate Captain sets out to earn the title of Pirate of the Year, and ends up running afoul of the Queen of England, who wants all pirates dead.
“Treasure Island” (1950) – Walt Disney brought the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel to life in 1095 with “Treasure Island.” The movie stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins and his experiences with the legendary pirate, Long John Silver. Three sequels followed the movie with further adventures of the pirate in.
“Captain Blood” (1935) – Errol Flynn starred in the 1935 pirate movie “Captain Blood” as swashbuckler Peter Blood, an enslaved doctor who escapes to become a pirate. The movie was a massive hit, picking up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
“Muppet Treasure Island” (1996) – The Muppets presented their own version of “Treasure Island” in 1996, and what resulted was one of the best Muppet movies since the early efforts. The story remains close to the original, with Tim Curry portraying Long John Silver and the Muppets starring as supporting characters.
“The Bounty” (1980) – “The Bounty” is a 1984 retelling of the classic Mutiny on the Bounty story. The cast is an all-star group, featuring Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Laurence Olivier. Hopkins stars as Lieutenant Bligh, the man the mutiny was led against.
“Peter Pan” (1953) – This version of “Peter Pan” is the classic Disney animated movie, as Peter whisks Wendy and her brothers to Never Land, where children never have to grow up. The danger comes when a pirate named Captain Hook seeks revenge against Pan for the loss of his hand.
“The Pirates of Penzance” (1983) – There have been many versions of “The Pirates of Penzance,” a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, but the 1983 version remains the best. Kevin Kline takes on the role as the Pirate King in this movie, with the Broadway cast reprising their roles. The plot follows a man whose nursemaid apprentices him to a pirate.
“The Princess Bride” (1987) – Finally, one of the best comedy adventure movies ever made is William Goldman’s adaptation of “The Princess Bride.” In the film, a man leaves to raise money to marry his love, only to be presumed dead when his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate. However, when the love of his life is kidnapped, the pirate himself returns to rescue her.
