Pirates

"Our Ship's Highly-Trained Staff Awaits You."

1986 2h 4m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

25%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 328🥫25%Rotten Tomatoes●32Metacritic★6IMDB · 9,984

AdventureComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The adventures of pirate Captain Red and his first mate Frog.

“Our Ship's Highly-Trained Staff Awaits You.”

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Cast

Walter Matthau
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Cris Campion
Jean-Baptiste 'The Frog'
Damien Thomas
Don Alfonso de la Torré
Olu Jacobs
Boomako
Charlotte Lewis
María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde
Roy Kinnear
Dutch
Roger Ashton-Griffiths
Moonhead
David Kelly
Surgeon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski
Languages: Spanish, English, French
Countries: France, Tunisia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 4% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Spanish, English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Tunisia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Witold Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Philippe Sarde. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roman Polanski directs. Witold Sobociński behind the camera. Philippe Sarde scores. William Reynolds cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Tunisia. Dialogue in Spanish, English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 4% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Spanish, English, French.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Tunisia.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Witold Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Philippe Sarde. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Walter Matthau and Cris Campion and Damien Thomas carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Our Ship's Highly-Trained Staff Awaits You.".
11IMDB entry: tt0091757 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "sea", "float", "pirate", "pirate ship".